The arrival of the holidays means excess sugar, alcohol and stress tend to permeate the days. All these elements have adverse affects on the skin and while adopting a new regimen right now may seem like a futile cause; it is, indeed, a prime time to help the skin because come January, you’ll find yourself ahead of the game when battling the results the season may leave on your complexion.
To stay ahead of the game, consider these three product ranges which are as ethical, natural and conscious as they come. Some are zero waste while others extract their own herbs and mix their own product for the most potent formulations. The list of commendable attributes they boast is long, so read ahead to find out why natural and conscious beauty could be the skin’s best friend this season.
FURCY BOTANIK
Behind the glow of its matte amber bottles, Furcy Botanik lives up to its botanical promise in delivering a natural-meets-scientific solution for hydration, brightness, firmness, and anti-inflammation with the added benefit of boosting the skin barrier and activating the immune system.
A three-product line that includes a gel creme moisturizer, a facial spray, and a night serum, Furcy Botanik’s formulations are based on the powerful properties of the Djon Djon mushroom native to Haiti which, according to the respected chemist who formulated the range, Harvey Gedeon, is more hydrating than hyaluronic acid “at the same concentration.”
Founded by Nathania Dominique who partnered with Gedeon, the Djon Djon mushroom is supplemented with other natural ingredients such as guava, niacinamide, tripeptides, and hibiscus flower extract for skin products which are light, smooth, and easily absorbed, and results in increased collagen and hydration, plumping, minimization of redness and pore appearance, and reduction of fine lines and dark spots with an overall soothing effect.
Hypoallergenic and made without parabens, phthalates, artificial colors, or synthetic fragrances. But it’s the dewy glow Furcy Botanik products provide that is sure to make the season bright.
ACTIVIST SKINCARE
Southern California-based skincare brand Activist Skincare prides itself on being “small and mighty,” but their ethics and goals are larger than life. The brand takes pride in sourcing ingredients from small farms that place emphasis on ethical production, some of which are zero-waste certified, such as the farms that supply Activist’s cucumber and calendula hydrosols, or are grown on organic fields and distilled on-site.
Free of anything artificial or harmful (to either the environment or the human body), products come in plastic-free shipping in bottles and jars made from recyclable and refillable glass and customers are encouraged to save the containers when they run empty and order refill pouches (which come with a 15% discount) of product as an effort to have less impact on the environment—this just means they generate 99% less carbon dioxide emissions and 75% less plastic waste than even recycled glass.
Of course, none of this matters if the product isn’t on point, and in line with its small and mighty ethos the high-performing collection of serums, cleansers, sunscreens, and a toning mist, deliver on its promises for a variety of skincare solutions from calming breakouts to correcting the signs of aging.
What is most respectable about this brand is that in a world where everything is sustainable, yet nothing truly is, the founder speaks bluntly on the company’s blog about the trials and tribulations of finding the most sustainable solutions bringing into the conversation the the financial and logistical challenges it presents to run a business as sustainably as possible.
BLISSOMA
Founded by herbal chemist, Julie Longyear, St. Louis-based Blissoma stands so strong in its conviction of creating the cleanest, plant-based skincare that they extract their own herbs and mix their own product to practice the sort of exacting quality control over the production process which Longyear believes every customer deserves. With this power of plant-based formulations in their purest forms–and for Blissoma, this also means raw–customers get the results that keep them coming back.
With an emphasis on helping various skin sensitivities, Blissoma’s focus on the highest quality plant ingredients with an airtight hold on production means the active ingredients hover around the 75% mark according to the brand, which exceeds cosmetic industry norms which are somewhere between 5-20%.
Designed to support a myriad of skin issues such as redness, rosacea, acne, and sensitivity customers are guided to discover products through their individual goals which Blissoma divides into the categories sustain, rescue, soothe, renew, and defend. Beyond that, they provide an allergy search tool so customers can avoid products that contain allergies specific to them and consultations with an on-staff esthetician to help with a customized skincare routine.
An ethical brand that holds all the certifications such as being cruelty-free, vegan, and free of petrochemicals, Blissoma also uses solar power in their manufacturing facility, product boxes that are FSC certified to ensure sustainable planting of trees, and formulas that are all biodegradable and microbiome friendly. With their commitment to radical transparency, they declare all preservatives and each individual ingredient leaving the power of choice with the consumer.
As if all that wasn’t enough, the Blissoma site is also a marketplace for similarly-minded brands in different spaces to skin care such as cosmetics and hair care.