Looking beautiful never felt so healthy. That’s because beauty counters are going green from head to toe with eco- friendly concoctions that are not only safe for your skin but great for the planet, too.
Even Hollywood is getting in on the act: Natural beauty Kate Hudson has joined forces with hair guru David Babaii, whose client list includes Angelina, Uma and Gwyneth, to create a line of hair products that are “tested on Kate, not on animals.”
Hudson helped choose the ingredients for Babaii for WildAid’s Hydrating Shampoo and Hydrating Conditioner, like volcanic ash from the Vanuatu Islands in the South Pacific, which is said to add volume to the hair, to butter harvested from the Amazon, used for its hydrating properties.
(Proceeds benefit WildAid, an eco-force working towards ending the illegal wildlife trade and save endangered species around the world.) Kiehl’s introduced their antioxidant-rich Superbly Restorative body lotion and dry oil this month. The product is packaged in 100 percent PCR plastic bottles and the main ingredient, organic Argan oil, is harvested by a fairly traded cooperative (see sidebar for green lingo) of Berber women from southern Morocco.
“The workers earn greater income for their labor and the returns are invested in community projects like health clinics, education and literacy,” says Clyde Johnson, the director of education for Kiehl’s.
The beauty company Aveda was born green: thirty years ago, hairdresser Horst Rechelbacher decided to create his own plant-based hair care line in response to all the toxic chemicals he found at work.
Among Aveda’s eco creds: They are the first beauty company that uses 100 percent wind energy to manufacture their products.
“We always prefer botanical ingredients, and are the largest purchaser of organic ingredients in the beauty industry,” says Ellen Maguire, VP of global communications for Aveda.
Their latest product launch is Green Science (available in May) – a skincare regimen and also a salon facial and peel that are plant-based and organic.
But battling wrinkles is hard – do botanicals work? Aveda says yes, boasting that the Green Science facial peel equals the performance of a 30 percent glycolic peel.
And at a time when the Journal of Neuroscience just published a study that showed that botulism toxin (used in Botox) can move from the face to the brain (!), chemical-free products have an added appeal.
That’s what stylist Linda Rodin is banking on. Her handmade liquid moisturizing elixir Olio Russo is produced locally and contains 11 essential oils extracted from flowers and other botanicals.
But don’t call her crunchy.
“I’m really not a hippy-dippy, organic-type. I drink wine and eat meat occasionally,” she laughs. “But I wanted to create something that would make your skin the best it can be, naturally. . . It’s all about simplicity.”
Words to live by
There is no industry-wide accepted certification of what makes a beauty or household product “organic” or natural. (The USDA only certifies food.) Those in-the-know green customers look for European-based Ecocert and Oasis, the first US standard for organic beauty products.
ORGANIC: an ingredient that wasn’t grown or harvested using pesticides, contains no chemicals or toxins and whose production didn’t hurt the environment.
GREENWASHING: Labeling a product organic even if just 1% of the ingredients are organic. Look for labels that break it down by percentages.
PCR: Post Consumer Recycled – packaging that originated from your recylables.
FAIR TRADE: creating partnerships with suppliers and farmers where the work environment is safe, they are paid a fair price for their goods, and the environment isn’t damaged.