EcoLiving Ideas

By Chryso D'Angelo on Feb 6, 2012

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Welcome to my beauty column! We will devote this space to a different product category for the month, be it body wash, nail polish or bath salts. We’ll let you know which brand outshined the rest in the categories of safety, environmental responsiveness, packaging, practicality and results, so that you can make informed choices about what you slather on, dust on and lather up with. This month we review exfoliators…

Our skin has a natural exfoliation process called keratinization during which cells harden, die and flake off. Althought this happens every 28 days, skin experts agree that we can help speed up the process with scrubs. That’s where store-bought exfoliators come in.

An exfoliator’s job is to lift and rid dead cells, dust, dirt and grime from the skin. Normally, an exfoliator is a bit abrasive, as it’s packed with tiny beads that roll over the skin to help the sloughing process.

There are face exfoliators (like Alba Facial Scrub), foot exfoliators (like Philosophy Soul Owner Exfoliating Foot Cream), and even lip exfoliators (like Jane Iredale Suger & Butter Lip Exfoliator).

“Smoother products without granules are better for sensitive or dry skin,” said Josephine Wackett, Beauty and Spa Therapist at Steiner Beauty Therapy Training. The pro suggests applying exfoliator, leaving it on for a few minutes and then rubbing it away with a sponge for soft skin.

Since Spring is right around the bend, I checked out a bunch of body exfoliators to get my skin in shape for tiny tanks and skirts! Here are my findings…

St. Ives Fresh Skin Invigorating Apricot Scrub

Safety:
• By November 2011, when the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' Compact program closed, this company had not signed the compact.

• This product ranked 6 out of 10 in safety on the Skin Deep database (moderate hazard).

Environmental responsiveness:
• No animal testing

Packaging: Recyclable, uses 20 percent Post Consumer Resin materials (PCR) in their packaging.

Results: Yummy and wow! This product smells delicious! It’s both fresh and fruity. The beads are big enough to feel, but not uncomfortable against my skin. No wonder it received the Reader’s Choice award from Allure magazine. My skin was left clean and smooth with no strange residue. While it received a 6 from the cosmetics database (moderate hazard—probably due to the Sodium Lauryl Sulfate), it’s really hard not to love love love it.

Ingredients from packaging: Water (Aqua), Juglans Mandschurica Shell Powder (Walnut), Glyceryl Stearate Se, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Zea Mays Kernel Meal (Corn), Cetyl Alcohol, Linoleamide Dea, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg 100 Stearate, Lanolin Oil, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil (Apricot), Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract, Primula Veris Extract, Helianthus Annuus Extract (Sunflower), Chamomilla Recutita Extract (Matricaria), Ceteareth 20, Polysorbate 60, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Fragrance (Parfum), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891).

Practicality: $3.99/6 fl. Oz.

Lush Buffy Body Butter

Safety:
• By November 2011, when the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' Compact program closed, this company had not signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics.

• This product was ranked 4 out of 10 in safety on the Skin Deep database (moderate hazard).

Environmental responsiveness: 100 percent vegetarian, 81 percent vegan, 65 percent preservative-free, 44 percent free of wasteful packaging, no animal testing.

Packaging: Comes in a re-usable tin pot.

Results: This product does not ooze out of a tube. You don’t dig your hands into a pot to get to it, either. It’s a bar (like soap). It’s packed with cocoa and shea butter (to moisturize) and ground rice, almonds and adzuki beans (to exfoliate). While it sounds good enough to eat, the ingredient batch makes this a tad tough to wash off, leaving a sticky residue. I decided it’s awesome on rough spots like elbows and knees, though.

Ingredients from packaging: Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkil (Shea Butter), Oryza Sativa, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Meal, Phaseolus Angularis, Parfum, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Citrus Madica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil, Citral, Limonene, Linalool.

Practicality: $11.95/3.3 oz.

Giovanni Salt Scrub, Cool Mind Lemonade

Safety:
• By November 2011, when the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' Compact program closed, this company did not sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics.

• This product ranked 1 out of 10 in safety on the Skin Deep database (low hazard).

Environmental responsiveness: Various products, including the Salt Scrub, are vegan. No Phthalates or Parabens. No animal testing.

Packaging: Recyclable

Results: This product has a great, light citrus smell with a hint of mint. It goes on rather smoothly and it’s easy to distribute evenly, compared to other exfoliators I have tried (likely because the beads are very small). The best part about this scrub is that your skin tingles once you hit the cool air post-shower. I love this exfoliator and have chosen it as my Best of the Bunch!

Ingredients from packaging: Organic Sea Salt, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Isopropyl Myristate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Mentha Piperita (Peppermint Oil), Grapefruit (Citrus Grandis), Cymbopogon Schoenanthus (Lemongrass), Spearmint (Mentha Viridis), Essential Oil Fragrance, Certified by Quality Assurance International.

Practicality: $13.95/9 oz.

4. Neutrogena Sugar Scrub Body Exfoliator Energizing Citrus

Safety:

• By November 2011, when the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' Compact program closed, this company did not sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics.

• This product ranked 4 out of 10 on the Skin Deep database (moderate hazard).

Environmental responsiveness: According to PETA, this company conducts animal tests.

Packaging: Recyclable

Results: A gentle exfoliator with a fresh citrus scent, it’s got thick sugar crystals that gradually dissolve to avoid over-exfoliation. It leaves a rich, moisturized feel to the skin after rinsing and it didn’t overdry my skin. It's a great go-to product, but it didn't wow me in aroma.

Ingredients from packaging: Sesame Seed Oil (Sesamum Indicum), Sucrose, Isopropyl Myristate, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Trihydroxystearin, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Stearic Acid, Fragrance, BHT, Montmorillonite, PEG 30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Propylene Carbonate, Yellow 11.

Practiciality: $7.99/7 oz.