In the great grand effort to ‘green’ your life, there are two major areas that matter above all others: cleaning and cosmetics. These are the primary eco-offenders, the personal products that do the most damage. And so, conversely, these are lifestyle changes that pack the biggest punch!
I don’t know about you guys, but I am a lotion fiend. I apply a hefty helping, head to tippy toes, at least once a day. So it’s important to me – for my body and for the environment – that the goo I choose to use is up to par.
And so I’ve spent the past many months in testing – rotating lotions, recording notes. I’ve squeezed and squirted and sniffed and slathered all sorts of salves, and now I present to you: my findings!
The Great Lotion Face-Off, 2009
I am not sponsored by or affiliated with any of these companies; I paid for products in full.
Products were selected via these criteria:
- Must be widely available, ‘common’ nationwide in the US (sorry foreign readers!) and online (at least there’s that!)
- Must be widely attainable – under $12 for a standard sized bottle
- Must contain only vegan ingredients* and must not be tested on animals
- Must be ‘natural’ and free of harsh/harmful chemicals
*one exception, noted
Avalon Organic Botanicals Lavender Hand and Body Lotion
~$10.99 / 12 oz
Available at: Trader Joes, various natural stores, and online
Notes:
- no parabens
- no petroleum-based ingredients
- no sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate
- no synthetic fragrance or color
- carries the leaping bunny logo
My Experience: This lotion has a delightful lavender fragrance, but it is strong. The consistency is pretty thick as well, more like a hand cream than a body lotion. Considering its high price tag and strong fragrance, I think this would be best for a guest bathroom hand lotion, or something else along those lines.
Trader Joe’s Moisturizing Cream: Extra Dry Formula
~$5.99 / 16 oz
Available at: Trader Joes
Notes:
- none
My Experience: This stuff’s so thick, it sits on my skin like putty. I don’t feel like I even really absorb much, but it sure is a pain in the butt getting dressed after I put it on. I had to hang out for a while, air drying, which is fine on slow-start days but if I’m in a hurry it’s just no good. There’s nothing more uncomfortable than the feeling of clothing clinging to sticky arms and legs. Amiright?
Also, it says it’s unscented, but really it has that ‘lotion’ smell. My 0.02¢ : If it’s gonna stink anyway, you might as well add a bit of pleasing aroma.
I would not buy this again.
Desert Essence Fragrance Free Organics Body Lotion
~$8.99 / 8 oz
Available at: Natural markets everywhere, and online
Notes:
- organic
- wheat and gluten free
- no parabens or pthalates
- no petrolium-based ingredients
- no sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate, or other ‘harsh preservatives’
- no artificial colors
My Experience: This lotion was totally ‘meh’. It wasn’t too thick and it wasn’t too thin. It wasn’t too oily or too watery. It wasn’t bad . . . but it wasn’t very memorable either. And again, ‘unscented’ should mean unscented, not ‘icky lotion smell’.
I would probably buy this again . . . if I had to.
Burt’s Bees Radiance Body lotion*
*this product is not vegan, but it is ‘beegan’. It contains no animal products aside from bee byproducts, in this case royal jelly and beeswax. I am vegan and endorse using vegan products exclusively.
~$9.00 / 6 oz
Available at: Many major drugstores, natural markets, and online
Notes:
- paraben and pthalate free
- ‘99.21% natural’
- package from 22% post-consumer recycled plastic
My Experience: Oh, Burt’s Bees. The ubiquitous, ever present ‘natural’ option in your local drug store. And good for them – they’ve broken down a lot of barriers, made natural products accessible to a lot more people. It’s just a shame they sold to Clorox™, and that most of their products aren’t vegan (I guess, to be fair, it’s in the name). Anyways, this was some of my ‘pre-gan’ lotion, but I figured I’d include it here. I know many of my readers are not vegan, and many live in less eco-friendly regions. I do appreciate BBs’ influence in the marketplace – they’re everywhere!
But alas, this lotion sort of blows. It’s very thin, almost runny, and it goes on really greasy. Like, really really greasy. Like oil-slick-limbs, I-need-to-pat-myself-dry-before-dressing sort of greasy. One cool thing though – it contains natural mica, a glittery mineral, that makes your skin sparkle in the sunlight. So fabulous! A+ feature in a B- product.
ShiKai Cucumber Melon Hand and Body Lotion
~$7.99 / 8 oz
Available at: Natural markets everywhere, and online
Notes:
- many organic ingredients
- pharmaceutical grade ingredients whenever possible (as opposed to cosmetic grade)
- all natural fragrances
- carries the leaping bunny logo
My Experience: I really dig this company, and use their platinum shampoo to keep my hair so fiercely white. Unfortunately, the lotion didn’t quite measure up. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t great either. The odor was a bit too saccharine for my liking, and the texture of the balm was rather oily. It was thin and left a bit of a greasy film on my skin. Nothing as bad as that dang Burt’s Bees, but still not so fun. It’s too bad – the price sure is nice.
J/Â/S/Ö/N. Cocoa Butter Lotion & 84% Aloe Vera Lotion
~$6.99 / 8 oz
Available at: Natural markets everywhere, and online
Notes:
- paraben free
- many organic ingredients
- packaged in recycled, recyclable plastic
- carries the leaping bunny logo
My Experience: I liked both of these, but I found the cocoa butter to be more pleasing than the aloe vera. If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m a stickler for texture – not too thick or thin, not too gummy or greasy. The cocoa butter is just right, and the aloe vera is almost there, just a bit on the oily side. My biggest complaint were the odors, neither of which was very inviting. I love me some cocoa butter (it was my old standby – that giant cheap drugstore tub – before I went ‘natural’), and I love the smell of the stuff. The J/Â/S/Ö/N variety has a faint cocoa butter under-scent, but it’s obscured by a harsh, unnatural top note. Not enough to turn me off forever, but definitely enough to knock it out of first place. But bonus – this is some of the cheapest natural lotion out there!
Nature’s Gate Papaya Moisturizing Lotion & Hemp Moisturizing Lotion
~$9.99 / 18 oz
Available at: Natural markets everywhere, and online
Notes:
- paraben and pthalate free
- colorant free
- packaged in recyclable containers
My Experience: Ohmygod the papaya smells SO good. This is hands down my favorite lotion. It’s the *perfect* consistency, smooth and soft and quickly absorbed by the skin. No hanging around trying to air dry, and no desire to wipe off excess greasies. It’s awesome, and it smells so good I want to eat it. On top of that, it’s one of the cheapest options! My co-op sells it in bulk (score!), but even if you source it the standard way, it’s the same price as the others for roughly twice as much lotion. We have a winner!!!
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