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Natural Body Care

Spotlight on Tom’s of Maine

Tom’s of Maine is basking in the glow of the Co-op Spotlight this week and all of their wonderful body care products are 20% off for member-owners from February 20th – 26th! This discount is in addition to the everyday low price on many Toms of Maine products offered through our Co-op Basics program, so it’s a great time to stock up and save! Read on to learn more about the philosophy of care for people and planet that the Tom’s of Maine community holds dear and learn about some new recyclable packaging options for 2020:

 

At Tom’s of Maine, they believe in living for today—and tomorrow! They recognize that decisions have a lasting impact, and they make them thoughtfully. Since 1970, their mission has been to help people live a more natural life. Here are just some of the ways they translate their mission into positive actions:

  • They’re guided by a Stewardship Model and over 45 years of expertise. Their passion is finding and combining naturally sourced and naturally derived ingredients to create personal care products that really work. And their products come with a product guarantee because your satisfaction is important.
  • They’re transparent about the ingredients they use. They explain where they come from, what they do, and how they are made so that you can make the right choice for your family and yourself. Click here to explore their ingredients.
  • They share their profits and time. Tom’s of Maine donates 10% of product sales to nonprofit organizations working to support health, education, and nature. And they encourage employees to use 5% of their paid time to volunteer for their favorite causes. Click here to learn more about how Tom’s of Maine gives back.
  • They strive to implement and follow sustainable business practices. This is the only planet we call home, so they work to protect it for future generations. Click here to learn more about their sustainability initiatives. They also publish their sustainability progress and goals in their annual Goodness Report.

The Backstory

Tom and Kate Chappell moved to Maine from Philadelphia in 1968, looking for a healthier, simpler life for their growing family. They discovered the benefits of natural and unprocessed food, and started looking for the same qualities in personal care products. But all they found were labels listing artificial flavors, fragrances, sweeteners, colors and preservatives. So they decided to create their own.

In 1970, with the help of a $5000 loan from a friend, Tom’s of Maine was born. Right from the start, their company was shaped by the Chappell’s entrepreneurial spirit and values. By 1975, they’d introduced the first natural toothpaste on the U.S. market. And because Tom and Kate felt that businesses should give back, they soon found meaningful ways to care for the planet and their communities.

Tom’s of Maine became a part of the Colgate-Palmolive company in 2006. And they’re proud to say that as they’ve grown through the years, their simple, direct approach has never changed. They continue to put their hearts into providing their customers with natural personal care products that work as well as they’d expect.

Tom & Kate Chappell

 

New for 2020 – Recyclable Toothpaste Tubes!

Over 1 billion toothpaste tubes are thrown away into landfills each year in the U.S. – so Tom’s is proud to debut this first-of-its-kind recyclable toothpaste tube. In fact, this is the first toothpaste tube recognized by the Association of Plastic Recyclers for its breakthrough technology.

First, check to be sure that your tube has this flag on it:

Their transition to the recyclable tube is happening throughout 2019 and 2020, so not all tubes will immediately be recyclable. It’s important that if your tube does not have this flag on it that you don’t put it into your recycling bin.

Does your tube have the flag above on it? Great! Getting your tube ready for recycling is easy: simply squeeze out as much of the toothpaste from the tube as you can, replace the cap, and place the tube in your recycling bin. The Tom’s of Maine toothpaste tube can be put into your household recycling bin for curbside recycling if your community accepts #2 HDPE plastic. #2 plastic is a commonly recycled plastic and is what many laundry detergent bottles and milk jugs are made from.

Please don’t cut open the toothpaste tube to try and remove excess toothpaste! During the processing of the tube at the recycling facility, the tube is ground up and goes through a “rinsing” process, where all the residual toothpaste is washed off of the plastic. So there’s no need for you to do any rinsing at home. 

 

 

Solutions for the Non-Recyclable Items:

While they’re proud of their recyclable toothpaste tube, not all toothpaste tubes are recyclable just yet and unfortunately, many other types of personal care packaging aren’t accepted through curbside recycling. Through Tom’s partnership with TerraCycle, you can send in your hard-to-recycle personal care packaging waste so it can be made into new and useful objects. Their Natural Care Brigades accept mouthwash bottles and caps, deodorant containers and caps, toothpaste tubes and caps, soap packaging, floss containers, and toothbrushes from any brand!

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Spotlight on Jason

Looking for simple, gentle, natural body care products? Check out JĀSÖN®! They’re featured in our Member Deals Spotlight and all of their body care products are 20% off for Member-Owners from August 22nd – 28th. Read on to learn more about their history and mission to deliver the safest, most gentle natural body care products to you and your family:

 

History

The founders of JĀSÖN® set out to create safe, wholesome, and effective products for the whole family. To this day, the brand remains true to that mission. They believe in living authentically, exploring the unexpected, and celebrating nature’s simple power.

Their brand started back in 1959 when a group of independent thinkers set out to disrupt a quickly changing bath & body industry. Disenchanted by big companies and big chemicals, this group harnessed their free-spirited California mindset, leading them back to simple, safe, and gentler ingredients. The team set to work creating body-loving products made with plant-based ingredients that lived up to their original mission, never compromising on quality or care.

And thus, a new brand centered around the restorative power of nature’s botanicals was born. It only felt natural that they call it JĀSÖN® – an honorable word meaning “healer” in Greek.

Code of Honor

The JĀSÖN® brand continually evaluates and updates its list of synthetics and chemicals that it chooses not to use, and meet or exceed the industry standard in safety testing.  Their Code of Honor dictates that they will:

  • Select safe, gentler and effective ingredients
  • Never test their products on animals
  • Innovate and improve continuously

JĀSÖN® promises wholesome, effective products free from:

  • Parabens
  • Harsh Sulfates
  • Petrolatum
  • Phthalates
  • Artificial Colors
  • Saccharin
  • GMOs
  • Plastic Microbeads
  • MEA, DEA & TEA
  • PEG Derivatives
  • Formaldehyde Donors
  • Animal Testing 
 
 

Giving Back

The disparity between girls’ and boys’ education can lead to billions of dollars in lost opportunity worldwide. JĀSÖN® partners with CARE® to do their part to change this staggering fact.

CARE® has nearly seven decades of experience creating programs to help eradicate poverty and achieve social justice. Their joint Empower Her through Education program supports school-aged girls in rural Guatemala, bringing financial and emotional support to their communities.

The after-school program aims to build girls’ confidence and self-esteem through hands-on games, exercises, and lessons, empowering them to continue their education and find success as they grow up. The program’s existence is a major step in helping shift an outdated mentality that girls and women should stay at home. To learn more about this important initiative, click HERE.

Spotlight on Acure

Is there a special mom in your life who could use a bit of pampering this Mother’s Day? Or maybe you’re looking to shake up your own skin and body care routine? Acure is featured in our Member Deals Spotlight from May 9th – 15th and member-owners can enjoy 20% off their full line of natural body care products this week! Read on to learn more about Acure’s mission and charitable partners:

The team at Acure believes that each and every one of us can make an enormous impact on the world by making small changes in the items we use, the purchases we make, and the way that we approach each day. With that in mind, they offer a lineup of skin, hair, and body care products that are as gentle to your body as they are to the planet. 

Acure is made up of skin & hair wellness enthusiasts who believe in the power of purity to uplift the way you feel. They source the highest quality ingredients for your skin, which means no parabens, sulfates, formaldehyde, paraffin, mineral oil or animal testing allowed.

Their mission is to take skin and hair from blah to brilliant by boosting their performance with powerful combinations of amazing ingredients. They hope to steer people toward healthier and more accessible skin care & hair care that will allow them to shine their brightest.

As a company, they also try to make an impact by pursuing a triple bottom line. They believe people and planet are just as important as profits, so they support organizations that share these values. Their charitable partners include:

 

UNITE FOR HER is a breast cancer nonprofit organization whose mission is to bridge the gap between the medical and wellness communities by providing accessible resources through complementary therapies that supplement medical treatment, caring for the physical, emotional and financial needs of the breast cancer patients they serve. They enhance the lives of patients and empower people of all ages to make healthy lifestyle choices through wellness education and breast cancer awareness. 

 

 

TURNING GREEN is a student-led movement devoted to education and advocacy around environmentally sustainable and socially responsible choices for individuals, schools, and communities. TG seeks to engage youth in the transition from conventional to conscious, empowering the next generation and mobilizing action to sustain our earth.

 

Spotlight on Tom’s of Maine

Tom’s of Maine is basking in the glow of the Co-op Spotlight this week and all of their wonderful body care products are 20% off for member-owners from February 28th – March 6th! This discount is in addition to the everyday low price on many Toms of Maine products offered through our Co-op Basics program, so it’s a great time to stock up and save! Read on to learn more about the philosophy of care for people and planet that the Tom’s of Maine community holds dear:

 

At Tom’s of Maine, they believe in living for today—and tomorrow! They recognize that decisions have a lasting impact, and they make them thoughtfully. Since 1970, their mission has been to help people live a more natural life. Here are just some of the ways they translate their mission into positive actions:

  • They’re guided by a Stewardship Model and over 45 years of expertise. Their passion is finding and combining naturally sourced and naturally derived ingredients to create personal care products that really work. And their products come with a product guarantee because your satisfaction is important.
  • They’re transparent about the ingredients they use. They explain where they come from, what they do, and how they are made so that you can make the right choice for your family and yourself. Click here to explore their ingredients.
  • They share their profits and time. Tom’s of Maine donates 10% of product sales to nonprofit organizations working to support health, education, and nature. And they encourage employees to use 5% of their paid time to volunteer for their favorite causes. Click here to learn more about how Tom’s of Maine gives back.
  • They strive to implement and follow sustainable business practices. This is the only planet we call home, so they work to protect it for future generations. Click here to learn more about their sustainability initiatives. They also publish their sustainability progress and goals in their annual Goodness Report.

The Backstory

Tom and Kate Chappell moved to Maine from Philadelphia in 1968, looking for a healthier, simpler life for their growing family. They discovered the benefits of natural and unprocessed food, and started looking for the same qualities in personal care products. But all they found were labels listing artificial flavors, fragrances, sweeteners, colors and preservatives. So they decided to create their own.

In 1970, with the help of a $5000 loan from a friend, Tom’s of Maine was born. Right from the start, their company was shaped by the Chappell’s entrepreneurial spirit and values. By 1975, they’d introduced the first natural toothpaste on the U.S. market. And because Tom and Kate felt that businesses should give back, they soon found meaningful ways to care for the planet and their communities.

Tom’s of Maine became a part of the Colgate-Palmolive company in 2006. And they’re proud to say that as they’ve grown through the years, their simple, direct approach has never changed. They continue to put their hearts into providing their customers with natural personal care products that work as well as they’d expect.

Tom & Kate Chappell

 

 

Spotlight on Nature’s Gate

Nature’s Gate is featured in our Member Deals Spotlight from August 16th – 22nd, which means that member-owners can enjoy 20% off their full line of body care products! Read on to learn more about what makes them shine:

Where it All Began

In 1972, two brothers in Venice Beach with a humble beachside herb garden and a kitchen had an idea to create a shampoo using the bounty of the earth as a natural source of beauty. Leo had a head for business and Vlad was trained as a physicist, so the pair blended herbs and other natural ingredients to create a naturally energizing herbal shampoo that respected the natural balance of the earth as well as the body. And thus, Nature’s Gate was born.

What They Stand For

Balanced beauty, inside in out. It’s Nature’s way. 

They believe that true beauty can only be achieved through balance. Healthy mind, healthy body. Beautiful thoughts, beautiful deeds. Respect for yourself and respect for the planet. Time for you, time for the family. That, to the folks at Nature’s Gate, is the essence of real beauty. That’s what they pour into every Nature’s Gate bottle.

And because they believe balance and harmony are essentials rather than luxuries, they don’t come at a high price. Nature’s Gate is about affordably using what Mother Earth gave us to bring out the natural beauty in every member of your family every day of the week.

Spotlight on Weleda

Looking to give your skin and body care routine a Spring makeover? We’re shining our Member Deals Spotlight on Weleda this week and all of their natural body care products are 20% off for member-owners from May 3rd – 9th. Read on to learn more about this company that has been providing all-natural personal care products for nearly a century!

 

 

Heritage

What started in 1921 as a pharmaceutical laboratory, with its own plant garden, is today a world-leading manufacturer of certified natural by NATRUE personal care. Founder, Dr. Rudolf Steiner along with Dr. Ita Wegman and a team of scientists created the first synergistic products orchestrated to reconnect the body with its natural rhythms. For the most active ingredients, they planted the first biodynamic gardens with farming, seed production, and landscape maintenance following the rhythms of nature and the earth. They began delivering glowing, healthy-looking skin and wellbeing in Switzerland, then Germany and eventually North America.

Today, Weleda has partnerships and offices around the globe and, despite their success, they remain a people-and-planet over profits brand. They still cultivate their own biodynamic gardens and work in fair trade agreements with small farmers and gardeners to source the best raw materials. They still strive to make the best non-toxic, cruelty-free, paraben-free, GMO-free, phthalates-free and synthetic fragrance-free products available in the marketplace.

Values

At Weleda, they see beauty in the soil, flowers, plants and the fair-trade partnerships they build that honor the human spirit and respect the natural world. Their purpose is to cultivate beauty. They are committed to supporting your overall wellbeing and beauty, and that of every living being. They strive for each of us to be empowered to cultivate beauty in the world, for ourselves, for our children and the future of our planet. Here are their 7 fundamental principles:

  • Fair Treatment – Since 1921, Weleda proved that transparency and honest communication works with customers, partners, and suppliers. Our integrity is our foundation worldwide. We are committed to fair trade agreements with our farmers, gardeners, and other suppliers. The result is lasting, reliable relationships with everyone we touch.
  • Employees as Partners – We have deep gratitude for the people who work for us at every level. Weleda employees own their roles. Their hands-on experience gives them insight into decision-making, operating processes and structures as well as innovation and business advances.
  • Integrity and Quality – The raw plant, flower, and fruit materials for Weleda products are carefully cultivated and harvested in order to preserve their full effects. Our holistic products are cruelty-free in accordance with NATRUE standards, non-toxic, paraben-free, synthetic fragrance-free, SLS-free, and GMO-free. We believe the Earth is a living organism, as connected to the cosmos as it is to us. Our philosophy, rooted in anthroposophy, honors human beings and nature. That reverence drives us to create the highest quality products possible. Our mission is to give everyone the experience of extraordinary well-being.
  • Science and Spirit meet in our Research and Development – For Weleda, the human family is the center of our work. Integrating science and philosophy, we research and develop innovative, groundbreaking products and beneficial approaches.
  • Sustainability – The earth’s resources are limited. Our planet requires protection, for humans, nature and all living beings. Our responsibility is serious. We set demanding environmental standards. To us, sustainability means protecting the environment, biodiversity and the lives of our farmers and gardeners and their families, as well as conserving natural resources.
  • Ethical and Value-Creating Business Practices – Since our founding, we dedicated ourselves to human development, restoration of health, need for physical well-being and a balanced way of life. This vision determines Weleda’s business orientation and is the guiding light and driving force of all our actions. In every encounter, Weleda participates in cultural initiatives that empower people from our customers to our suppliers and investors.
  •  Cultural Diversity – The Weleda Group embraces cultural and racial diversity as inspiring, powerful and necessary to our evolution. Historically, Weleda grew from separate entrepreneurial initiatives unifying into a corporate group. Today, our reach spreads around the world but our ethical and quality standards, strategies and policies are binding for the entire Weleda Group.

Visit their webpage to learn more about their story, their standards, their products, and their commitment to quality.

Spotlight on Tom’s of Maine

Tom’s of Maine is basking in the glow of the Co-op Spotlight this week and all of their wonderful body care products are 20% off for member-owners from March 1st – 7th! This discount is in addition to the everyday low price on many Toms of Maine products offered through our Co-op Basics program, so it’s a great time to stock up and save! Read on to learn more about the philosophy of care for people and planet that the Tom’s of Maine community holds dear:

 

At Tom’s of Maine, they believe in living for today—and tomorrow! They recognize that decisions have a lasting impact, and they make them thoughtfully. Since 1970, their mission has been to help people live a more natural life. Here are just some of the ways they translate their mission into positive actions:

  • They’re guided by a Stewardship Model and over 45 years of expertise. Their passion is finding and combining naturally sourced and naturally derived ingredients to create personal care products that really work. And their products come with a product guarantee because your satisfaction is important.
  • They’re transparent about the ingredients they use. They explain where they come from, what they do, and how they are made so that you can make the right choice for your family and yourself. Click here to explore their ingredients.
  • They share their profits and time. Tom’s of Maine donates 10% of product sales to nonprofit organizations working to support health, education, and nature. And they encourage employees to use 5% of their paid time to volunteer for their favorite causes. Click here to learn more about how Tom’s of Maine gives back.
  • They strive to implement and follow sustainable business practices. This is the only planet we call home, so they work to protect it for future generations. Click here to learn more about their sustainability initiatives. They also publish their sustainability progress and goals in their annual Goodness Report.

The Backstory

Tom and Kate Chappell moved to Maine from Philadelphia in 1968, looking for a healthier, simpler life for their growing family. They discovered the benefits of natural and unprocessed food, and started looking for the same qualities in personal care products. But all they found were labels listing artificial flavors, fragrances, sweeteners, colors and preservatives. So they decided to create their own.

In 1970, with the help of a $5000 loan from a friend, Tom’s of Maine was born. Right from the start, their company was shaped by the Chappell’s entrepreneurial spirit and values. By 1975, they’d introduced the first natural toothpaste on the U.S. market. And because Tom and Kate felt that businesses should give back, they soon found meaningful ways to care for the planet and their communities.

Tom’s of Maine became a part of the Colgate-Palmolive company in 2006. And they’re proud to say that as they’ve grown through the years, their simple, direct approach has never changed. They continue to put their hearts into providing their customers with natural personal care products that work as well as they’d expect.

Tom & Kate Chappell

 

 

Spotlight on The Orange Owl

This week’s Member Deals Spotlight shines brightly on The Orange Owl! This Vermont-based vegan skincare company provides our Wellness department with a full line of fabulous body care products and from February 8th – 14th, they’ll all be 20% off for member-owners! It’s a perfect time to pick up a few DIY Spa products for your Valentine, or to simply pamper yourself! Read on to learn more about this wonderful local business and the fabulous female powerhouse at the helm:

About the Company

The Orange Owl is a vegan skincare company based in the beautiful state of Vermont. The core mission of the company is to provide simple and environmentally friendly alternatives to essential products used regularly in our lives. ‘Going Green’ is not just a buzzword or about being fashionable to the folks at The Orange Owl. Instead, it is one of the vital components that goes into designing all of their merchandise.

Inspiration for The Orange Owl’s products is derived from a number of sources. From the smell of early morning coffee with a hint of cinnamon, hikes along some of the most beautiful trails in New England, to a plethora of experiences in founder Askhata Nayad’s home county of India, epiphanies happen all the time. It’s from these experiences that the colors, scents, and textures of her products are born.

Giving Back

She has also not forgotten that as you move ahead in life, it is important to give back to society. To this end, The Orange Owl is involved with The Schooling Project, an organization in India that works towards financing the education of underprivileged children. The Orange Owl donates 5% of every purchase made to benefit The Schooling Project, which works together with Global Concerns India to provide avenues for children to gain the financial means necessary to stay in school. In addition to basic education, the team does a fantastic job of offering workshops with the children to build their confidence and helps them explore various technical fields ranging from photography, to film design, and green design.

About the Owner

Akshata Nayak was born and raised in the city of Bangalore in southern India. She moved to America for her graduate studies in late 2003, earning a Masters in Biochemistry and, a few years later, a Masters in Applied Clinical Nutrition. After working in basic research in the fields of Immunology and Emergency Medicine for six years, she decided to shift her focus.The Masters in Applied Clinical Nutrition was a step in that direction. It helped emphasize some basic policies of trying to establish a balance in people’s lives when it came to overall health.

When she’s not busy owning and operating The Orange Owl, she also serves as a nutritionist at Alternative Roots Wellness Center, a holistic health center started with her husband. She lives in Vermont and loves to cook, read and repeatedly change the cushion covers in her living room. She is having the proverbial blast.

 

Akshata believes that establishing a relationship with you is just as important as having you enjoy her products. After all, knowing the people behind the items you use regularly makes the purchase more personal. So, indulge and treat yourself. Leave your problems behind. Experience these wonderful products!

 

Spotlight on Burt’s Bees

We’re casting our Member Deals spotlight on Burt’s Bees this week to shed a little light on the wonderful things they’re doing to protect and maintain healthy pollinator populations through their Wild For Bees initiative. Member-owners can enjoy 30% off all Burt’s Bees products this week – just in time for Mother’s Day! Read on to learn about the history of Burt’s Bees, their products, their environmentally-friendly practices, and their efforts to save our pollinators:

 

Burt'sBees Round Logo

It all began in the summer of ’84 when Maine artist Roxanne Quimby met Beekeeper Burt Shavitz. Roxanne was attempting to thumb a ride home and was picked up by Burt, who she immediately recognized as the bearded beekeeper who often sold honey on the roadside out of his iconic bright yellow Datsun pickup. The two hit it off, and before long, Burt was selling beeswax candles alongside his honey. Fast-forward more than 30 years, and Burt’s Bees now offers some 200 different products! Through the years of growth and evolution as a company, Burt’s Bees has remained true to a simple idea:  what you put on your body should be made from the best nature has to offer.

In addition to providing earth-friendly health, beauty, and personal care products, Burt’s Bees is also committed to supporting projects and research at the intersection of bee and human health. One such project is the Wild For Bees initiative. Here’s what Burt’s Bees has to say about this series of projects:

We all know that honeybees make a lot more than wax and that they are connected with several critical issues for human and environmental health, including biodiversity, food security, nutrition, and sustainable land use. We rely on bees for nearly 1/3 of our entire food supply.  Not to mention all the fibers, spices and medicines the plants they pollinate make possible. A world without bees is unimaginable and we won’t let it happen. We support our buzzing friends with many wonderful projects that promote honeybee health and sustainable agriculture. We are also continually improving our sourcing process, so that eventually each and every one of our ingredients, pollinated or not, will be vetted and accounted for.

Our efforts to support pollinator health have spanned research, education and conservation; over the years, we’ve supported a number of community organizations working for change at the intersection of human and honeybee health, awarded over 30 pollinator health research grants, and worked to drive awareness of the plight of honeybees and how individuals can help.

Of these efforts, our recent focus has been on establishing habitat, providing bees with a much-needed feast. By 2020, Burt’s Bees aims to impact 10,000 acres of healthy honeybee forage. To date, our work and committed funds have already impacted 6,600 acres of pollinator forage. Bur there’s more to do. One campaign helping establish habitat is the Bring Back The Bees program. The goal of this program is to plant 1 billion wildflowers adjacent to farms to provide bees a nutritious and much needed feast, and they need your help to reach this goal:

In addition to their extensive work to raise awareness and support for pollinator health, Burt’s Bees has also taken some impressive steps to ensure that their products and processes are earth-friendly. Here’s what they have to say about their operational footprint:

Have you ever seen a bee’s footprint? Neither have we. All those little gals do is fly from here to there, getting pollen all over everything as they quest for the perfect building material. But they take only what they need—and they leave their environment better than the way they found it.

At Burt’s Bees, we take our cue from nature. We’ve committed ourselves to making the world a little greener, a little cleaner, by doing what bees do best: working hard on natural products that people love.

That’s why, for example, we’ve committed ourselves to a policy of sending zero waste to landfill. With over 350 employees in three facilities, not a single piece of garbage goes to the dump. Not one. Really. How? Each month, our employees diligently volunteer to check over 200 recycling, composting, and waste to energy bins, ensuring everything is sorted properly.

We also encourage you to take advantage of our Recycle on Us Mail Back Program, which keeps the tubes and containers from your favorite Burt’s Bees lip products out of landfills and back into good use.

We’re also serious about energy use. We know that our purchased electricity is the largest contributor to our carbon footprint—so we’ve outfitted our facilities with energy-efficient lighting, resource management software, and efficient production equipment. Our conscientious employees look for ways to save energy and water. And we’re focusing more on the impact of our supply chain, including contract manufacturers.

But we also know that, as our brand has grown, so has our water usage, jeopardizing our 2020 sustainability goals. That’s not good enough for us. In the face of global freshwater scarcity and limited nonrenewable energy sources, it’s more important than ever to take only what we need.

So, until we can be fossil fuel free and water neutral, we’re offsetting our environmental impact in other ways

There’s still much to be done, but we’re determined to get there. Because we’re not just creating a better world for ourselves—we’re also doing it for the little yellow and black pollinators who live in harmony with nature, and to whom we owe so much.

“What’s right isn’t always popular. What’s popular isn’t always right.” Wise words from one of our first catalogs, published over 20 years ago. It’s wisdom that continues to inspire us today, and it’s why we do things a little differently around here. No trash cans at our desks, for example. We like a little yoga with lunch. We speak our minds. We help our neighbors. In short, we practice what we preach.

That’s why we encourage our employees to take time off to go do something good for the world. It’s why, each year, we hold a Culture Day to promote community outreach—in the past we’ve planted urban gardens and built hive boxes for the recovering bee population. We encourage wellness through weekly onsite yoga. And through the Greater Good Team, we strive to maintain environmentally friendly practices within our company and alongside our partners.

We’re basically a bunch of hands-on, tree-hugging, greased elbow do-gooders. It’s kind of what makes our company special. We think the bees would agree.

An Interview with Kirsten of Flourish Natural Body Care

One of the beautiful, intangible things about supporting local products is the element of human connection. When you have questions about the products, you get to call and speak with an actual human who likely created the products, knows them intimately, and can skillfully answer all of your questions. The alternative often entails calling an 800 number, navigating your way through various electronic menus, listening to bad hold music, and, if you’re lucky, reaching a customer service rep who may or may not be able to answer your questions. We experienced a fine example of this sort of thing recently when we noticed that one of our favorite natural body care product lines was sporting a beautiful new makeover. This prompted us to reach out to founder and creator of Flourish Natural Body Care, Kirsten Connor. She chatted with us from her studio in Woodstock, Vermont, and we got the scoop on the fresh new look, plus lots of other great info about her natural body care products:

 

Kirsten Blue Background

MNFC:  What inspired your venture into the world of natural body care products?

Kirsten:  I started out as a soap maker. I taught myself to make cold process soap and this whole world of scent and color just opened up for me. I was kind of fascinated by the fact that by using one of the most dangerous/caustic substances (lye) and combining it with the right ingredients it could be completely transformed into something wonderful for your skin. Once I had mastered soap, I added on scrubs and balms and then worked up to understanding lotions and cremes. Hair care was definitely the trickiest because being a “purist” I wanted to be able to make it from soap-but after literally hundreds of trials I had to accept that soap and my hair were not a happy combination. When I began to look more closely at cleansers in shampoos I began to understand that there are really good options that are very gentle and biodegradable. Similarly to the relationship between milled soap and cold process soap.

MNFC:  Your products have some new ingredients added. Can you tell us about this?

Kirsten:  As a formulator, I’ve always subscribed to the theory that “less is more”. I’ve always tried to limit the number of ingredients in a recipe so that they would really have  a chance to shine. Like with our body cremes-the star is the cocoa butter so I really want you to be able to feel the silkiness of that when you are putting it on your skin. Since Vermont is such a agricultural state, people who were sampling our products would always ask me if I grow all the lavender, etc. that we use in our products, not realizing that lavender doesn’t grow reliably well here in Vermont. Our really fun scent combinations have always been what makes our products stand out. One day, while planting in my garden, I read a description of angelica-and was startled because the description was exactly how I always described our Rosewood Infusion blend.  I began to think about other plants that would reflect the feeling that our different scents gave. I consulted with an herbalist and she and I worked together to choose the plants and find the best way to deliver them in the different products.

MNFC:  Your products have a new look! What prompted this packaging change?

Kirsten:  This was a big leap for us! After the flood in 2011, when we restarted Flourish, one of the things we were advised to do was to streamline our manufacturing/purchasing etc. and to use the same bottles for our shampoos, conditioners and lotions. Personally, I’m not a fan of plastic. I don’t use it at home for storing our food, etc. When I was reformulating our recipes, the issue came up for me again. Not only did I want to protect the herbal infusions and essential oils that we were including, but I really wanted to limit participating in so much plastic consumption. Of course, glass containers should never be used in the shower but in every other instance, glass is a better choice. You wouldn’t think of compromising your  beer or kombucha by storing it in a plastic bottle would you? Not to mention that during the manufacturing process, lotions and cremes are poured into their packaging while hot-so even if the plastic bottle or tube is BPA free, just the heat alone will cause some leaching. And then you are applying that to your skin?

MNFC:  What are your considerations when choosing ingredients for your products and how do you go about sourcing them?

Kirsten:  All of the herbal elements that we have added are either wildcrafted from our fields or we grow them in our gardens. Since we grow, harvest, preserve, etc. all of these plants we know that they are up to our standards. For everything else, we always choose organic oils and butters for our lotions and for our cleansers and preservatives we follow Ecocert guidelines when choosing ingredients. If you are not familiar, Ecocert is a European organization and the very first organization to develop standards for cosmetic manufacturing. With Ecocert there must be an absence of GMO’s, parabens, I phenoxyethanol, nano particles, silicon, PEG, synthetic perfumes and dyes, and animal derived ingredients.  These standards close the loopholes that happen here in the US where a product can be certified organic but still contain a percentage of undesirable ingredients like phenoxyethanol.

MNFC:  What is your favorite product that you make? What scent?

Kirsten:  This truly does change with the seasons but overall I would say it is the GingerElixir+Arnica Body Oil. We have always been huge users of arnica for our entire family, but it is usually scented with menthol or peppermint-which I do not love. Having rheumatoid arthritis, I use arnica frequently and don’t always want a heavy medicinal smell. So I created this oil, infused with arnica flowers for pain and inflammation relief but with a warm, spicybeautiful ginger scent. So it’s more like a special treat.

MNFC:  What is your favorite thing about your job as a creator of natural body care products?

Kirsten:  Definitely when people who have tried our products tell me how much they love them!

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FlourishLavenderMInt+CloverBodyCreme2
FlourishRosewoodInfusion+AngelicaBodyLotion
flourishgingerbodyoil