Eco-Friendly Beauty Products may be Green But Do They Work?
Consumers flex their power to go green with their own green. A company’s ability to offer eco-friendly products to a public wanting to do good by Mother Earth can help its image and its bottom line. And while some claims of eco-friendly do-goodness may be dubious (it’s always smart to check labels and question suppliers), there are many companies doing their part to offer organic, natural and sustainable products, particularly in the market of beauty supplies. After all, these items are placed directly on skin and in hair – what better place to start a chemical-free trend?
Let’s start with the bamboo brush. Costing $40 (order at 212-984-5027), the sustainable bamboo handle cradles natural boar-hair bristles and tourmaline-infused nylon fibers. InStyle testers found the brush “light and easy to hold during a blow-dry.” Accessorize fabulous hair with a trendy and versatile bamboo scarf for a glamorous green summer look!
Unfortunately, acne does not disappear after the age of 13, so each year more treatments hit the market including the Yes to Tomatoes Spot Stick ($10 at Target) which fights bumps with salicyclic acid and tea tree oil. The zit zapping stick also reduces irritation by using ginger root and the chamomile extract bisabolol. It says Yes to tomatoes by including lycopene, an antioxidant found in tomatoes! Experts told InStyle that yes, indeed, the majority of the ingredients are naturally-derived (the product is billed as 97% natural) but InStyle testers were less than enthusiastic about the product and didn’t note much of a difference in using the product (maybe their skin is already flawless).
Speaking of strong smells (and the avoidance of them), the harsh fumes of acetone in most nail polish removers can make one queasy. Priti NYC offers acetone-free wipes that remove polish using naturally derived soybean esters and simultaneously moistens cuticles with lemongrass essential oils. One more eco-friendly feature: the cloths are made from biodegradable plants fibers. Testers were impressed that the cloths could remove ruby-red polish from fingernails and while they found the residue a bit greasy, they did note that cuticles were soft and hydrated.
The natural skin treatments offered contain fresh, food-grade dairy cultures, organic milk fats, and probiotics plus oils and herbs that hydrate and smooth the complexion. Dairyface co-founder, Oskana Panasenko explains, “After using one of these masks, skin doesn’t need a moisturizer.” Instyle expert tester, N.Y.C. dermatologist Francesca Fusco, gives this mask an enthusiastic rating.