Oh. My. Gooooooodness, I’m incredibly happy to report that I completed looking at every, single brand on my personal care/cleaning lists yesterday after ~8 months of chipping away at it (there are 155 brands there currently)! The last update to these lists was in 2019. That was the 3rd revision since I initially shared them almost a decade ago. Between 2019 and 2023 I was so burned out from researching and blogging that I pretty much walked away from it all completely. And the idea of refreshing this project was way too overwhelming for a really long time. I don’t get paid to do this, it truly is something I’ve always done altruistically. There were times I acknowledged it needed to be done, but if I felt like I had to make myself sit down and do it didn’t happen. The desire had to come from within.
At the end of last year I had a renewed desire to work on this project. While it did feel completely overwhelming to begin with, I gave myself a pep talk to focus on 1 entry at a time and not think about the project as a whole. That if it took a year, or even 2 years, that was fine. And it worked!!! It only took 8 months. I started at the top, with my Approved List, and worked my way down. Every now and then I’d switch over to my huge list of suggested brands that weren’t already on there and look into them and add them where I felt they belonged. There is a date next to each update or addition, and also note if I moved a brand from where they used to be and why. I’m very happy to report that in the 2019 update several brands I had noted did not disclose ingredients on their site, but that is almost unheard of now. So that is fantastic, and makes it much easier for me to share my opinion.
Here are the stats: There are 26 brands on my Approved List, 77 on the So-So portion, and 52 on my Not Recommended list, for a total of 155 companies. I still have a long list of brands to look into that are not on there. So this project is not done, it’ll always be a continual work in progress. And I’m really excited to look into those new (to the list) brands, that’s my favorite part. Discovering new brands for my Approved List excites me every, single time! I kinda’ wish I’d kept track of the number of hours I spent on this, but part of me doesn’t want to know either. Some entries go pretty quick. On average I’d say I spend 1/2 hour per entry. The Not Recommended portion is the easiest because most of them are full of icky ingredients and I can click through multiple products quickly and know I definitely don’t recommend them. The Approved entries take the longest because I truly look through almost every product offered to make sure they aren’t sneaking some icky ingredients in here & there. I take my Approved portion very, very seriously and only the very best brands on the market land there. I do feel quite good about the So-So portion, I think it’s great that there are a lot of options that aren’t terrible, many that landed there are making quite a few pretty decent products, just not 100% across the board for me to be able to fully recommend them.
Here is a link to the Master List. You can click on the full listings from there. I’ve had people ask me to make this info into a pamphlet/book. My take on that is this: as soon as something gets written down it runs the risk of becoming inaccurate due to new formulas, etc. And with everyone having phones these days, I feel keeping these lists here is the best way to keep the info readily accessible. I’m 100% okay with these lists being FREE, I do not expect anything for them. I truly enjoy sharing my opinion on what products are great, or not so great. I know many of you are on super tight budgets, like me. But I also know some of you utilize these lists pretty heavily, and maybe aren’t on a super tight budget. All that being said, if you truly value these resources and have a few extra bucks you feel like donating, I would be flattered and appreciative of your donation. I felt like adding those details here is not out of line. My PayPal is: ecofriendlymamausa@gmail.com. My Venmo is @Jessica-Brandt-56 (last 4 digits of my phone are 1282 if it asks). And for real, I do NOT expect anything in return for me sharing my thoughts with you.
And finally I just want to say, this project is a great analogy for other things in life. Sometimes things feel completely overwhelming. Sometimes it’s okay to not focus on the big picture. Take a step back and tackle one thing, one day, at a time. Baby steps add up to giant leaps & bounds over time. They really do!! I hope everyone is having a great start to your summer. I sure am, and tomorrow my baby girl turns 11!
I’ve spent the past 6 months updating my Personal Care recommendations (or not recommended) resources. I’ve really enjoyed that process, and with summer here I thought a list dedicated to safe sunscreen choices was in order. Let’s start with a basic fact. There are 2 forms of sunblock: chemicals (such as Oxybenzone, Avobenzone, Octinoxate) OR physical blockers (such as zinc and titanium dioxide). If you want to read more about that topic, here’s a link. In my opinion, the chemical blockers aren’t safe, so you will not find any of those on my Approved or So-So lists. Generally the ingredient lists will include what percentage of zinc or titanium dioxide they include. For reference, typically 20% zinc gives ~SPF30, tallow has SPF 4, coconut oil around 8. Also, I value as many organic ingredients as possible as well when looking at what to add to my best-of-the-best lists. Of course if you’re looking for a sunscreen recommendation for a toddler or super young child, go with as minimal ingredients as possible and in my opinion they should be organic. Covering up is always best, when possible.
Some brands I looked at had 1 or 2 options only, so I listed those. Several brands had a TON of options. So I didn’t necessarily look at every, single one. In those instances I would look at a lotion, spray, and stick. I list exactly what I looked at. You can typically get a pretty good feel for the line based on looking at several options. If you’re curious about any option offered by any brand I mentioned below, that is not specifically on this list, please reach out and I’ll take a look and give you my feedback. Some brands have items in a couple different spots. For example, I put Rowe Casa on my Approved List for their lotion but put their stick on my So-So list.
I included prices as well so you don’t get super excited about an option then realize it’s way out of your budget. Some of these are quite pricey! Also, while ingredients are SUPER important, so is efficacy. I’m absolutely interested in YOUR feedback on these brands. Did you try something that has great ingredients, but it didn’t work? Some of them can go on thick and leave people feeling pasty and like a ghost. That’s important too. In order for people to want to grab these products as a safe option, they need to be comfortable with them. So, please share in the comments below if you have feedback!
AFFILIATE LINKS: You’ll find a couple below. IF YOU’RE GOING TO GET THE BRANDS THAT ARE AVAILABLE VIA AMAZON, please start with this link and complete your order. I should get affiliate credit for your order: https://amzn.to/4ehfYAl
*NOTE: Please forgive the formatting of this resource. I spent several hours on this (around 12) as is and did my best to try to merge formatting. But I could have spent hours getting it how I would like it and decided I have better uses of my time. So below you’ll find things as they were listed on the sites I took the ingredients from. Deal with it, LOL 🙂
Best-of-the-Best:
**3rd Rock Sunblock:
–THOUGHTS: Absolutely nothing concerning here, these are great options!
• Zinc oxide (23.5%) • Vegetable glycerin • Distilled Water • Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) oil • Gamma oryzanol • Olea europaea (olive) fruit oil • L-arginine • Aloe barbadensis Miller leaf gel • High mountain desert beeswax with propolis • Citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel wax • Phosphatidyl choline and / or refined coconut oil extract • Tocopherol (Vitamin E) • Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) • Zea mays (corn) starch • Maranta arundinacea (arrowroot) extract • Xanthan gum
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**All Good:
—THOUGHTS: I looked at several products from this brand and put the rest of them on my So-So list. However, this stick looks great and I can recommend it without hesitation.
–THOUGHTS: I put Babo on my So-So list for other options I looked at, although they were almost good enough to go in my Approved category. A common thread I’ve seen across brands I looked at is their stick versions are the safest of all offerings. Something to keep in mind! And they are easy to apply vs sometimes lotions can be on the thick side when mineral-based.
—THOUGHTS: Absolutely nothing of concern. I have used this brand myself on/off over the years and think it’s a fantastic option. Many more options than what I list below, this is just a sampling and I’ve never seen an ingredient I don’t like in this entire line.
*Daily mineral sunscreen SPF 30- $23.99 4oz: Active Sunscreen Ingredient: Mineral Zinc Oxide 18.75%. Base Ingredients: Organic Steam Distilled Coconut Oil, Sunflower Wax, Sunflower Vitamin E
*Kids mineral sunscreen cream SPF 40- $17.99 2.9oz: Active Sunscreen Ingredient: Mineral Zinc Oxide 22.5%. Base Sunscreen Ingredients: Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Beeswax, Organic Orange Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Tangerine Oil, Sunflower Vitamin E, Organic Vanilla Extract & Organic Seabuckthorn Extract.
*Active Mineral Sunscreen stick SPF35 $11.99 .65oz stick: Active Sunscreen Ingredient: Mineral Zinc Oxide 22.5%. Base Ingredients: Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Beeswax, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Shea Butter & Sunflower Vitamin E.
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**BluBird Acres:
—THOUGHTS: It doesn’t state what percentage of zinc. She notified me after I shared this that she estimates it to be about 20% and that ” We do use olive and jojoba oil which naturally contain SPF”. Estimated to be spf30 total. I’m a huge fan of tallow balm, it’s so nourishing. I love the minimal ingredients list and the price for 4oz of tallow is reasonable!
From their website: Sun Shield is not a sunscreen. Products must contain either a chemical blocker (like oxybenzene) or a physical blocker (like zinc oxide) to legally be considered a sunscreen. Instead, Sun Shield uses plant oils and herbs that have a natural SPF and protect skin on a cellular level. Some people use it instead of a traditional sunscreen and some people use it along with a traditional sunscreen. Because it is not legally a sunscreen, it doesn’t have an official SPF rating. However, based on the SPF of each plant oil in it, we estimate a level of 12 – 15.
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**Hello Bello:
–THOUGHTS: I put the other products I looked at from this brand on my So-So list, but as I’ve noted with other sticks on my Approved List, this contains no ingredients of concern in my opinion.
—THOUGHTS: Safe and effective, Poofy even publishes their testing results to show efficacy of this product which is not something you’ll find with a lot of small brands. Of course, it’s really important this product does what it is intended to do. Moreso than other products, especially if being used on babies/young children. In the product description you’ll find links to SPF determination results and broad spectrum results too! I have been a Guide with Poofy Organics for 10 years (as I type this!)!!
—THOUGHTS: Nothing of concern!! This looks fantastic! I spent quite a bit of time reading up on Polyhydroxystearic Acid as I wasn’t familiar with it and I started seeing it in a lot of sunscreen formulas. I determined that there are no serious risks with it, and it plays an important role in sunscreens in particular: This plant-derived or synthetic ingredient is often used to coat mineral sunscreen actives to help them disperse evenly. Suppliers of polyhydroxystearic acid also claim that it helps increase UV absorption and can reduce the white cast that titanium dioxide and zinc oxide leave behind. (read more here).
—THOUGHTS: Another tallow-based option that looks fantastic to me!
*Face and body sunscreen SPF 30 $29.95 2.82oz: Active Ingredients: Non-Nano 15% Zinc Oxide. Inactive Ingredients: Grass-Fed/Grass-Finished Tallow, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Jojoba Ester, Beeswax, Shea Butter, Propolis.
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**SUNBIO LOGIC:
—THOUGHTS: Small line of sunscreens and balms, everything looks great!
*Organic sunscreen- raw coconut SPF30+ $17 2oz: Active Ingredients:Non Nano Zinc Oxide 23%. Inactive Ingredients:Cera Alba (Beeswax)*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Extra Virgin Oil*, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Vitellaria Paradoxa (Shea Butter)* *USDA Certified Organic
*Organic sunscreen- kids stick, spf 30+ $33 .6 oz: Active Ingredients: Non Nano Zinc Oxide 23%. Inactive Ingredients: Cera Alba (Beeswax)*, Magnifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter*, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil*, Simmondsia Chinesis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Vitamin E Sunflower Extract Non-GMO. *USDA Certified Organic
*Naturally tinted, light/medium tone, spf 30+ $24 2 oz: Active Ingredients: Non Nano Zinc Oxide 23%. Inactive Ingredients: Cera Alba (Beeswax)*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Extra Virgin Oil*, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Iron Oxides, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Vitellaria Paradoxa (Shea Butter)* *USDA Certified Organic
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**Thinkbaby:
—THOUGHTS: Nothing of concern! I do not know what the (1) indicates. I would assume it means organic ingredient, but I do not see that noted anywhere on their site! Other options of theirs went on my So-So List.
*Sun stick- $32 (doesn’t list size, looks pretty small, like lip balm size): Ingredients: Grass-fed tallow, raw unfiltered beeswax, non-nano zinc oxide (20%)
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**Whole Foods Market:
—THOUGHTS: This option looks fantastic! I looked at the sprays and unfortunately they all had ingredients of concern.
*365 by Whole Foods Market- Sport Lotion Mineral Sunscreen:
Zinc Oxide 18.75%
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**Young Living:
—FEEDBACK: I had to look up Polyglyceryl-3 polyricinoleate as I wasn’t familiar. I found it can be either synthetic or natural, usually coming from castor beans or soybean oil. It’s an emulsifier and I couldn’t find anything concerning. So, due to the rest of this label looking quite good, I decided to include this brand on my Approved portion. I will note: this is one of the pricier options on this list.
Products on this list are mineral-based (they went to my Not Recommended List otherwise) but I don’t love all the inactive ingredients enough to include them on my Approved List.
**100% Pure:
—THOUGHTS: With ingredients like these as inactive ingredients, it’s just not in the same class as those on my Approved portion. There are numerous alchohols, which while not necessarily unsafe, using multiples in the same formula seems like a lot. None of these are terrible, just not the absolute best either: Isoamyl Laurate, Sorbitan Stearate, Phenethyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Glyceryl Isostearate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Cetearyl Glucoside, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Methyl Dihydroabietate. Also, 1 of the 2 formulas I looked at is made in Australia, which doesn’t support my mission.
*Yerba mate mist: spf 30- $38 3.4oz: Made in USA: COMPLETE LIST OF INGREDIENTS: Active ingredients: Zinc 12 % Inactive ingredients: Bentonite, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Coco Glucoside, Vegetable Glycerin, Heptyl Undecylenate, Ilex Paraguariensis (Yerba Mate) Leaf Extract, Jojoba Ester, Methyl Dihydroabietate, Water
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**All Good:
—THOUGHTS: Sooooo many options and definitely not terrible. If I was in a big box store and needed something in front of me and this was an option I would use it without hesitation. But it’s just not as “clean” as the brands on my Approved list. They do note several organic ingredients and in general, nothing is terrible. This is a good option for a compromise if you can’t afford the top brands and/or don’t want to order directly online and this was possibly available locally. Ingredients such as: Butyloctyl Salicylate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid,Methyl Dihydroabietate, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoatejust aren’t quite good enough for my Approved section.None of these are terrible by any means though!
–THOUGHTS: Made in Canada. I don’t see a note of organic ingredients, and with ingredients like Ethylhexylglycerin it’s just not quite good enough for my Approved list. It’s not terrible though.
*Kids Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30-5.2oz out of stock so doesn’t show price. Active ingredient : Zinc oxide (20%). Inactive ingredients : Aqua / Water / Eau, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, C10-18 Triglycerides, Glycerin (soybeans/soja), Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Behenyl Alcohol, Sodium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Gluconate.
—THOUGHTS: LOTS of options! I put their stick on my Approved list. Definitely not terrible, but some So-So ingredients such as Butyloctyl Salicylate which is a synthetic dispersant for sunscreens. Methyl Dihydroabietate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Tetradecane.
–THOUGHTS: I was going to place this on my Approved List with 1 caveat, then I decided it wasn’t fair to the other brands on there. So any brand with a caveat is on my So-So List with a note as to why. There is just 1 ingredient they use that I’m a teensy bit leery of: Sorbitan Sesquioleate. I had to look it up as I’m not familiar. It is a synthetic emulsifier used to stabilize oil-in-water emulsions. Several sources I read stated it may be a contact allergen. So due to that, I decided to put this brand here and ask you to research that ingredient and make sure you’re okay with it. Otherwise, this looks like a very, very good option in my opinion. I am not familiar with this brand so have added it to my list of brands to look into for my overall recommendations as well.
–THOUGHTS: Like the other brands on my so-so portion: not terrible, just not in the same league as those on my Approved portion. Butyloctyl Salicylate,Methyl Dihydroabietate for example, just less than ideal and not found in the brands on my Approved list.Overall, not too concerning though!
*Sun face & body mineral sunscreen stick $33 1.75oz
Zinc oxide 17.6%
*Sun body mineral sunscreen spray $37.33 6oz
Zinc oxide 16.8%
*Face & body mineral sunscreen lotion $40 5oz
Zinc oxide 16%
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**Hello Bello-
–THOUGHTS: I put their stick on my Approved List, and can say I do think this is a pretty good option for a big box brand. I’ve seen this brand at Wal-Mart and am happy that there are quite decent brands available at places like that. Ingredients like the following just make it not quite good enough for my very high standards for the best-of-the-best category: Methyl Dihydroabietate, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid. But it certainly is not a terrible option!
–THOUGHTS: Overall few ingredients of concern and a decent option. I see quite a few I would consider so-so such as: Butyloctyl Salicylate, Methyl Dihydroabietate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid. In general, definitely not a terrible option!
–THOUGHTS: I struggled with where to put this one. There are no huge red flags, but with benzyl alcohol (for example) I just don’t feel this is up to the same level of amazingness as the rest of the brands that are on my best-of-the best Approved list. I can confidently say this is a pretty good option.
–THOUGHTS: Not terrible, but not the best and targeted at babies…. Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Butyloctyl salicylate, Methyl Dihydroabietate. There are plenty of options with no ingredients of concern that I would choose over this.
Squalane: 100% sugarcane-derived, sustainable ingredient that mimics the vernix, baby’s first built-in moisturizer and the best protection Mother Nature can give.
Glycerin: Plant-derived moisture attractor.
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride: Skin-replenishing emollient derived from coconut oil.
Cetearyl Alcohol: Gentle plant-derived emollient.
Methyl Dihydroabietate: Plant-derived formula thickener.
Sorbitan Olivate: Plant-derived skin softener.
Cetyl Palmitate: Plant-derived skin softener.
Coco-Glucoside: Plant-derived emulsifier.
Ethyl Ferulate: Plant-based antioxidant with skin-calming properties.
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside: Plant-derived solubilizing agent that helps keep the formula smooth.
Bisabolol: Plant-derived antioxidant that helps calm irritation.
Physalis Angulata (Wild Gooseberry) Extract: Fruit-derived extract that helps calm the effects of infrared light, which can heat and irritate delicate skin.
Xanthan Gum: Sugar-derived skin-conditioning ingredient that helps give the formula its silky texture.
Acacia Senegal Gum: Plant-derived skin-conditioning agent that locks in moisture and thickens the formula.
Sodium Gluconate: Naturally derived ingredient that helps boost preservative effectiveness.
Polyhydroxystearic Acid: Plant-derived emulsifying agent that helps stabilize the formula and keep it smooth and uniform.
Isostearic Acid: Natural fatty acid that helps emulsify and give the formula its silky texture.
1,2-Hexanediol: Moisture-attracting ingredient and preservative.
Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate: Food-grade emulsifier that helps give the formula its silky texture.
Hydroxyacetophenone: Antioxidant that boosts preservative effectiveness.
Bentonite: Clay-derived ingredient that absorbs excess oil and calms skin.
Methyl dihydroabietate: Naturally derived formula stabilizer that helps sunscreen spread easily.
Cetearyl alcohol: Gentle plant-derived emollient.
Glycerin: Plant-derived moisture attractor.
Aloe barbadensis leaf juice: Skin moisturizer derived from the legendarily calming aloe vera plant.
Squalane: 100% sugarcane-derived, sustainable ingredient that mimics the vernix, baby’s first built-in moisturizer and the best skin protection Mother Nature can give.
FEEDBACK: This is a brand I will never recommend due to the scandal they were born out of. However, based on the ingredients for these products, I would put them on my So-So list. I do not trust this brand. See the Body Sunscreen Lotion as an example of inconsistencies…
*Body sunscreen lotion $27.95 3 oz: helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, beeswax, ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, tocopherol, beta-sitosterol, squalene, citric acid. NOTE: This full ingredient list does NOT include zinc oxide. However in the What Makes it Special section the 1st point is: features non-nanoparticle zinc oxide…..
FEEDBACK: I put this brand on my best-of-best list for their lotion and spray, but the stick contains a few ingredients I don’t consider the best-of-the-best, such as Stearic Acid, Alumina, Benzyl Alcohol. There are better options for sticks, in my opinion. This is interesting to me because other brands were opposite: I put them on my Approved list for their sticks, and so-so for their other products!
–THOUGHTS: I like that they use some organic ingredients, however there are enough so-so ingredients that I cannot put this brand on my Approved list. Diisostearoyl Polyglyceryl-3 Dimer Dilinoleate, Ethyl lauroyl arginate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Alumina, Titanium Borosilicate, Benzyl Alcohol…
FEEDBACK: Several of the lotions they made look good, but I cannot recommend the spray. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a spray that doesn’t have ingredients of concern.
The following are either chemical-based, or mineral-based but with numerous ingredients of concern so I recommend anything on the above list over these options.
**Alba Botanica:
FEEDBACK: so many options! I didn’t see any I could recommend (but didn’t look at every, single one either). If you would like me to take a look at a specific one that is mineral-based that you think might look better than what I selected, I’ll be happy to!
Several other options. All have ingredients of concern.
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**Bare Republic:
—FEEDBACK: Chemical-basedwith numerous other ingredients I dislike. The mineral-based still contains: Cyclopentasiloxane (4 in ewg), Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Hydrogen Dimethicone, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Synthetic Wax. There are so many good options and so-so ones that I would choose before this brand!
—FEEDBACK: Way too many ingredients of concern, I cannot recommend this brand at all.
*Mineral based Sensitive lotion spf 50 6oz, doesn’t list price without leaving site. Couldn’t copy & paste ingredient list, had to zoom in on back of tube.
FEEDBACK: The inactive ingredients are not good at all, and while both formulas do include either zinc or titanium dioxide, they also use Octinoxate in 1 formula. They had several more formulas but I saw what I need to see. I definitely do not recommend this brand. Australian (reminder that I encourage you to support made in USA brands)
FEEDBACK: NOPE! Not even a chance I’d recommend this brand.Way too many ingredients of concern.
*Mineral based Pure & Simple SPF 50 mineral lotion- 2.5oz no prices listed
Zinc oxide 24.08%
*Pure & Simple SPF 50 mineral sunscreen spray
Zinc 24.08%
NOTE FROM JESS: Ingredients cut off, but from what I can see, definitely not recommended.
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**EltaMD:
—FEEDBACK: between the use of Octinoxate as an active ingredients, and the large number of inactive ingredients that are a big no, this is absolutely not a brand I would recommend.
**Goddess Garden is a brand that was previously a good selection. When I went to relook it says: webstore currently closed for systems updates. Please shop on amazon. Then it is unavailable on Amazon. Hopefully it’s coming back some day!
**Someone requested I look at Hawaiian natural. I’m not positive which I was to look at, so if that was you, provide me with a link please!
I’m currently revisiting my Approved, So-So, Not Recommended lists that I began wayyyyyy back in 2012 when I started my blogging journey. The most recent update to most of those lists was in 2016. Wow, how time flies. So a revisit of all brands, as well as what’s new out there, is definitely in order. Beautycounter has been on my Not Recommended List since I published it, and I was very curious to see what, if anything, has changed in the past several years?? I would be absolutely thrilled to have more brands on my So-So list even!
The answer is no, I still cannot recommend this brand whatsoever. My motto has always been: ingredients speak for themselves. They just need a voice. I’m helping be that voice. Just about every label I looked at contains potassium sorbate, phenoxyethanol, sodium benzoate at the very least. The majority of the rest of the ingredients are so-so. Not the worst, but certainly not the best for those of you like myself who are on a mission to find products that work well, are made of as many organic ingredients as possible AND also affordable. If you share those values with me, this is NOT a brand that should be on your radar at all. Any brand on my So-So list would align with those values more than this option.
There are numerous ingredients they are using in their products that are available organically grown, they apparently are choosing not to support those options, yet they are charging double, triple, quadruple what brands who ARE using organic ingredients. That is maddening to me. Talk about marketing…. If you’re looking for better than the worst products on the market, I’ll give them that. If you’re looking for best of the best, or even so-so (which are much better than the worst), this brand is NOT for you. I honestly did not see a single product I’d use (thus recommend). For every, single item in every category, there is something I can suggest that has fewer ingredients, more organic ones, and is a fraction of the price.
Organic Sunflower Seed Oil is the singular organic ingredient. Several of those ingredients could be organic (any of the oils, shea butter, aloe). But they’re not. It has 5437 reviews with a 5/5star rating.
I looked at a ton of products and found them all to be extremely disappointing. I just grabbed a random example of what the labels look like. There is nothing in this $35 bottle of Countermatch Refresh Foaming Cleanser that would tempt me for a second to use nor recommend it:
I didn’t generally comment on prices as much as I am with this round of refreshing my entries on these lists, but more than ever, everyone I know is on a tight budget. However, it’s common to see price tags in the $70-$100 range for creams. Hand lotion is $62 for a 16 oz bottle. I cannot believe people actually pay these prices. I guess I live in an alternate reality, no one I know can afford these prices. Coupled with the fact that there are 1 or 2 organic ingredients, this certainly is not a brand I can recommend to anyone. IF you are a customer of this brand, and justifying the money you are spending, it shows we have extremely different values. And that’s okay. I’m not judging you. We live in alternate realities and have opposite criteria for what makes a great product. For me, that would be organic ingredients at an affordable price. Anyone reading this who would like to know what those recommendations are, see my So-So and Approved lists. In my humble opinion, Beautycounter is a greenwasher.
In June I’ll have been a Guide with Poofy Organics for 10 years!!! And honestly, I’ve never been more excited, hopeful, optimistic about everything the company offers and stands for! I know direct sales are seen in a less than positive light by many. I also used to not be too thrilled about at one time in my life. But, it’s hard to deny that the opportunities presented by Poofy Organics (I can’t speak for any other company) are just too good to pass up. MANY of you on this page are Stay-at-Home-Moms. Some of you work part time. Many of you have experience selling Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, or other names, but would love to find a better fit for your “crunchy” lifestyle. I don’t know anyone who can’t use extra grocery money (we all know feeding our family healthy, organic food is NOT cheap).
I have been devoted to finding the safest products on the market for over 12 years now, and looked at just about every line known- NONE of them compare to Poofy. With an almost full line of personal care, home (except laundry and auto dish soap, hopefully those will come eventually) & make-up & everything in-between line, there’s something for everyone. I know of no other line offering more USDA certified organic products that they are making themselves in-house. Other brands on my Approved List that are also USDA certified organic are making a small fraction of what Poofy makes. The prices are VERY reasonable for certified organic, handmade to order daily products. Are you paying more because this is a direct sales opportunity company? NO. You are paying full retail price. The same price you’d pay through Poofy.com. Poofy gives us Guides the products at wholesale price, a price every single product you buy is available at, so we can earn something too, and I think that’s truly amazing! There are no sponsored trips to Mexico for whoever sells the most products built into the prices you pay, just the true, honest cost of making these amazing products & bringing them to market.
There are 2 fees: $9.99 to join + $9.95/month for your webpage, which is where you & others place orders, you get supplies, etc. The website has just been revamped & is simply FABULOUS! You only have to sell $200 worth in a 4 month period to remain “active”. You also will never be auto-shipped anything that you didn’t order (CAN’T believe some companies do this), and do not ever have to keep inventory on hand. If you have NO experience with direct sales, and no or very little knowledge of Poofy products, it could definitely take a couple weeks, or months even, to get familiar with the process & products. If you do have some direct sales experience, and are familiar with Poofy’s line, you could hit the ground running & be getting your 1st paycheck within weeks. The sky is the limit, and you are your own boss! If you do not have a circle of family/friends/co-workers, etc who are interested in organic products & are concerned you won’t be able to sell $200 in 4 months, this honestly probably isn’t for you… This is a business opportunity, and I’m looking for those who will approach it as a serious opportunity to both make a little money, and help educate & spread awareness about the best products on the market– Poofy Organics!
I just really want to get this info out there. There are barely 300 Guides out there currently. Yes, you read that right, 3hundred. Not 3,000, not 30,000. 300. The time to join has NEVER been better!! Think of where the first few hundred people that joined Mary Kay, Avon, Beautycounter, etc are a decade or 2 later if they stuck with the company! I’d be thrilled to have you on team Eco-Poofy USA, if you think this is the right opportunity for YOUR family!
If you have ANY questions, please send me an email: ecofriendlymamausa@gmail.com. I’ll be the one you turn to with questions, and if I can’t answer them off the top of my head, I will find the answer.
I updated this post a bit and since it’s buried as it’s a decade+ old originally, I thought I’d bump it to the top. Nothing has changed. I wish I could say they’ve improved, but they certainly have not. As you can see, the post before it is sharing how important organic is to me, so this is a good example of 1 extreme to the other. POST: https://ecofriendlymamausa.com/2013/11/07/melaleuca-the-very-definition-of-greenwashing/
I’ve been meaning to write about this topic for quite some time: the costs associated with becoming a USDA certified organic brand in the personal care product industry, and why I place such great value on brands who are willing to go the extra mile to become certified. Also, some pet peeves of mine such as when companies say: trust us, we’re using organic ingredients and/or we’re better than organic.
The most basic reason I value the USDA certified organic seal is I really do appreciate some degree of oversight. Some checks & balances. Especially when it comes to the word organic. Brands can charge a lot more if they’re using organic ingredients. And they should, because organic farming is more labor-intensive, thus the ingredients cost more. So when I see brands charging top dollar for their products, but then not carrying the USDA seal, and sometimes even getting a snarky response like: we’re BETTER than organic, it doesn’t sit well with me. We need a set of standards we can rely on. You can tell me x, y, z about how “clean” your products are, but unless you’re a family member, or my best friend, you’re asking me to have full faith in what you’re promising me. And in my 44 years on this earth, I’ve learned that people will say anything to make money. A small example of what I’ve heard myself from an elderly farmer at my local farmer’s market. I heard someone ask if she used organic practices to grow her vegetables, her response: no. I later heard someone else ask her the same question, her answer: yes. This is just a tiny example of how we have to trust what people tell us, or not. And I’ve been through enough in my decade+ as a label-reader and advocate for organic products that I’m extremely jaded. I’ve seen fraudulent products on the market. I’ve demanded answers from companies when ingredients didn’t add up. And one very large company even went out of business when their products were found to be fraudulent (Ava Anderson Non-Toxic). They were charging big bucks for products labeled as using organic ingredients, when in fact, that was not the case at all. So those are some of my reasons for valuing a system of checks and balances to make sure the products you’re telling me contain x, y, z organic ingredient actually do. Is it a perfect system, no? There is always room for human or technology errors, as well as corruption, with any system.
Let’s talk about cost. I hear this a lot as an excuse: it’s too expensive for my small business to get certified. I call BS! The USDA WANTS more businesses to attain their certification, there is a sliding scale, and even a reimbursement program that might reimburse up to 75% of your cost!! I’ve seen very small businesses do it and not find it prohibitive by any means. I feel that if you’re going to talk the talk of valuing organic, you should walk the walk too. Yes, it entails quite a bit more work for business owners/employees, but this is why they are justified in charging more for their products. What really irks me is there are small brands charging more for their non-certified products than brands who ARE certified. So personally, I will put my money where my mouth is and support those who are jumping through all these hoops to give us, the consumer, the assurance that they are going above & beyond to give us the peace of mind that they are not only using organic ingredients as they say they are, but appropriate cleaning supplies and methods, etc.
I recently wrote to Poofy Organics, the line making more USDA certified organic products than any other brand that I’m aware of (if you know of a brand offering more, please let me know), to gain some current insight on this topic. I asked specifically about the cost of becoming certified.
Response (12/28/23): “Regarding your question I don’t know that there is a simple answer because it is dependent on a number of factors. The specific certifying organization that is licensed by the USDA to administer the process, the paperwork, the audit, etc. The size of the organization being certified (based on actual organic products volume) plus, other costs a business has to incur to meet the stringent guidelines of the USDA. This is important because the cost is not just about the certification fee. From our knowledge just the certification fee can range from $500 to over $15,000 but that is based on volume of organic sales and of course $500 would is for a very small sales volume. Again, that is only one step because business have to meet a number of specific criteria and it can be costly for companies to get their operation ready for those guidelines. This includes things like:
–Record Keeping: System in place to track important information every step of the process, from organic certified suppliers, supply receiving and logging, appropriate storage and separation of organic from non-organic, tracking supplies, production logging, quality checks, etc. –Ingredient compliance information –Cleaning and sanitizing procedures – to avoid contamination, etc –Pest control measures – using a professional organization that only used organic supplies, and logging all services provided and incidents –Plus, others This is to provide context that in order for an operation to get certified, they must be willing to invest in its ability to meet the business operation requirements. Before an entity can get its products certified, the business itself must first become certified to be able to manufacture and sell organic products.”
To go into more depth on the procedures and checks/balances involved, because I really appreciate knowing all this and hope you will too, I’ll share the following which was written by Kristina, the former owner of Poofy in 2017. It’s about more than JUST the ingredients.
“What does it take for us to become certified? I will try to make this as simple and EXCITING as possible lol. First, we needed to fill out what seemed like an eternity of surveys/questionnaires. The questions were extremely detailed down to the most minute piece of information. We were asked about our water supply, how we clean & sanitize work stations, how we clean & sanitize our equipment. Meticulous records needed to be maintained from start to finish of ANY product being manufactured. (If a facility has pests, only certain pesticides may be used. Luckily, we have not had that issue.) Back to keeping records, for instance, a record of each ingredient we use is kept. When we order an ingredient, it goes in our record. We need to list who the supplier is (and of course they must already be certified as acceptable to use by the USDA certifying company. In our case, it is Baystate Organic Certifiers). We need to track what date the product was ordered and when it was received, who received it, the lot # and where the ingredient was stored. Another record we keep is our manufacturing record. On it, we list what product we are making, the date it is being made, who is making it, ALL the ingredients AND units of measurements for those ingredients, all lot numbers associated with the ingredients and how many products were yielded. Then our products are assigned lot numbers. It is quite a process for every time a product is made, especially because Poofy Organics has over 100 organic products. it can become quite hectic! Another record that is kept is the cleaning/sanitizing record. Every time a product is manufactured, we must document how we cleaned & prepared the equipment and how it was purged. Lastly, we have a cleaning/sanitizing record for our facility. This includes when and how we clean our floors, etc.
Anytime a new product is created, we have to send an OPP- Organic Product Profile to our certifying company. On it, we need to list all the ingredients, the supplier and the concentration of those ingredients. Any non-organic ingredient that is allowed in the organic product (and those are very few and minute percentages), needs to go through another process which maintains that the ingredient has not been manufactured using sewage sludge or ionizing radiation and has not been created using GMOs (genetically modified organisms). An example of such an ingredient would be baking soda. Because baking soda cannot be found organically, a company like Bob’s Red Mill is a staple for organic companies. It upholds the highest standards in the industry. A new product considered for certification also needs to go through a rigorous “label” certification. Even the labels have standards and rules. Each label is sent to the certificating agency to make sure it is in compliance with those rules.
We are inspected annually. Each year a new application for certification needs to be completed- some of the information is stored so it makes things a bit easier. During inspections, records are sifted through to make sure all ingredients, products, manufacturing, labels and cleaning/sanitizing is in compliance. Batches are randomly picked to make sure the ingredients and numbers add up to the number of units sold. It is quite a heavy-duty process. It is often misunderstood that once a company is certified, the job is over. It is a CONSTANT process- always keeping records, always turning in new documents.”
So I don’t know about you, but I really value that companies are willing to go above & beyond, create more work for themselves, but give me the peace of mind that they are following best practices and not just asking me to trust them, it’s all good….
Recently I’ve been going through my personal care recommendations, starting with my Approved List and working my way down. To be on my Best of the Best List, the company must be certified organic. There is a subsection down below that for brands that aren’t certified but still good, based on what they are claiming they use, and as long as they don’t contain ingredients from my Ingredients to Avoid list (a work in progress). 2 companies moved from my Best of the Best list, a place very few companies hold.
Trillium Organics moved to my So-So List: “We held the USDA organic certification from 1999 to 2020 We let it go during the chaos of Covid So no we are no longer certified. But we have not lowered our sourcing standards or production practices. So it’s really just a matter of whether you trust trillium. We sure hope you do!!” Again, this issue of trust. You want to charge top dollar, and I’m just supposed to trust you’re using the finest organic ingredients and doing the right thing, even with no oversight or accountability whatsoever? Sorry, just can’t do that. While it’s a very small line, the products are quite pricey, quite a bit more than their certified organic counterparts. This, in addition with adding potassium sorbate to one or more products led me to move them from my Approved (best of best) list to my So-So List
Then there’s Lovely Lady. I noticed their products no longer carried the seal either, and wrote in to inquire. From their customer support (12/26/23): “after approximately 10 years of operations with the USDA certified organic program, we decided to discontinue that relationship a while back. While we do continue to source certified organic ingredients from our base of suppliers, the additional operational costs to maintain the seal compliance vs the benefit to Customers no longer made sense for us. So, like many others in the health and beauty sector industry who once had, or once actively pursued such certification before ultimately reaching a similar conclusion, we also decided to part ways with them. Please let us know what other questions or concerns you may have. We are pleased to report that when that decision was made and shared with our subscriber base a few years ago, they well understood the decision and rationale and have remained loyal knowing that we have not waivered in our mission nor commitment.”
Me: “Very interesting. So did your prices go down once you ended your certification? Can you help shed some light as to how much it costs to be certified? It has always been my understanding that it’s proportional to annual sales, so that smaller businesses don’t pay as much as larger ones. I would love some insight to help me understand the situation a little better.”
Response (2/2/24): “Respectfully, the aperture of the lens needs to be much wider when speculating on the downstream impacts with this kind of decision. Operational costs in the way you have referenced would mean looking solely at the charges to be paid annually to whichever organization provides the seal. You are correct in that there is a sliding scale. However, there are exponentially more things to consider when taking on or maintaining a program like that as it involves additional staff time for more frequent inventory checks, significantly more time spent on reconciling documents and reserving additional facility time for annual inspections, opportunity costs for needing to submit new product concepts months in advance for review with no guarantee of approval, having to scrap packaging that was once approved and then having to reinvest in replacements, not to mention a lot of unprofessional conduct by the certifier itself which led to the ultimate decision to discontinue and you can be sure we did not take that lightly nor did we do it in a vacuum. Hope this context is helpful as it is purely aimed at being constructive and enlightening.”
In my opinion, everything they just listed is precisely what I want them to be doing! My response (to which they have not responded, but we all know the answer): “So this begs the question, did you lower your prices once you no longer had to spend all the additional money on staff time, etc?”
Finally, let’s look at Toups & Co. They’ve said they’re working on their organic certification for years now. I wrote in to ask about the status and was told: “We have found the certification to be a rigorous process, however we are still working towards it with some of our products.” Looking at some labels I found they list organic coco-glucoside in their baby & men’s wash. To my knowledge, that ingredient can’t be certified organic. I wrote in, and was sent a certificate from their supplier as proof it was organic. Well, it didn’t even list coco-glucoside, it listed potassium cocoate. I responded with: what am I missing here, this isn’t even the same ingredient. The response: “I’ve confirmed that we are indeed using potassium cocoate and not coco glucoside. That has also been corrected on the website as that is not the correct ingredient. We changed that some time ago and the correction was never properly made so it’s great you brought that to our attention.”
Mistakes happen, I get that, I’ll give her grace there. But it just begs the question: what else changed and wasn’t updated? There is absolutely no assurance that anything is accurate on the labels, and/or that she truly is using organic ingredients at all. Also, the certificate she shared with me lists the potassium cocoate as made with organic ingredients, which means it’s 70%+ organic. She lists it as organic, which would mean it’s 95%+. These details matter to me. It’s an example of trust, when I find errors like these, my trust goes out the window. Egregious enough to move off my Approved list, I guess not. But you will not find me making any purchases for these products, especially at those prices.
In conclusion: yes, I think it’s possible to regulate an industry to death. But I also know for a fact that some people will do and say anything to take our hard-earned dollars. Consumers are trying really hard to make good, healthy choices, and ARE willing to pay more money. That’s a fact. We vote with our purchases. If you’re willing to pay as much, or more, for a brand that tells you they’re using organic ingredients, just trust them, so be it. If you’re willing to trust a brand that tells you they’re BETTER than organic, for x,y, z reason, again, your choice. Can they prove it? No. Personally, I will stick with the brands who are going above and beyond to prove that they believe in all things organic. Actions speak louder than words, something I find myself saying pretty much daily in my house (with a 10 & 13 year old!)!!
If you’re new to Poofy Organics and want to save on your purchases, contact me for details on my rebate program, as well as a 10% off coupon code! Email: ecofriendlymamausa@gmail.com. And be sure to visit my Approved list shared above for other options as well!
This is an on-going project, but I’ve tried enough brands now to get an idea of what works for me, what absolutely doesn’t, and a few that are so-so. So I thought I’d share what is working in my dishwasher, get recommendations on what else to try, and get YOUR feedback too. What works for you, do you have hard or soft water, etc?? My machine is a Frigidaire Gallery, and important to note is I have hard well water, we do not use a water softener. So that certainly affects my results. Also, my dishwasher is full of entirely glass (plus our silverware). We use no plastic. My plates, bowls, drinking glasses, all glass, and clear glass at that. So it’s pretty easy to tell if they’re clean (or at least not filmy) or not.
I, and many of you, used Better Life Auto Dish gel and were really happy with it. Then they reformulated and added 2 preservatives I refuse to use in any product: Methylisothiazolinone and Benzisothiazolinone. True, you’re really not coming into contact with it while it’s washing your dishes, so that alleviates the exposure to humans, BUT, it is really bad for the environment as well! It lists acute aquatic toxicity as a precaution. I live on the banks of a precious river, and absolutely refuse to use any products that include it. Thankfully I had a pretty huge stash of the pre-reformulation blend, but eventually that ran out and the search for a replacement has been ongoing. And it hasn’t been fun. One of the chores for my kiddos chores is emptying the dishwasher (they alternate weeks). Many times I’d hear one of them say: Mom, when are we gonna get some good dishwasher detergent again? Some of the ones we tried were really, really bad performance wise. But the following were all ones I felt comfortable enough ingredientwise to give a try and hope for the best. A couple things I could’ve messed around with to try to get better results is adding citric acid, vinegar, or a rinse aid. In the end, I’ve settled (for now) with Ecover Zero Powder + Ecover Rinse Aid.
BEST RESULTS:
Ecover Zero Powder– I got mine from Frontier Coop with my last buying club order (I just looked though and didn’t see it listed there currently?!). I tried it solo and went through a whole box and thought it did a good job. When it was time to reorder I saw they had a rinse aid so grabbed that too, and I do think it’s doing a really good job between the 2. I’m quite happy with it!
UPDATE: SOOOOOOO FRUSTRATING BUT THIS HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED! I have a large stockpile thankfully, but in the coming months will be on the search for a replacement. Let me know what y’all are using please!
This should be pretty readily available locally to those of you who live in bigger cities. I live in the middle of nowhere so have very, very few local options. So, here’s my Amazon affiliate link if you decide to go that route, I’d appreciate you using it: Powder: https://amzn.to/48flbED Rinse Aid: https://amzn.to/3NnhVzo
SO-SO RESULTS:
If you Care tabs- These were interesting. My friend loves them and gave me a handful. The 1st tab actually did 3 loads, it just kept dissolving slowly. And the 1st load actually came out pretty good, I was hopeful. But then the 2nd & 3rd were meh, although acceptable but again, still the 1st tab! After the 1st tab was used up, I tried a new tab and it did dissolve almost completely, but the results were pretty meh. I think possibly with a rinse aid like the Ecover I am now using, this would maybe be an acceptable option for me. But I’m just really not a fan of tabs, I’d rather just dump the powder in.
Seventh Generation Free & Clear powder– Acceptable performance, but not as good as the Ecover powder. I bought this at my local grocery store when I found myself out of product at one point (very rare for me!). If I was in a pinch, I’d buy this locally again. But honestly, I’m really not a fan of Seventh Generation as a brand and prefer not to give my money to them. Was it better than several others on this list I tried in terms of performance though? Yes, it was.
DIDN’T WORK WELL FOR ME:
Biokleen Powder– It left a whiteish filmy residue on the outside of the glasses, but the inside seemed okayish. Still, everything looked absolutely terrible. I used this a few times and said NOPE!
Eco-Me Gel- The worst of all I tried, really, really bad. I gave it exactly 2 uses before I put it aside and said NOPE!
Ecover Tabs– These did a terrible job at dissolving, I really dislike tabs, they just don’t do well. Is it just my machine!? They did not perform well. I really wanted to like them, gave them several tries and kept hearing the kids say Mom, the dishes aren’t clean as they’d put them away. I gave them away to a friend.
MamaSuds– It left a film and dishes did not appear clean. However, my niece has a water softener and she says these work great for her! I love this small business, and love that she offers samples. If you want to give this and anything else she offers a try, use my referral link please. Shipping is free over $99. Since we’re on the topic of dishes, I’ll note that I LOVE her solid dish soap bar for handwashing dishes. I’ve tried several dish soap bars from other vendors, and this is by far the best, no filmy residue! www.mamasuds.com/ecofriendlymama
I mentioned MamaSuds bar for hand dishwashing. That is 1 great, safe option. What I’ve used daily for many, many years now is Poofy Organics. It has ingredients I feel 100% confident in, with no concern for aquatic toxicity, and no concern for myself in having my hands soaking in it at the same time. No, it is not cheap, but it is super concentrated. I go through just a couple bottles/year as most of my dishes are going in the dishwasher. I’ve been a Poofy Organics Guide for almost a decade now. I offer my customers a 5% rebate on all orders, all the time. If you’re brand new, you can register using my link, order, then message me for a 10% rebate on that 1st order. Shipping is free over $70, and they have 3 sitewide sales/year. I mention this all because with a little planning, you can save a decent amount AND truly be using the very safest products out there. I’ve not seen a dish soap that compares to the ingredients in Poofy’s, and that works fantastic as well. Poofy Organics
I’d love to hear from you. What are you using?! I’m always happy to look at ingredients and give you my feedback!
Now that I’m not offering the buying club for the foreseeable future, I thought it’d be a good time to set up affiliate links with the vendors (who offer them) you’ve come to love and will surely still order from! You will find free shipping and/or a small discount below. Just be aware they likely will not be able to be combined with other promos offered directly from the vendor. Still, if you start with the links provided, the order will get tracked to me and I’ll earn a little something from the vendor as a thank you, which is MUCH appreciated by me. I was the best customer of the buying club, so if I can earn my products from these vendors, I’ll be super happy as well. Win-Win-Win!
**Amazon:https://amzn.to/46tJiy8 I just grabbed a link to some of my favorite mugs, you don’t have to buy these (but they’re great), but if you start your search from here, it *should* tie the rest of the items you put in your cart to me.
These lists are several years old now, but a TON of made in USA ideas for kitchen & home on my Made In USA tab from my blog: https://ecofriendlymamausa.com/
**Mamasuds: www.mamasuds.com/ecofriendlymama Start with my link and I’ll earn some commission for your purchase! LONG time buying club offering. Best known for her castile soap, but recently many of us have tried and loved her dish soap bar! Of all the solid bars I’ve tried for dish soap, hers is by far my favorite. It suds nicely, and doesn’t leave a film on my glassware (almost all my dishes are glass!).
Free shipping on orders over $75, all the time. **Any codes can’t be stacked or applied if there are any Subscribe and Save products in the cart.
15% off holiday sale starts on Black Friday at 12:01am EST and goes through the rest of November. TONS of great, new holiday gift sets and brand new scents under the holiday tab.
**1st time customers receive a 10% back rebate, all subsequent orders earn 5% back, all the time! Must register as a customer using the above link.
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**salonsolids- https://salonsolids.com/?ref=ecofriendlymama. Another former buying club vendor that was well-loved for her plastic-free shampoo and conditioner granules that you add water to and make into liquids. Use code: ECOMAMA for 10% off your order!
Tangie: https://wastefreeproducts.com/product/zero-waste-laundry-detergent/ So this is actually not an affiliate link. I’m not a fan of the platforms he uses for affiliates, so I opted just to send you directly to her and once/year when I want to stock up on my laundry soap, she’ll give me a good deal in return 🙂 I have no plans to use any other laundry soap, this is IT for me! Her hand soap bars, and shampoo/conditioner bars also were pretty popular via the buying club! Just a heads up that I’m not a huge fan of the shampoo bars that contain sodium coco-sulfate (labeled shampoo bars). They’re not terrible but she does offer 1 that is sulfate-free (labeled sulfate-free) and I prefer that option myself.
Holiday products are here, and they will continue to be released over the next few weeks! New scents and entirely new products are on their way! Here are the important details:
The holiday sale will offer 15% off and will run for 7 days from Black Friday, November 24th until the end of the month on Thursday November 30th 11:59 pm PST. Must be logged in with your customer account to see the discount.
As always you’ll be able to cash in on my additional 5% rebate. Shipping is still free over $70. I hope this helps you plan your holiday shopping!!!
How cute are these new soap bars?! These are just the beginning of the new, cute, awesome assortment of products! Something for everyone, and all budgets! Most of them come with gift packaging, so your work will truly be done when you place your order!
ANY questions, as always, just ask!! ecofriendlymamausa@gmail.com
Thought I’d check in and let you know what I’m up to. I mentioned a while back that I really wanted to get back into blogging. Back into researching products/companies, seeing what’s new out there, and revisiting old ones to see if anything has changed. I started this blog when my 1st born was 1, he will be 13 in a few months. My family’s needs have changed, and so have yours. Products we would never use on our babies and toddlers we might consider perfectly acceptable on our tweens.
I have SO many ideas for resources I’d like to see come to fruition. But I feel the best place to start is with my Approved/So-So/Not Approved Greenwashers Lists…. If I can encompass as many companies as possible with those lists, it can be utilized when shopping at a place like Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon, maybe 1 company is on the So-So, the other on the Not Recommended, that could help you with your decision. I know many, like myself, are on a budget more than we’ve ever been. So I feel a master list could help you determine which is the safest product you can actually afford as well. $25 bottles of shampoo are out of the budget for many… So then what?!
These lists were originally shared a DECADE ago, in 2013! And of course added to with suggestions over time. In 2016 I did the 1st revision, and again in 2019. So a revisit is long overdue. Things can change overnight. I guarantee some of these companies went out of business during Covid. And of course, new ones will be added.
So my plan is: start from the top, work my way down with revisions. When I’m done, I’ll ask for new additions. This honestly might take me an entire year. It feels overwhelming to think about. But I’m ready to start chipping away a few companies at a time! Starting is always the hardest part!!
You can check those lists out here on my blog under the personal care/cleaning tab up above this post you’re reading now.
Additionally, a sub-list I’m currently working on is Auto Dishwasher detergent recommendations. I’ve tested out several now, and am not having very good luck with the results from the “cleanest” ones ingredientwise. So the struggle is to find something that is safe AND works. My kids alternate emptying the thing, and can often be heard saying Mom, these are NOT clean. So this is a continual project too, but before long I can at least share which have worked better than other. For my machine and hard water that is 🙂
Eco-Friendly Mama: Safe product recommendations with a focus on organic and Made in USA! 