Earth Day is every day, and what better daily reminder of your commitment to a healthy environment than a lineup of natural products for your beauty routine? The following up-and-coming natural beauty brands grabbed our attention for their commitment to ingredient safety and sustainability, a combination only surpassed in beauty by the way we feel when we use their products.
1This product is available at our sister site, BeautySage, where we only sell products proven to work!
Nature meets science with Sophyto, a UK-based natural skincare line that’s engineered within a slightly acidic pH range to complement the natural acidity of our skin barrier. What does that mean for your complexion? A balanced pH decreases skin sensitivity and maintains natural protection against bacterial growth. Sophyto also takes care when it comes to ingredient sourcing and production: The brand’s botanical extracts are grown on a 200-acre organic farm that was awarded The Silver Lapwing, the UK’s leading environmental and farming prize.
MORE: Anti-Aging Skincare For Your Body
2QUIZ:Is Your Body Skin Healthy?
The natural skin care formulas that keep in-the-know clients flocking to facialist Cecilia Wong’s NYC Flatiron salon are finally available to all. Wong’s signature skin treatment, Black Currant Serum, is a mix of 12 natural oils including blueberry seed, cranberry seed and argan that together make a universally skin-healing, calming, anti-inflammatory serum. Cecilia Wong Skincare ingredients are grown on a pesticide-free Colorado farm and sourced from local farms.
3MORE:Young Skin From the Neck Down
This Austin-based mineral makeup company manufactures only vegan and cruelty-free products, with a focus on sustainable ingredients. The over 300 makeup shades in the Everyday Minerals line run the gamut from punchy plums to pearlescent pinks. 10 percent of sales from Everyday Minerals products offsets the acquisition and conservation of Austin Hill Country land for wilderness preservation, with 28 acres already purchased.
Everyday Naturals Vintage Kit (includes all products shown), $12.99
4Neuma
Neuma skips the parabens, sulfates and synthetic fragrances, all common ingredients in conventional hair care products, and favors natural oils, glycerin and essential oil fragrances for healthy hair care. With specially-formulated lines for oily, normal and dry hair and a diverse range of styling products, including an argan oil treatment, hair spray, texturizer and blow dry lotion, every good hair day is also good for the earth.
Neuma Moisture Shampoo & Renew Conditioner, $24 each
5Puremedy
A 160 year-old burn remedy created by a Canadian medicine man inspired Puremedy’s cure-all collection of 18 balms, creams and salves. While the 100-percent organic, wildcrafted and food grade ingredients in Puremedy’s products may be safe enough to eat, you’ll want to save them for topical application, especially the Original Drawing Salve. Thanks in part to a proprietary blend of three types of tree sap, the salve wipes out 99.99 percent of bacteria, including E. coli, candida, streptococcus, staph and salmonella.
6Botanics
The plants native to Arizona’s Sonoran Desert hold concentrated sources of nutrients that allow them to endure extreme weather conditions, so it’s no surprise that Sia Botanics tapped them to be the stars of their natural skin care line. In Sia Botanics products, you’ll find desert ingredients like aloe vera, jojoba oil and prickly pear that protect and nourish skin, without parabens, sulfates, synthetic colors or fragrances.
QUIZ: How Healthy is Your Skin?
Sia Botanics Prickly Pear Skincare (available May 2012), $18-$29
7Bayberry Naturals
Bayberry Naturals founder and mom of three Nancy Liddell saw a need for 100 percent natural face, body and hair products that her whole family could share—and a brand was born. The plant-based formulas in the line are free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates, and synthetic fragrances and dyes, making them safe and gentle on both kids and adults. While some formulas contain essential oil-based fragrances like lavender, chamomile and citrus, Bayberry Naturals also offers a wide range of fragrance-free options.
GALLERY: 20 Natural Fragrances
Bayberry Naturals Citrus Mint Bar Soap, $7
This product is available at our sister site, BeautySage, where we only sell products proven to work!
8Shea Terra Organics
Since she was a girl, Shea Terra Organics founder Tammie Umbel wanted to alleviate poverty in Africa by helping communities market their indigenous products. When she discovered the healing properties of African shea butter, she also found her platform. Today Shea Terra Organics sources fair trade African shea butter, along with healing herbs and oils from Africa, for its collection of natural face, body and hair products. The exfoliating, acne-fighting Rose Hips Black Soap cleanser is the brand’s best-selling product.
Shea Terra Organics Rose Hips Black Soap Deep Pore Face Wash and Mask, $18
This product is available at our sister site, BeautySage, where we only sell products proven to work!
9RGB
RGB’s signature high-shine nail polish collection is known for its muted and sophisticated hues, evidenced by the brand’s spring collection of washed-out neutrals. While subtle at first glance, neutral polishes like the Hipp x RGB capsule collection of skin-toned nail polish shades are making a trend-setting statement in the nail world. RGB polishes are free of formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, resin and camphor.
MORE: Non-Toxic Nail Polish Guide
10Seed
The inspiration for Seed Body Care was the tiny grape seed, but it didn’t take long for the brand to sprout some serious roots with its collection of 16 seed oil-rich body products. The 100-percent natural line is packed with antioxidant grape seed oil and rich in vitamin E, linoleic acid and plant sterols that improve skin barrier function, calm and moisturize skin.
