Best beauty faves taking real strides to be clean and green
In the beauty aisles, the natural movement is flourishing, with plenty of companies touting their certified organic or green cred. But beyond product formulations, some brands stand out by doing even more: adopting ethical/sustainable practices, striving to lessen their environmental impact, or giving back to a good cause. Read on for a few of our favourite products making a difference this Earth Day and beyond.
Kiehl's Limited Edition Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado
Over the years, Kiehl's has raised more than $2 million for environmental issues worldwide. For the latest Kiehl's Gives initiative, the company is partnering with the Canadian Wildlife Federation for the fourth year in a row, donating 100 percent of the net profits from sales of this limited-edition eye treatment. The special packaging sports an illustration of a sea otter, an animal endangered by water pollution, drawn by the Montreal artist, Pony.
$38 on kiehls.ca, available April 3 to May 3.
Lush Drop of Hope Gourmet Soap
Most famous for its fragrant bath bombs, British beauty retailer Lush is a longtime advocate for numerous causes — campaigning against animal testing, sourcing ingredients through ethical trade, and using minimal packaging (for instance, you can buy bars of soap wrapped with reusable printed scarves). Sales of this Drop of Hope soap support the community of Fukushima, Japan, which was affected by a tsunami-triggered nuclear disaster in 2011. The handmade, tofu-enriched product is made with rapeseed oil from the region, after it was discovered that sowing rapeseed helps remove radioactive isotopes from the soil while yielding a safe, clean oil.
$14 on lush.ca
Caudalie VineActiv 3-in-1 Moisturizer
Splurging on this grapeseed-infused daily moisturizer from Caudalie comes with a charitable feel-good factor: the French skincare brand is a member of 1% for the Planet, so it's committed to donating 1 percent of its global sales to nonprofits that protect the environment. The brand is particularly passionate about reforestation, and as a result of its partnerships, nearly 3 million trees have been planted to date.
$53 on sephora.com
Burt's Bees Honeymoon Suite Gift Set
Taking care of bees has always been at the heart of Burt's Bees, the natural beauty company co-founded by beekeeper Burt Shavitz in 1984. As plant pollinators, the buzzy insects are crucial to the health of our environment, but the bee population worldwide has been declining at an alarming rate. All profits from sales of this gift set will go to Pollinator Partnership Canada. The non-profit organization has teamed up with Burt's Bees in the past to help build "bee hotels" across Canada, providing a resting place for solitary bees.
$15 on burtsbees.ca
Aveda Shampure Dry Shampoo
Helping communities get access to clean drinking water is hair brand Aveda's eco mission, and globally it has raised $50 million to support the cause through a variety of initiatives, including Appointments for Clean Water (participating salons donate their services on May 1, in exchange for Earth Month donations). The company also encourages everyone to support conservation by cutting down on their own water consumption. Since reducing your shower time by three minutes can save nearly 23 litres of water, you can make a difference just by using dry shampoo, instead of washing your hair daily.
$39 on aveda.ca
The Body Shop Almond Milk & Honey Soothing & Caring Shower Cream
The Body Shop was founded by environmental activist Anita Roddick, and the brand was a pioneer in using fair trade ingredients for cosmetics. That legacy lives on today: for example, the new Almond Milk & Honey collection for sensitive, dry skin is made with Community Trade honey from Ethiopia, and with sustainably farmed, organic almond milk and organic almond oil from Spain. Only broken nuts that can't be sold for food are used, and the husks are turned into compost to lessen waste.
$10 on thebodyshop.com
Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Satin Lip Cream
Skincare and makeup from Juice Beauty isn't just natural; the brand also believes in being sustainable in every way. Products like the Satin Lip Cream use local ingredients sourced from certified organic farmers on the West Coast as much as possible, to minimize fuel waste. The packaging is made with recycled (or FSC-certified) paper and printed with soy ink, and much of the manufacturing is powered by solar energy.
$24 (USD) on juicebeauty.com
Wing Sze Tang is a beauty and health writer in Toronto. Find her at wingszetang.com.