Eco-friendly alternatives for all you beauty addicts.
by Christine DeGennaro
Just a few years ago, green beauty products were relegated to a few not-so-great formulas gathering dust on health-food store shelves. But today, a growing movement of models are helping to prove that being environmentally conscious doesn’t have to mean looking (and smelling) like you live on a commune.
Josie Maran Cosmetics earns Modelinia's green badge of approval.
Josie Maran spent 17 years in the makeup chair dealing with breakouts and worrying about her exposure to the questionable chemicals, like phthalates and parabens, contained in cosmetics.
So when it came to formulating her own line, Josie Maran Cosmetics, she decided to create an eco-friendly alternative for serious makeup addicts…and succeeded.
Josie Maran Finger Paints available at www.sephora.com.
“The finger paints are definitely one of my favorites from the collection. The featherlight shimmers in the palette can be used to bring soft, glowy color to cheeks, lips, or eyes, and they contain natural, organic ingredients—no fragrances or parabens,” Josie says.
Other high-end makeup brands are following suit. Tarte reformulated its entire line in 2008 to eliminate several suspect chemicals.
Beauty.com makeup artist Tina Turnbow used Tarte’s Spring Greening palette on models at Doucette Duvall and Charlotte Ronson at the Spring 2009 shows in New York. “The turquoise, green, and gold—I love!” she raves. “I apply along the upper-lash line or smudge on top of matching pencil to intensify color. This adds a bit of shimmer and sets the line as well.”
Model/activist Summer Rayne Oakes is the author of Style, Naturally: The Savvy Shopping Guide to Sustainable Fashion & Beauty.
Green Planet spokesperson Summer Rayne Oakes is pleased to see skincare lines simplifying their ingredients, pointing out that even the toughest skincare problems can often be solved with a few natural ingredients. She uses essential oils as daily moisturizers and favors home remedies like applying garlic cloves and vinegar to blemishes, although she admits it’s not always convenient. “Burt’s Bees is great when I’m not feeling kitchen-crafty,” Summer says.
Kimberly Snyder, a dedicated raw foodist, also heads to the kitchen when her skin needs a boost. “Food is the greatest medicine and healer, and the body and skin can heal itself when given proper nutrition,” says the
Envision Beauty founder Kim Snyder is a dedicated raw foodie.
Envision Beauty founder. Her favorite skin superfoods are leafy green vegetables, which she recommends whipping into a green smoothie as an easy way to pack your diet with a pro-beauty punch.
Not sure how to make sense of all the labels popping up on both food and beauty packaging? Look for the USDA Organic and EcoCert logos. Then you know you’re getting a product that’s truly green.
