Organic Beauty Guide from Local Web Guru

Washington resident Lauren Rabbitt had a vision and it was green!

As a result she and her business partners launched www.theecoluxelife.com.

I interviewed her recently about the site with a special emphasis on their extensive beauty section. Many of us would like to introduce some organic products into our beauty routine but are too confused to know where to start.

Lauren's expertise and knowledge about organic products is a great guide to choosing the products and ingredients that will make you beautiful and eco-friendly!

Q: Lauren tell us a little about your background and how www.theecoluxelife.com came about?

A: After having worked in the retail industry for many years, I saw some important emerging trends: first, a growing trend amongst retailers towards the green movement and sustainability, second, an increased interest amongst consumers to learn about and have access to these products, and third, the continued growth of ecommerce, especially in areas underserved by retail stores. I was introduced to the world of green beauty products and was overwhelmed by the variety and quality of products, but there seemed to be a barrier to entry into the mainstream because of consumer myths of high prices and low quality. My business partners and I saw a real need in the marketplace for a site where green shopping was made easy, accessible and informative and where consumers could learn that they didn't have to sacrifice quality for performance. Both of my partners became interested in using green products as a result of medical conditions. It was always our goal to create a unintimidating environment where people like us who were interested in buying more beneficial, natural products could come, shop, ask questions and learn about products that are better for us, our families and our environment.

Q: Can you walk us through your site and it's features?

A: We have a motto here at TELL: If you need it, we can green it! Essentially, we are a one stop resource for eco shopping, eco learning and eco sharing. We have built a fabulous store full of all kinds of cool green products from organic beauty to baby to pets to lifestyle. Education about green living is extremely important to us. Through daily blogs and product reviews and evaluations we work to make the "green" world less confusing to ensure our customers feel they are getting better quality products within the price range they are looking for. One of the best parts of our site is our membership program. It is really unique because it gives shoppers the ability to try before they buy. For $25 annually, our members receive four sample packs per year, each of which contain about ten trial-size samples of eco-goodies across the lifestyle spectrum. This way, consumers can touch, feel, and try products before making their purchasing decision. We encourage our consumers to comment on the products they try. Through this kind of customer feedback, we are building a community where individuals can can see raw reviews from others to aid them in their purchasing decisions. Simply put: people love getting a great skincare product to try, and might wonder why they got a corn-based picnic fork or biodegradable trash bag in their package... but what we didn't expect is that the products that people really flip over are the everyday things they would have otherwise never known about. Those things really seem to move the needle for our customers which is really rewarding.

Q: We're especially interested in the beauty section. First of all is there really a difference between regular and "green" or organic products?

A: There definitely is! 1000 times yes! Here is a good way to think about it: someone once told me that if you wouldn't put something in you (meaning if you wouldn't eat it), you shouldn't put it on you. And that's a rule I've tried to stick by when making choices in my beauty regimen. I will say that the marketplace is often misleading because it is highly unregulated so you often run into a problem called greenwashing -- which is when companies claim their products are green when they actually aren't. Here is what it boils down to, for us anyway... for years companies were creating insane synthetic concoctions in a lab for skin cream, hair conditioner, you name it. Great advances in combining products were made, but then we learned that many of these chemicals are actually really toxic and quite bad for us. Now there are so many vendors who are trying to identify, combine and mix natural ingredients. And WOW! The scents and effectiveness are unbelievable! So we've tried to create a marketplace where people come, learn about these issues, and feel confident they are making better choices. To give you an example: if you wear black mascara, you are more than likely putting coal-tar, a highly toxic chemical right on your eye. Mascara is unregulated with the rest of the beauty industry. So why not use a black mascara that is amazing, has staying power and is natural? We provide that option.

Q: Are there any particular ingredients we should look for if we want to go "green" in our beauty routine?

A: For the most part, I think it is easier to look for ingredients that are not in a product rather than looking for what is in a particular item. An easy rule of thumb is to try to avoid parabens, phthalates, sodium laurel sulfates, and really anything that ends in "amine" (specifically diethanolamine and triethanolamine). Also, watch out for words on ingredient lists such as "color", "aroma" and "fragrance". Many of these things are used to make products foam or are used as preservatives. Studies have shown they can be toxic when absorbed and may be linked to numerous health issues. Most organic products make a point to tell you on the label when their product is free of many of the substances I just listed, so that's a great place to start. Also you can google the words "beauty" and "the dirty dozen" for a hotlist of items to avoid... and you can check to see how your existing products rank at /www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

Q: What are some popular beauty lines you feature that we might want to check out especially if we're interested in anti-aging skin care?

A: Sircuit Skin is a favorite amongst many women who are looking for some very aggressive anti-aging skincare. Personally, I love Sircuit Skin's "i cee u" eye gel. It's expensive, but well worth it! A number of our other customers have also really loved the Sea Chi Creme that we feature on our site, which is less expensive than Sircuit Skin. This cream contains kombucha tea, wildcrafted & organic essential oils and certified organic herbs that promote healing and new cell growth. Our editors range in age from one in her 20's, one in her 30's and one in her 40's - so we really cover the gamut of products with realistic reviews from a real world perspective. We all have different needs, and it is interesting to see how different our concerns, likes and dislikes are. If you really want to address anti-aging though... skincare lines are great, but look at your makeup! We don't usually apply our skincare multiple times per day but we touch up our makeup all day long. Mineral makeup and all-vegan makeup lines are less likely to make your skin cream have to work harder!

Q: Besides the obvious benefits of going green in terms of the enviornment are there actual benefits to our skin and appearance by using organic products?

A: The number one benefit is simply not putting toxic ingredients in your body. They make patches that you put on your skin for birth control and to stop smoking - we have all heard of them. Think about how that works. A patch you put on your skin disperses medicine or a chemical into your bloodstream, just like taking a pill or a shot. Beauty products are absorbed into your skin the same way. We rub them all over without thinking twice. Using synthetic or processed ingredients is hard for your body to breakdown the same way it is hard when we eat food that is chemically engineered and over processed. We have what we call "the lipstick test". The challenge is to use ONLY an all natural or eco lipstick like Jane Iredale or Stript for one week. Keep your other lipsticks out of sight! Then, after a week pick up your normal lipstick and go to put it on. It won't make it to your lips. The smell of the chemicals that you had become so used to will be overwhelming. I have been using Jane Iredale's line for over 2 years now and i have seen a huge difference in the health and appearance of my skin. Mineral lines are now available in all different price ranges. Tarte, Stript and Nvey Eco have been especially popular lines on our site and are reasonably priced. Once you try them, you won't go back.

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