I’m going to extend the Vivesana giveaway another day and give you a second chance to enter to win a tube of Vivesana Solar to Polar Ultra or Solar to Polar Baby sunscreen. Check out Dan’s interview - the story of Vivesana is so inspiring! Then Tweet or blog about the Vivesana contest, linking back to this post or last week’s post. Then come back here and leave a link to the post or tweet below for an extra entry in the giveaway.
The model actually came before the products. I was a lawyer in Manhattan who wanted to do something helpful for the world. Looking at models like Newman’s Own, I thought if I could make something better, be transparent and real, and partner with and support non-profits with a big chunk of our profits, people would notice. I always prefer to use my consuming dollars on products or companies that seem responsible, and I figured I wasn’t alone.
It’s not easy elbowing into a crowded marketplace with competitors that spend millions in advertising, and so I was determined to find an audience that was informed and active. I looked around and decided the most informed, thorough consumers on Earth were new mothers. It was only half way into the process that I had my own child and came to fully appreciate the need for safer products.
I, along with my partners in crime (another lawyer, a mother, an organic farmer/teacher, and a renewable energy specialist) spent months researching everything we could about ingredients, skin physiology, and formulation in the latest studies and academic journals. We started with sunscreens because we quickly discovered it was an area where mislabeling and questionable ingredients were particularly prevalent.
We went to a house in upstate New York and started cooking. Eventually, we got to a place where we were ready to bring in chemists, labs and manufacturers.
Since we approached the whole thing fresh, weren’t confined or burdened by the traditional approaches and corner cutting. The far more common approach is to hand it off to the professionals right away, or even more common, to simply repackage an existing formulation. We got a lot of grief, and it took an awfully long time to develop, but ultimately we came out with unique products. Starting from scratch is usually more conducive to real innovation! Read more…
Posted on May 26, 2009
by Allie
Vivesana is giving away a tube of their fabulous sunscreen to two lucky Allie’s Answers readers!
To enter, go to the Vivesana website and read about Vivesana’s products and green practices. Then come back here and leave a comment to tell us what feature of Vivesana’s sunscreens is most important to you.
I’ll draw names using a random number generator on Tuesday, June 2, 2009. Winners can choose Solar to Polar Ultra or Solar to Polar Baby sunscreen. Comments that appear to be spam will not be counted. Only one comment per reader per post will be counted. Stay tuned. I’ll give you a chance for a second entry later this week. US Residents only.
Also, Vivesana is offering 25% off to Allie’s Answers readers. From now through June 20th, when you shop at Vivesana.com and use the code allie&vive25 at checkout, you’ll get 25% off your order.
CONTEST CLOSED
Posted on May 21, 2009
by Allie
I take my pastey appearance seriously, and I am a sunscreen fanatic. But it’s hard to find a sunscreen that isn’t full of icky ingredients and doesn’t spread on like library glue, and even harder to find one that doesn’t come packaged in plastic. That’s why Vivasana Sunscreen is so awesome. Read more…
Posted on April 16, 2009
by Allie
It’s been a long, cold winter here, and my skin has been paying the price. Every winter, no matter what I do, my knuckles get raw and red, (J teases that it looks like I punched someone, but I swear, I only use nunchucks when I fight crime in back alleys). This year, it was so bad, that I broke down and went to the dermatologist. She gave me a steroid cream that only served to make it worse. My hands hurt all the time. I felt like nothing would ever fix it, and spring seemed way too far away. It was depressing.
Alchemilla sent me some skin care samples to try. All of their products are great, and I’ve enjoyed using them, but the Calendula Cream is like a miracle in a tube. I was using it as a night face cream (it’s a little thick for day use), and loving it. One night, I squeezed a little too much out of the tube, so I used the extra on my hands. The next morning, when I woke up, they felt a little better. I tried it again. Great results. The problem is not completely gone, but if I’m dilligent about using the Calendula Cream, my hands stay happy. I am thrilled. Read more…
Posted on April 7, 2009
by Allie
Posted on March 30, 2009
by Allie
You wouldn’t scrub your child down with formaldehyde, right? Unfortunately, you might be without even knowing it.
Environmental Working Group (EWG) released the results of a study on personal care products for kids, and the results were upsetting: Read more…
Posted on March 13, 2009
by Allie
Organic Needle has been reviewing bar soap lately, and after reading this review I was set on giving Burt’s Bees Milk and Shea Butter soap a try. I couldn’t find it when I looked for it at the grocery store, so I decided on Badger Sport Bar Ginger & Lemongrass Fine Organic Soap.
From Badger:
After a hard day on the Playing Fields of Life, use this soap to relax muscles, soothe mind & cleanse body. We chose organic and wild-crafted ingredients for their healing effect on both Planet and skin. Essential oils add fragrance & pleasure and provide therapeutic effect. The result is an amazingly fine soap for healthier skin.
I love the invigorating fresh ginger scent, and my husband likes it too. It’s nice to find a soap be both enjoy, because even when I try to go gender neutral with scents, I often end up with soap that’s a little too flowery for J’s taste.
Badger Sport Bar leaves my skin soft and clean, and isn’t drying, and the ingredients are simple:
Saponified Oils of Organic Coconut, Organic Extra Virgin Olive, Organic Palm Fruit, Organic Palm Kernel and Wild Castor Bean, with Natural Beeswax, Wild African Shea Butter, Seabuckthorn Berry & Essential Oils of Lemongrass, Ginger, Rosemary, Cardamom, Sage and Thyme. Our essential oils are either certified organic, wild-crafted or natually cultivated and processed.
This is definitately going on my shopping list again. I think I might buy a few extra bars and store them in my dresser drawers, so my clothes smell gingery.
Posted on March 1, 2009
by Allie
Want to make an easy change in your daily routine and lessen your impact? Read more…
Posted on January 15, 2009
by Allie
When I started to think about my favorite beauty products from this year, I had a hard time coming up with anything. I realized it’s because the things I’ve been using are so embedded into my routine that I don’t even think about them anymore. Could I really have just started using them this year?
Read more…
Posted on January 9, 2009
by Allie
The grapeseed oil was working wonders, and except for that huge pimple I got on my forehead, the rest of my skin looked great. Until I got a big huge pimple on the side of my chin, and then one right on my chin that was huge and hurt really badly and made my chin swell up, and then I started feeling like a monster and didn’t want to leave the house, because I have an overly-self-conscious streak. It worked really well on my non-problem skin areas, but the places on my face that tend to break out were getting angry with me. I think my problems came from several issues. Read more…
