Attention, friends! The search for THE PERFECT DEODORANT has come to an end!!! (Scroll to the end if you just want the name and don't care about the particulars.)

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Hi!

I just read that post about non-animal testing companies being owned by huge companies that do test on animals, and I am very dismayed. I was wondering if anyone here might know of any good, eco/animal-friendly companies that carry foundation with sunscreen in it (note: i am extremely pale so it is hard as it is just to find any makeup that matches my skin color!). It would be extra awesome if you also knew of stores in San Francisco that carry them!

Thanks!

I did some research on some "green" companies lately, and discovered some shocking information: all of these "no testing on animal" companies are owned by bigger companies that DO engage in animal testing. For that reason, I am boycotting these companies, and hope you'll join me:


Burt's Bees: Purchased by Clorox for $913 Million in October 2007. Additionally, Clorox owns the following product brands: Brita filtration systems, Glad/Glad-ware bags & containers, Press'N Seal containers, Green Works cleaning products, Hidden Valley Ranch dressings, Kitchen Bouquet dressings, KC Masterpieces dressings/BBQ sauce, Kingsford charcoal, Lestoil cleaning products, Pine-Sol, Tilex, S.O.S. cleaning products, Liquid Plumr, Formula 409, Fresh Step litter, EverClean litter, Scoop Away litter, ArmorAll & STP automotive products, iRobot Scooba floor cleaning robot, Javex bleach.

The Body Shop: Purchased by L'Oreal for $1.4 Billion in March 2006. Additionally, L’Oréal holds 10.41% of the shares of Sanofi-Aventis, the world's number 3 and Europe's number 1 pharmaceutical company. The Laboratoires Inneov is a joint venture in nutritional cosmetics between L’Oréal and Nestlé; they draw on L’Oréal's knowledge in the fields of nutrition and food safety. Galderma is another joint venture in dermatology between L'Oréal and Nestlé.

Aveda: Purchased by Estee Lauder for $300 Million in 1997. Additionally, Estee Lauder brands include: American Beauty, Aramis, Bobbi Brown, Bumble and Bumble, Clinique, Coach, Daisy Fuentes, Darphin, Donald Trump The Fragrance, Donna Karan, Flirt!, Good Skin, Grassroots, Jo Malone, Kate Spade, Lab Series, La Mer, Kiton, MAC Cosmetics, Michael Kors, Missoni, Ojon, Origins, Prescriptives, Sean John Fragrances, Stila, Tommy Hilfiger, Tom Ford Beauty. Aveda maintains that they do not test on animals, but on "willing human participants," but their mother-company, Estee Lauder (where all profits go to if you buy Aveda products) unashamedly boasts of testing on animals.


This is a questionable company for other environmental issues:

Tom's of Maine: Purchased by Colgate-Palmolive for $100 million dollars in 2006. The Ethical Consumer Research Association once recommended that its readers do not buy Colgate products because of its use of animal testing, though this is no longer the case. The company has made important steps, according to PETA - they established a moratorium on animal testing for adult personal care products (this includes deodorants, shampoos, fragrances, and shaving creams). Unfortunately, Colgate-Palmolive is one of about 300 companies held potentially responsible for hazardous waste at the Chemsol federal Superfund site in Piscataway, New Jersey. Their involvement in this site may have contributed to the contamination of an estimated 18,500 cubic yards (14,100 m3) of soil with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), PCBs, and lead off-site. The company has yet to pay for the clean-up of this site.

Toxins pulled out through the feet. This product is clearly a scam, but other DeTox products are more difficult to debunk.(Source.)

I find the detox craze in the US fascinating. There was a good article in the New York Times and I'm using some of that article as a spring board for looking at this in a feminist context. The central idea behind the detox products, fasts and various other forms of "cleansing" is that there is some kind of pollution building up in our bodies. Many of the people who turn to the products are women. One reason why women may be more interested in these types of products is because they often claim to help make one "more beautiful" or "thinner" or "with a more radiant complexion." Gimmicky beauty aids are nothing new. But, it seems that we've turned a corner in terms of the nature of the so-call "science" of beauty aids.
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 Hey everyone. As a Christmas present a family friend bought me Avon's Moisture Therapy Intensive Care lip balm with SPF 15. I looked at the ingredients, and they use Orange Roughy Oil. For those of you who are aware of the low Orange Roughy populations I don't need to explain why this is so bad. But for those of you who don't, I'll give you the quick rundown*.

Orange Roughy take roughly 20 years to reach sexual maturity, and this means that the fish being caught can be as old as 80 years. Populations are easily overfished, leading to extremely low numbers. The fish are also caught by deep sea trawling, which is damaging to the sea floor.

I sent Avon an email pointing out the problem in using Orange Roughy oil in their product, and I think if more people emailed them, they would be more apt to changing the ingredient. 

Here's the link if you wish to email them, and if you really want you can search their website for a phone number to call.
http://shop.avon.com/shop/assist_email_us.asp




*This is what I remember from a class I had a few years ago. I apologize if information is outdated or incorrect.

Normally I buy lettuce from the farmer's market when it's in season. The plants are grown in upstate New York about 60 miles from the city. This Christmas I was given an AeroGarden. So, I could use this to grow lettuce indoors. But, it's essentially an appliance that remains plugged in all the time. I'm thinking farmer's market lettuce has a smaller carbon foot print. What do you think?

But how would the AeroGarden compare to, say, supermarket lettuce in winter?

Here is what they say about their own product:

[AeroGarden] Produces only about half the carbon of a comparable amount of food grown and shipped from field to home. (Comparing CO2 emitted by an average U.S. power plant with an average mix of fuels to generate the electricity required to power a 7-pod AeroGarden to grow a Salad Bar Series Seed Kit, to the CO2 emitted transporting an equivalent number of bags of lettuce from field to store to home.)

Does the AeroGarden help me reduce my carbon footprint?

Really? Do you think this is true? Although I live in a very urban area, I could also grow some food on my roof. I have not tried this yet, but it make more sense to me tan running a grow light and using up more power. I mean he sun's right there... why waste it?

But maybe I'm looking at this all wrong. When I make a choice about how to change the way I use resources I like to think "What if everyone did this?" So what if everyone started growing with grow lights at home using hydroponic systems like AeroGarden?

1. The systems would need to be manufactured from plastic and glass and other materials. AeroGarden is made in China.
2. People would use a little more water.
3. People would use more electricity.
4. Seed pods and bulbs would need to be replaced.
5. People might buy less fresh vegetables, though I think it's just as likely that people would simply eat more fresh vegetables leaving the purchase rates about the same.
6. Eventually the AeroGardens will get tossed out and end up in landfills. They are made of plastic and not terribly durable.

I'm not seeing a big positive impact here. What's your take on it?

I've got 2 different products that I'm looking for a more eco-friendly, cruelty-free alternative to buying:

1. Lava hand soap - My husband's job leaves his hands soaked in grease and grime. However, Lava (owned by the WD-40 company) tests on animals and its ingredients are not eco-friendly. Any ideas on a hand soap or cleaner that can get out the really tough stains on skin?

2. PetZyme - Need this because kitties like to do the hairball shuffle on the carpet, and this stuff really works to get the nasty bile out. However, I can't seem to find any pet cleaners of like ilk that don't test on animals. Ideas?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I've been wondering if anyone can recommend a relatively safe hair dye for those of us who need to do something about early greying. I've tried henna, but it doesn't work on gray hair all that well, and it fades horribly in a short amount of time. I'm trying to avoid the well known brands, because they all test on animals and the chemicals are horrible. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

P.S. Please don't reply "just let yourself go naturally grey." I'm too young to consider such an option at this point in my life.

http://recycline.com

"About Recycline

Recycline was established, first and foremost, to provide high-quality recycled content & recyclable products to our consumers. We strive to make sure that our products introduce a new function – improving upon what is currently offered in the marketplace.

Our first new products included the Preserve® and Preserve® Jr Toothbrushes, the Preserve™ Tongue Cleaner, the Preserve™ Razor Recyclable and the Preserve™ Replacement Blades. We recently introduced Preserve™ Tableware to market.

You will see more Preserve brand products in the future. For each, the company's goal is to satisfy consumer demands for high-quality products and environmental responsibility.

Our Mission

To work closely with our customers to deliver products and services that they value highly.
To reduce the resources used for consumer products by sourcing recycled materials for our products and packaging.
To reduce the waste created by consumer products by working with our suppliers and other companies to reduce, recover, and reuse.
To support the recycling industry through our business practices and through volunteer, professional and community efforts.
To deliver the best in performance and quality and to improve the functional and environmental advantages of our products by working closely with industry experts.
Why We Began

The birth of Recycline was motivated by the need to stimulate the use of recycled materials to assist community recycling efforts and to help assure the success of our country's recycling efforts. People were recycling, companies were collecting the waste, and products were being made from those materials. What was lacking was an increase in the consumption of the products made from recycled materials – the final step that makes the recycling efforts all the more worthwhile. We believe that the lack of consumption is not due to a lack of desire but to a lack of quality retail products made from recycled materials.

Where We Are Going

We seek to be the name consumers think of for high-quality, innovative and environment friendly personal care products that can be used with comfort, conscience, performance and style."

From the Kleenex website: "Kleenex® Tissues cares for the environment
Kleenex® facial tissues are made from wood fibres sourced from sustainably managed eucalypt and pine plantations."

From Greenpeace's Kleercut website: "Kimberly-Clark clearcuts ancient forests to manufacture Kleenex tissue products."

Have they changed their ways? Is it some other part of the Kimberly-Clark company that Greenpeace is concerned about?

I'm looking for a laundry powder that is as easy on the environment as possible. During my research I came across this - http://www.ecoquestintl.com/dealer_products/laundrypure_home.asp?u=www.ecoquest.com/fabian

Has anyone heard of this/had any experience with it at all? I mainly want to know - does it work?