Embrace Eco-Chic Beauty This Earth Day — And Every Day!
Mother’s Day comes a few weeks early for Mother Earth, as we celebrate her today, on April 22nd, other wise known as Earth Day. But, just like we shouldn’t restrict our shows of maternal appreciation to Mother’s Day, we shouldn’t limit our eco-friendly behaviors and choices to a single day of the year. These beauty finds, then, are worth lauding all year round as they contain the most potent natural ingredients, all sourced or harvested in a sustainable and both environmentally and ethically responsible fashion. By using these products, you’ll be making healthier lifestyle choices, doing your part to save the environment, and reaping the benefits of soft, radiant, replenished skin. Here are some natural beauty wonders worthy of a round of applause (and a place in your bathroom cabinet!):
Indie Lee CoQ-10 Toner, $32. Available at Saks Fifth Avenue and IndieLee.com
The word “toner” is rarely used within the contemporary American beauty lexicon, even though this product category remains essential in other culture’s beauty rituals (Korean women, for instance, rely on toner as the first step after cleansing, before a complicated routine of essences, serums, and moisturizers). Here, toners largely fell out of favor because of the drying effect produced by many alcohol-based formulas once on the market. Fortunately, brands like Indie Lee are helping toners stage a comeback by showing just how effective they can be in balancing the skin’s pH, optimizing moisture levels, destroying any lingering bacteria, and protecting the skin from free radicals, thereby preventing premature aging — all without relying on any harsh alcohols or chemicals. This all-natural and vegan toner instead revolves around CoQ-10 (Coenzyme Q-10), which some studies indicate can protect skin from photoaging (largely thanks to its antioxidant properties), preserve collagen, boost cellular regeneration, and stimulate the production of both collagen and elastin. Together with this potent coenzyme, the toner includes: hyaluronic acid, which can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water, binding this moisture to the skin for long-lasting hydration; cucumber extract, which calms and soothes irritated skin; and aloe vera, which also has calming benefits but which, in addition, helps to strengthen the skin’s natural barrier, keeping moisture in while sealing out toxins. The gentle toner, then, can be used after cleansing your face (and before applying any serums, face oils, or moisturizers) and is also great for refreshing skin after a workout, helping to remove any sweat and dirt without leaving the complexion feeling tight or uncomfortable.
Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Rich Body Oil Roll-On, $9.99. Available at Target.com
Perfect for the upcoming summer season, this coconut-scented body oil comes in a beach tote-ready bottle with a rollerball applicator. The 100% vegan body oil contains a cleverly curated mixture of natural ingredients like sunflower seed oil, with conditions and protects skin from free radicals due to its extremely high vitamin E content; safflower seed oil, which moisturizes and softens the skin thanks to its high concentration of linoleic acid; chamomile oil, which soothes most topical inflammations; grape seed oil, which contains polyphenols with anti-aging benefits; and jojoba oil, which penetrates the skin quickly and efficiently thanks to its unique molecular composition, which resembles that of the human sebum. When applied to damp skin, the oil is quickly absorbed, leaving behind soft, smooth, radiant skin.
L’Occitane Shea Face Comforting Oil, $42. Available at USA.LOccitane.com
Once upon a time, the notion of patting oil onto one’s skin to improve its appearance would have been deemed a laughably foolhardy undertaking, one that was bound to end with a tragic acne bout. These days, however, we know that the right botanical oils can be an incredibly advantageous addition to one’s skincare routine, helping to moisturize the skin, protect it from harmful UV rays and pollutants, and plump its surface to create a smoother canvas for makeup. In fact, many oils penetrate the skin’s outermost layers more effectively and quicker than any traditional cream, in the process locking in moisture and helping to strengthen the skin’s protective barrier. Featuring a 100% natural formula, the L’Occitane Shea Face Comforting Oil soothes and hydrates even the most parched skin thanks to a 5% concentration of omega-6 rich shea butter, alongside marula oil (which moisturizes the skin while, thanks to its antibacterial properties, preventing acne), sunflower seed oil, and castor seed oil.
Burt’s Bees Lipstick, $9. Available at BurtsBees.com and mass food and drug retailers like Target.
Available in 14 shades ranging from a tawny nude to a deep mulberry, this new, non-drying lipstick deposits bold and lustrous color atop lips while moisturizing them thanks to a combination of moringa oil, raspberry seed oil, and vitamin E. Even stars are wearing these conditioning lip colors on the red carpet: America Ferrera donned the Scarlet Soaked shade at the 2016 Golden Globes.
Kat Burki Vitamin C Intensive Face Cream, $90. Available at KatBurki.com
This is like the Drew Barrymore of face creams: it’s practically impossible not to love it. The velvety cream instantly soothes skin thanks to a combination of aloe vera leaf juice, chamomile, lavender, green tea and cucumber hydosols, while deeply moisturizing and softening skin via the shea butter, safflower oil, vegetable glycerin, and jojoba oil in the formula.
Moreover, this cream contains stable vitamin C, which helps to brighten the skin and even skin tone, and which is also known to stimulate collagen and elastin production, and a unique vitamin B complex consisting of arnica, gotu kola, lavender, calendula, and chamomile, which together bolster the skin’s own healing mechanisms to repair existing skin damage and bolster its own ability to fight environmental aggressors.
In other words, this cream is a delight on every front: from its indulgent texture to its short-term softening and smoothing effects and long-term anti-aging and radiance-boosting benefits.
KORA Organics by Miranda Kerr Vitamin Enhanced Lip Balm, $21. Available at KoraOrganics.com
In 2009, supermodel Miranda Kerr launched the organic skincare brand KORA in the hopes of sharing some of her own beauty and lifestyle secrets and philosophies with the world. All KORA products are formulated in Australia in conjunction with the country’s most well-known organic chemists and top-notch aromatherapists. The result is an expansive range of high-quality skincare offerings with an ECOCERT certification attesting that 95% of each product’s ingredients are plant-based and that at least 10% of these are the result of organic farming. The Vitamin Enhanced Lip Balm, for instance, contains organic jojoba, coconut, rose hip, and avocado oils, along with soybean-derived vitamin E and vitamin C-rich acerola cherry powder. Packaged in a pocket-sized squeezable tube with a doe foot applicator, the Vitamin Enhanced Lip Balm quickly soothes chapped, flaky, and dry lips.
Sustainable Youth Anytime Lift Eye Treatment, $60. Available at SustainableYouth.com
For ages, aloe has been used to heal, soothe, and calm everything from sunburned skin to topical wounds and inflammations. Well, as it turns out, those long aloe vera leaves also contain a powerful anti-aging ingredient, alasta, which stimulates the skin’s immune system performance and, in turn, boosts skin elasticity so that it appear more taut. Building upon its scientific findings surrounding alasta, Sustainable Youth created the Anytime Lift Eye Treatment, a lightweight serum with a gel-like consistency that cools the skin, reducing puffiness and minimizing under-eye bags, and which also helps to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The treatment incorporates antioxidant-rich botanical ingredients such as cucumber, white mulberry, licorice, and green tea extracts, along with vegetable-derived hydrolyzed proteins that promote cellular regeneration and strengthen skin tissue. Best of all, as its name suggests, this treatment can be applied throughout the day both under and atop makeup for an instant boost.
