2008 Archives: Whole Foods Cost-Effective Green Beauty
Think green beauty is more expensive? Think Again! According to Jeremiah McElwee, senior global Whole Body coordinator, “Shoppers should be able to find a great natural alternative to their conventional product at a similar price. Beauty products with natural or organic ingredients come in a wide range of prices, just like their conventional counterparts.”
McElwee points to Burt’s Bees as counterpoint to Revlon in that they both provide quality product at a value price and are available in a wide range of stores nationwide, Pangea Organics to MAC in that they’re both trendy brands that are popular with younger shoppers, and Dr. Hauschka to Chanel as examples of premium brands that are leaders in their categories.
So we went online and did some comparison-shopping. At www.drugstore.com, Burt’s Bees Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil sold for $2.99, while Revlon SuperLustrous Lipgloss was $6.19—a difference of $3.20 in favor of the green brand. Again at drugstore.com, Pangea Organics Egyptian Calendula & Blood Orange Facial Cleanser sold for $22.99, while M.A.C.’s Green Gel Cleanser was $19 at www.Nordstrom.com—a difference of $3.99 in favor of the conventional. But it was the match up between the $38.95 Dr. Hauschka Normalizing Day Oil at Beauty.com and Chanel’s $75 Energizing Multi-Protection Fluid at Nordie’s that was truly astounding—it costs $36.05 more to go conventional, a record amount even if you are paying for 100 years of prestige.
So what’s our favorite one-stop-shop for eco-beauty? Duh—Whole Foods of course, which has been providing an eco-beauty fix for nearly 30 years. They’ve now upped the ante by creating a “Premium Body Care Standard,” which seeks to define what is natural and safe in personal care products. They already prohibit harsh preservatives and artificial colors in non-cosmetic body care products, but now they’re drawing the line on parabens, polypropylene and polyethylene glycols, and sodium lauryl and laureth sulfates, as well. Here’s the scoop, straight from the source:
• All Premium Body Care products are made with ingredients that must be necessary for the product to function well and look appealing with no loss of performance and efficacy.
• All Premium Body Care products are made with ingredients that are minimally processed with little environmental impact during manufacturing and when released into the environment.
• All Premium Body Care product ingredients are the safest options available with little risk of contaminants. They are labeled accurately, have established safety data or are less likely to cause skin irritation or allergies.
Preservatives must be mild and non-allergenic, surfactants must be safe and gentle, only natural fragrances from essential oils are allowed, and sunscreens must rely on a physical—rather than chemical—barrier (like titanium dioxide or zinc). Look for the “Premium Body Care” sticker, and you know you’re good to go.
Don’t you wish all beauty sections made these kinds of guarantees? We do.
