Ikigai Finds Pure & True Organic Beauty, Baby Bear Shop, endota Spa Organics and bod Organics
Ah, the Aussies. We envy their beaches, their beer, their awesomely-laid-back-yet-ridiculously-productive-work-ethic, and now, their beauty. Last month, eco-beauty junkies in Australia and New Zealand found a new fix—Ikigai (Japanese for “joy in daily life”), an online boutique that offers a variety of luxurious natural and organic products. Ikigai puts its money where its mouth is by supporting the Australian Orangutan Project with one percent of profits in an effort to offset the palm-oil production that costs the lives of 50 endangered orangutans each week. Ikigai also donates to Carbon Neutral, a tree-planting offset.
All offerings are hand picked by founder Kate Hanson, who also edits Australia’s hottest eco-style manual, Peppermint. (Yet another reason to envy the isle.) All Ikigai products are free of parabens, phthalates, sulfates, synthetic colors and fragrances, and are never tested on animals.
Kate’s latest faves all include pure rosehip seed or fruit oil, which contains up to 80 percent essential fatty acids for maintaining healthy skin and repairing tissue damage, as well as vitamins C and E and the antioxidant lycopene, all known for their ability to promote skin repair, rejuvenate skin cells and protect against free radical damage.
First up? GLOW Intensive C Rejuvenating Serum from Pure & True Organic Beauty. Its base is healing aloe vera, not water like most skincare products, and it is absolutely packed with antioxidants, including tons of vitamin C and E. All those antioxidants help stimulate collagen synthesis which is just a fancy way of saying they can help you look less old and haggard. Kate reports that a brown pigment patch on her face has all but vanished since she started using the serum—sayonara, spot! And we love that a percentage of the profit from Pure & True sales goes to social and environmental charities.
Typical name-brand baby-skin-care products are full of potentially harmful chemicals. Not so Kate’s pick, Baby Bear Shop’s Cheeky Baby Butter which, she says, “kicks butt.” (Pun is certainly intended.) It’s 99-percent organic, contains no parabens, synthetic fragrance or colors, and in addition to rosehip, it has soothing calendula, shea butter and lavender. Plus, anyone can rub it all over feet, elbows and knees for baby-soft skin. And yep, you guessed it, a portion of all Baby Bear Shop profits go to environmental charities.
Endota Spa Organics Avocado and Grass Lilly Skin Drink is a light moisturizer, ideal for normal to oily skins in sticky summer weather. It’s also tremendously soothing, with healing aloe vera, evening primrose and avocado—gentle ingredients that calm, comfort and softly moisturize. Packaging is 100-percent recycled and a percentage of Endota profits goes to Bush Heritage Australia, which is dedicated to protecting seven million hectares of ecologically significant bush land.
And for new mommies, Bod Organics Stretch Mark Blend Body Oil is great for blossoming bellies because its powerful organic ingredients help support new skin cell growth, allowing tummies to stretch as baby grows, with nary a stretch mark in sight. It’s also a delicious treat to slather on skin after a shower when skin—stretched or not—is at its most vulnerable for losing moisture.
