Ever since I read “Not Just A Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry” by Stacy Malkin, I’ve slowly started to change the way I purchase and use cosmetics. I frequently consult the Skin Deep Database at The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. I don’t have any hard and fast rules, but I try to purchase products that are at least one of the following: fragrance free, have organic ingredients and/or do not contain phthalates or parabens.

I will be reviewing some of the brands of natural cosmetics that I use regularly. To see all of the posts in this series, click here.

Yakshi Naturals Botanical Fragrances

I have stated that I’ve gone “fragrance free.” What I mean by that is that I try not to use products that have “fragrance” listed as an ingredient. This is because that term doesn’t mean a specific ingredient. It’s a placeholder for a proprietary concoction that could contain carcinogenic chemicals. I do still like to dab on some perfume for a special occasion and Yakshi has some great products to choose from, where all the ingredients are listed on the label. My favorite is “Goddess Dreams” which is a blend of jasmine and other essential oils. They are made with a natural base of coconut oil so it’s not quite the same as using an alcohol based fragrance that most people are used to. However I’ve never had it stain my clothing or tarnish my jewelry.

Sun Rose Aromatics

I go to a salon that uses many products that are organic. This product line was recommended to me there. I purchased the “Organic Aloe Vera & Seaweed Gel. It did the job, but it took a while to get used to the feeling of using an aloe gel rather than a cream or lotion.

Yes to Carrots

I first noticed this brand when shopping for some makeup to wear to an 80’s party I was attending. Most of my lipsticks are a deep rose color or a maroon. I needed something RED. I purchased their “C Me Shine Lip Gloss” in “Red Hot” and was not disappointed. I did have to reapply several times to get the color to stay, but that is to be expected from a gloss. I also use the Yes to Cucumbers Daily Calming Moisturizer, which I think is my favorite one of all right now.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 28th, 2011 at 6:00 am and is filed under Green Product Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.