An interesting discussion came up after posting my review of Vintner’s Daughter both in blog comments and on Instagram. Women wondered about the escalating cost of natural beauty products. And I totally get it. At nearly 200 dollars for a small bottle, it may be hard to argue their point—and may keep a treasure trove of products just beyond the average consumer’s reach.
With the imposing price tag on May Lindstrom, In Fiore, Bottega Organica, and others, you’d think eco-beauty was reserved for the eco-elite. It begs the question whether or not the end result justifies the sticker price. Suddenly the Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in that five dollar shampoo doesn’t look as menacing.
But do you know what goes into your typical brands? Because I know what’s in mine. Here is the list of ingredients.
The first ingredient begins with a person. This person has a dream, a passion, and a vision. This person wants to make the planet a better place and has your health and well-being at heart. So the first ingredients would be intention and heart.
Sometimes the dream evolves into two people and eventually a team of human beings creatively translating the original passion into reality. At other times, one person maintains command and does all the mixing, blending, and outpouring of energy—entirely by hand and in their own homes. Either way, the next ingredients would be care and collaboration.
Added into the formula, you will find herbs, spices, whole plants, and oils, all sourced responsibly so that they remain unharmed as much as possible in the process. That means that they are sustainably farmed without depleting resources. They are also organic. These are much harder to grow and maintain because no pesticides are used, leaving them vulnerable to wildlife and insects. But it also means that you won’t be poisoned by toxic chemicals when you massage them into your skin. Thus, the next two ingredients are sustainability and responsibility.
Behind these plants, you will find farmers getting paid fairly—or even the founders working the soil themselves. They devote long, labor-intensive hours to deliver a substantially superior and wholesome crop. When you find an inexpensive item, sadly it may reflect a lack of proper compensation for the people who work hardest to produce it—winding up on front page newspapers as exposés and tragic disasters. I’d say the next ingredient should be fair trade, but it’s also consciousness.
Because we need to wake up to the shocking reality of mass production that’s fast and cheap.
Once the whole, ripe ingredients arrive, the processing begins. Cold-pressing, infusing, and curing don’t happen overnight. Each step of extracting the life-force of a plant while maintaining its integrity takes time, energy, abundant consideration, and even creativity. Just look at what this coconut oil manufacturer and this brand have achieved to produce a unique oil that has not been altered by extreme temperatures. These ingredients would be called preservation and innovation.
The alchemy happens as the ingredients blend—like a mutually supportive marriage—where one enhances the performance of the other and brings out its unique strengths through the union. That synergy would be called magic.
When the people who make the magic also love what they’re doing (check out these guys…oh! and these), you can bet you’ll find a dose of joy and fun in the mix.
The bio-dynamic properties fuse together in a dance that’s captured—often by hand—in an eco-friendly bottle or container that helps preserve the shelf-life of the product. Then it slips into biodegradable packaging to ship around the globe. This ingredient could be called reduced waste, a.k.a. planet-saving materials, but it’s also called integrity.
Sometimes, when a company can, a note accompanies the special package. The words express the sincere gratitude for you, the consumer, because it is thanks to you that this potion can continue producing and elevating the standard. The final ingredients and essential components are gratitude and love.
And to think, some people get mad that organic products cost too much.
So, now that you know what’s in my skin care, what goes into yours?
Full disclosure of ingredients (all active): intention, heart, vision, care, collaboration, time, handcrafted, hand-poured, hand-blended, fair trade, sustainable sourcing, pesticide-free, consciousness, preservation, innovation, intuition, ethical responsibility, magic, fun, happiness, integrity, gratitude…and love.
Wow Sarita, one of my favourites posts to date. This is like a gift to every brand out there that works their butts to gift us their dream in a bottle. I wish I can send this to all those people who think “natural” is “over estimated” “too expensive” you are a treasure
Thank you so much, Rowie. Bless! It’s comments like yours that keep me doing what I’m doing and supporting other bloggers like you. XO
Sarita, you have so beautifully brought to light something we so often forget and take for granted: the actual human and intrinsic costs of the decisions we make. At many times through out our day we have a choice to consciously or unconsciously support brands and products that are making this world a better or worse place. This is a reminder for me to be more diligent about choosing wisely all the time! Thank you for reminding me so eloquently why I do what I do 🙂
Thank you for serving as an example to us all, Marissa, and for bringing beauty that’s clean and gorgeous into our lives! XO
Sarita,
This is a truly beautiful piece. Honestly, those first few paragraphs made my eyes fill with tears. I left a hard-earned career in medicine to start Osmia because of a dream, a passion, and a vision. Because I wanted to inspire healthy, daily choices and make the planet a safer place for plants, animals, and generations to come. My choice to do this has never been about money or profit. It involves an insane amount of hard work, and dedication to the cause, even when it gets difficult. It involves considering every aspect of every decision I make as a CEO, right down to the kind of tape we use on our shipping boxes. We have grown our team, and I now work with a group of women who share my vision, and who work tirelessly to make it come alive. All these things are true of so many of my fellow, green beauty brand owners – a group of people for whom I have enormous and ever-growing respect. For you to understand it so fully and express it so beautifully is touching and deeply appreciated. Thank you for sharing this, and for your amazing work in the field. With big love and gratitude, Sarah.
Sarah, you know I’ve been your fan since the beginning and admire the work that you’re doing to transform the industry. When I wrote that line about our health and well-being at heart, I most certainly was thinking of you and the major life decisions you’ve made to bring us Osmia Organics. Deep and humble thanks. XOXO
Sarita this is truly a well-written post. You’ve captured the industry beautifully. When you purchase a product that is made with high-quality ingredients, you also use less product as it’s more concentrated with beneficial ingredients. xo
Thank you for adding that, Marnie, because that is an important point. The ingredients are concentrated and so effective in a truly natural product. It’s like the actual forces of the plant still exist within it and come through. XOXO
So so true! I often get comments from readers about the expense of a product, but it’s true that organic products have so much more going into them than we might think. And so much more good is being done from just purchasing the one product, but I think it’s easy to forgot and not really understand what you’re purchasing when you buy organic beauty. I definitely think it’s worth the cost for me. Another thing to note is that these products are so valuable in their formulations that you need less of them to get results. You could say the same for ethical/conscious fashion as well. It’s pricey because people are being paid fair wages, materials quality is much higher, and sustainability is something these companies make an effort towards which we really and truly need. thanks for this post!
stop by and chat 🙂 http://storybookapothecary.com ♥
So true, Tianna. Sometimes I wonder if the brand owners actually recoup the actual time and effort that goes into bringing their products to life–especially when everyone gets paid, even interns–and many do pay their interns too. Love your insights. Thanks for sharing. XO
Amazing. Just amazing. A great reminder as to why I started Stark, why I can’t get enough of it, this industry, and why we’re so much more than green beauty…we are trying to change the perception of self-care, of the cost of mere “objects” and what being a conscious consumer means, about supporting a movement (not just a trend) and about always following your heart and what you believe to be the true, honest path (despite backlash). There will always be cheaper alternatives…and this will always come at a great cost.
Even before you and I talked, Jess, I knew how much you invested in Stark and how much love is infused in those jars and bottles. After we spoke, I also understood your broader vision and scope–and how incredible your work truly is. How do you put a price tag on all that?! XOXO
I definitely understand that products with a higher price point are justified by their level of care, integrity, quality, and ethicality in all facets of production. From who, how, and where they source to their use of sustainable packaging. I think that the green beauty community has fostered innovation and a positive mindset on beauty that is more about nourishing the body rather than altering it.
Wonderful point, Megan. Yes! Nourish is certainly a word that would describe natural beauty–which isn’t the first word that would come to mind with a mass produced product. Thank you! XOXO
Hello!
A lovely post. Thank-you for highlighting this issue. However, I would like to share two very affordable beautifully natural and conscious companies with you!
May I thoroughly recommend Salt Spring Soapworks. Conscious beauty products – using natural, organic where possible ingredients. They have been around since the 1970s and the business has just changed hands to the son and daughter-in-law who are modernising the methods but keeping – and even enhancing – the quality of the ingredients. http://www.saltspringsoapworks.com/ Their face creams are around $35 Canadian! http://www.saltspringsoapworks.com/collections/apothika-natural-skin-care
In addition and a little bit more pricey – but still UTTERLY affordable – although the website can be a little hard to navigate http://figsandhoney.com/
Both these companies make GORGEOUSLY scented products, no animal testing, employing local people – with so much thought going into each product.
Affordable AND utterly natural. I am a big fan of both and alternate between these two for all my beauty (and body-washing!) products!
Emma x
Thank you for sharing two totally new to me brands, Emma! I love seeing how many authentic companies grace the space now. It is heartening in every sense. XOXO
Thanks Sarita! I’m lucky to live on an island where people totally get how important what we put on our skin (as well as into our mouths!) is! I feel very privileged. Warmly, Emma-Louise
Such a thoughtful and well-written post Sarita. I agree wholeheartedly with everything you said and this is exactly why I love and support green beauty! I will definitely be thinking and referencing back to this post in all the discussions I have with my friends who all still don’t understand the quality, value, and hard-work behind these products. If more people really understood these things and realized that investing in these products and brands is a win-win for everyone, I think we’d have a lot more converts! Thanks for taking the time to write something so thoughtful and honest 🙂
Thank you, Kasey! I bow down to you for your talented presence in green beauty and the work that you do to spread the good word. XO
Nice post. Recognize also that these products are cost effective to the buyer in the long-term, in addition to being cost effective in terms of the social, the sustainable, the ethical, etc. A little goes a long way, and you get “more bang for your buck.” In my case, I buy less, while buying better, so my wallet doesn’t see much difference. Buying lots of cheap things is costly and adds up in a number of ways. Also recognize that we as consumers have power. I value certain things and use my purchasing power to support brands with comparable missions, visions, and values. Think of the good that can be done with collective buying power. Thanks again sharing this.
So, so true Imsa. Thank you for sharing that “a little goes a long way” so in the end, it’s more cost-effective. Not to mention the long-term health benefits of not adding piles of toxins to our bodies. Lightening the toxic load delivers wellness on so many other levels too. XOXO
So beautifully written and a great expose into what goes into handmade organic skincare. Thank you for sharing this, I believe it is a good reminder to us all how important it is to support this trade.
Thank you so much, Charlene. Based on the response to this post, it seems that every so often we need gentle reminders to get us back to what it’s really about. XO
Thank you for this, a beautifully written, articulate article on how much work we put into our products.
You are so welcome, Candice. Thank you for your kind comment. I’m happy that it resonated with you. XO
What an awesome response Sarita…..love it!!!!! xx
Thank you so much, Audrey! That means so much to me coming from you. Truly. XOXO
So incredibly thoughtful and eloquent Sarita, this is one of my favourite posts to date. You touch upon all the aspects that make me love supporting green beauty so much; for me it’s been about the people, the wondrous and creative artists that we get to connect with through their work on a whole other level than one ever could with the dirty mammoths out there. You put down so succintly exactly what so many of us feel and the reason for why we choose to go organic and natural in our skincare, make up, household items and so much more. Thank you for sharing this piece with us. Xx
Oh Nic! Your comment and so many others bring a huge smile to my face and heart. Right there with you, Lady!! Thanks so much for your kind comment and for being such an awesome friend and supporter of bringing greater authenticity to our beauty products. XOXO
Wow, really beautifully written and a thing I’ve thought a lot about. I can’t always fully agree on certain pricing some brands make on simple products… but I know when to judge and when to see the whole prologue of the story behind the work. Sometimes I’m more than happy to spend more. And no matter what, no one’s forcing anyone to buy anything. If things seem too pricey, try making it yourself and then you may understand the true value behind the product 🙂
HA! Isn’t that so true, Isabel. I feel that way about some artwork that I see where I’m like “I could do that” and then I try it and I’m like “Oh, no I can’t!” That’s a great point. Thanks for sharing and also about our autonomy when choosing the products that we buy. There is definitely a difference in a product that costs $20 versus one that costs more. As you say, when you become discerning enough, you know when the cost is warranted. Thanks for sharing. XOXO
This was just beautiful to read! And so true… I love supporting these people who create products from the heart with their customer’s wellbeing in mind. It’s magical, and something I really enjoy doing for others too.
Shell x
http://www.wellnesswallflower.com
How beautiful to be so aligned with your work that you can recognize the magic that you bring to it and that they bring to you. Will have to check out your site! Thanks for sharing it. XOXO
wow Sarita! What a post <3 ! I can find better word to talk about this topic! The motivation why we and i choose organic product are deeper than just buy a logo or ideology!
Julie xo
Thank you so much, Julie. I’m so happy that you resonated with it. Yes, it is deeper than a logo or ideology. XOXO
Well done, Sarita. I know how hard these brands work to protect the health of the consumer and the lengths they go to ensure safety. It takes a lot of time and money to get certifications – like USDA Organic. The bottom line is, once you switch to truly natural products – you NEED LESS products which is a cost savings in itself.
Hi, I echo The Choosy Chick’s sentiments here. Use Less. Love More. Quality over quantity always. And I just love this post. My favorite line is the first ingredient is a person. I swear – that is the best line I’ve every read about the type of skin care I adore. Hero On!
Thank you, Jeannie. I’m thrilled that it resonated with you so deeply. <3
Absolutely true! Thank you for making sure those products are accessible to more and more people. 🙂
This was lovely and so very true. x
Thank you so much. I’m happy that it resonated with you! 🙂
I’ve wanted to chime in to this discussion since the post went up, but work… work… But well, here are my two cents, Sarita 🙂
Those are xxcellent points! While multinational cosmetics companies can hang whichever price tag they like on their product (“let’s this be drugstore, and this luxury spa!”) and you find – basically – the same formulas no matter what brand or price, it’s completely different with organic brands. Their ingredients cost more; their approach (fair/ ethical/ clean/ sometimes extensive R&D/ certifications) costs more. Their prices aren’t dictated by pure marketing, even though most are way more marketing-savvy now than the pioneers were.
Whenever the price issue comes up, I like to remind my opponents that sustainable products are respectful to the work behind them, whereas cheap clothes, food, beauty products, you name it, are not possible without damage of some kind, damage that, in the end, hurts whoever made them and possibly whoever uses them…
Hi, I really enjoy your blog and have a few thoughts on this topic 🙂 I started switching over to natural and greener products almost 2 years ago, and I though I completely agree with your post, I have become a little frustrated with a few of my favourite brands recently, as I have noticed once somewhat affordable brands continually raise their prices as they become more popular 🙁 For example, I’ve been using the EDOLO Vit B Cleansing Oil for more than a year and a half, and love it! However, i just finished my first bottle of the new reformulated version, and I found it performs completely different from the one I knew and loved, and in fact I had to buy another cleanser because it no longer works for me removing makeup and now irritates my eyes. The price also went up, and increased by almost 100% for some of their other products which I really loved as well, and which are unrecognizable in formula (at least here in Canada, which cannot be entirely blamed on the exchange rate). So, I think some green beauty lovers like myself may feel somewhat betrayed by these developments as brands we supported and loved, are seeming to jump into more “exclusive” price brackets after they become successful.
Wonderful article Sarita! I really enjoyed it! I want to add the countless hours, days and even months that go into mixing, tweaking and testing, just chasing for that “perfection” while going crazy with the little details like labels, and designs so many consumers take for granted. It’s a labor of love, a passion that drives us, that also keeps us awake at night. xoxo
Omg I can’t love this enough, thankyou so much for shinning such a sweet light on the work we organic formulators do ️xox
This article is so beautifully written and couldn’t reflect the truth more perfectly. What goes into our brand is a whole lot of love, passion, authenticity, transparency, sustainability and support for small, fair-trade farmers x
Wonderful piece!! I love the awareness you are bringing to what actually ‘costs’ us! I am very passionate about only bringing North American brands into our shops, as I consider the environment when curating… I get flack sometimes from clients …. but being Green is a way of life and encompasses all my actions! I am honoured to do what I do and feel so fortunate that it feeds my family and that I am making a small change in the world! Thank you Sarita for sharing my vision!!