Feel good about looking good
In the beauty community, “all-natural” has long been considered synonymous with “ineffective.” But, as an “all-natural” kind of girl, I’m here to say that it is officially time to update that notion. Thanks to a growing arsenal of natural, organic and vegan hair, skin, body and cosmetic companies, us eco animal-lovers can stay well-groomed and enjoy getting dolled up without compromising our values. Leading the pack in this growing market is Beauty Without Cruelty (BWC), which started in the early 1960s as the first all-natural, vegetarian line of cosmetics.
BWC products are made out of only good stuff: natural, organic ingredients, no animal products, no synthetic or engineered fragrances, no parabens, and the list goes on. And, as their name suggests, they don’t test on animals. I recently turned to BWC in my search for two particularly hard-to-find beauty staples: fragrance free body lotion and eye makeup remover.
It is my opinion that a good lotion should be felt but not smelt. The sickly sweet types are nice for an occasional rub on the hands, but I’m talking a post-shower slather—something to moisturize, not drown, my skin and last all day without reminding my olfactory senses that it’s there. And so it was that after a long and fruitless search for the best lotion (why is it that so many “fragrance-free” concoctions leave your skin with that distinctly lotion-y smell?), I found lotion love with BWC’s Fragrance Free Body Lotion (around $11.95). It’s a truly neutral-smelling, soft but not greasy lotion that quenches my skin. It’s also one of their best-selling products.
My requirements for an eye makeup remover are many: all natural and cruelty-free, kind to my sensitive eyes and effective but not greasy or oily. BWC’s Extra Gentle Eye Make-up Remover with herbal extracts and vegetable glycerin fit the bill ($8.95). The formula is kind to my eyes while ridding of any trace of eye make up (preventing the dreaded “raccoon eye” look), and hydrates the delicate skin around my eyes while it’s at it. After years of trying different products, I’ve finally found a keeper.
I guess you could say I’m partial to animals—I don’t eat them, I don’t wear them, and I don’t want to use products that harmed them. But everyone’s different. That’s the great thing about BWC products—they are fun, high-quality, effective and affordable products that just happen to carry a great message. What’s not to love about that?
Find BWC products in the body care section of local health food stores or online at beautywithoutcruelty.com.
