Best in Glass: Glass-packaged Eco Skin Care from Aida Thibiant, Petite Marie Organics and Jiadé
In the world of eco skin care, glass packaging is making a comeback, and nobody’s happier to herald its return than we are. We love the reassuring heft of a solid glass jar in our hands, the sound of glass bottles tinkling against each other (reminds us of grandma’s vanity table), the recyclability of a glass container when we’ve scraped out that last precious bit of cream or cleanser (which, incidentally, is easier to do with glass than with plastic, too).
Recyclable, reusable, non-leaching and petrochem-free, glass comes in a range of textures and hues, one of which—violet glass—actually can protect its contents from light damage and preserve shelf life, a major plus for products formulated without synthetic preservatives. But glass packaging alone isn’t going to get us excited about a skin care product. What’s inside the container counts, too, and that’s where these three eco-awesome lines come in.
To preserve the freshness of its super-natural, 100% organic, handcrafted products without synthetic preservatives, British Columbia-based Jiadé packages its line in bottles made of Miron violet-glass—a proprietary Swiss glass that does not allow light from the visible spectrum to penetrate (with the exception of violet radiation) but is transparent in the infrared spectrum. What that means for the geek-free among us is that the product inside the Miron violet-glass container is protected against decomposition. That’s good news, because we looove what’s inside. Special mention goes to the truly miraculous Truly Organic Night Cream, an intensive cream that combines shea butter, sweet almond oil, macadamia oil and rose hydrosol (among other hydrating, nourishing ingredients) with aromatherapeutic essential oils including geranium, neroli and sweet orange. In addition to good skin, the company also delivers good works, donating a portion of each online sale to SOS Children’s Villages—a global organization that builds programs and housing for orphans.
Sometimes old dogs do learn new tricks. Legendary among the blue-haired set, Thibiant Beverly Hills’ new Complex Organics line is now getting rave reviews from ecoistas everywhere. Featuring certified organic ingredients and paraben-free skin packaged in sturdy matte glass containers with recycled-paper labels, this line delivers the kind of results that just might keep us from getting old in the first place. (One can always hope, right?) Our favorite product, the peptide-infused Spray Toner with certified organic cucumber juice and chamomile flower extract, is perfect post cleansing with the Complex Organics Face Wash or organic murumuru-seed infused Face Scrub—or as a skin refresher any time of day. For intensive skin moisturizing and protection against environmental pollutants, Thibiant offers the G.L.A. Restoring Moisture treatment with gamma linoleic acid and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids—it feels thick to the touch, but glides onto skin smoothly, leaving it dewy and not the least bit sticky. As for those gorgeous glass containers, which feature thick walls and bases to protect against breakage, we almost can’t wait to finish up all of our Thibiant product so we can re-use them again and again.
Finally, personalization comes to glass this month as Julie Gabriel, a holistic nutritionist and creator of Petite Marie Organics, launches an entirely new line of custom-blended skin care products freshly prepared exclusively for you and packaged in—you guessed it—product-preserving amber glass jars and bottles. The vegan, 100% organic, natural, wild-crafted ingredients in the cleansers, toners, creams and treatment serums are cold-processed to preserve live enzymes, vitamins, minerals and antioxidant phytochemicals, then shipped within 24-hours of manufacturing to your door. Yes, shipping from the U.K. is not the most ecologically sound practice, and no, these products don’t come cheap. But for those of us with serious skin conditions, this kind of targeted approach could be just what the naturopath ordered.
Get 15% off on all Jiade products through the end of September by clicking here, and through September 20th, Petite Marie Organics will give away a free 100 ml bottle of Very Gentle Cleanser worth $12 with any first order of Bespoke Organics products.
