Some “Of Interest” stories and news that are currently on my mind: wasteful single-use sheet masks, Jonathan Van Ness talking clean beauty with Follain’s Tara Foley, and more.
The perfect, ethically made leather jacket.
Among ethical fashion brand ABLE’s fall launches is a beautiful biker-inspired leather jacket, the Maha Leather Jacket. I’ve been looking for a leather jacket that is more tailored and feminine looking, especially one that doesn’t have a waist strap/buckle (which always looks funny on me), and isn’t insanely priced. The Maha Leather Jacket checks all the boxes and seems to fit on the narrower side, which is great for a petite gal like me. The size range in this jacket is great: XS-XL. This $348 jacket seems to be a unicorn piece, and I’m definitely considering purchasing the brown color (the black color sold out pretty immediately), but I’m still hesitant on pulling the trigger, it is still an investment piece.
A luxe plant-based shampoo, for dogs.
I’ve recently become a serious dog mama, as I used to never be a fan of dogs (or most pets for that matter) and if not for my husband’s constant protests, I never would have gotten a dog. It’s still crazy to me how the love for your dog can creep into all aspects of your life! It looks like I’m not the only one: luxury clean shampoo for dogs has landed on the market, from none other than Mo Mi by Modern Minerals. The $22 plant-based shampoo promises to gently restore your pup’s healthy scalp, and also instill a sense of calm. The formula is sulfate free, gluten free, color safe, vegan, cruelty free, phthalates free, paraben free, and palm oil free. I’m looking forward to pampering my fur-baby with this product! Preorder the Dog Shampoo now.
(Get $10 off your order after signing up for the Mo Mi newsletter and using my code: WELCOMETOMOMI. Read my Mo Mi review here.)
Talking clean beauty with “Queer Eye”.
Yass queen! “Queer Eye” star, Jonathan Van Ness interviewed Tara Foley, founder and CEO of Follain in a recent episode of his popular podcast, “Getting Curious With Jonathan Van Ness.” In the episode, they discuss antiquated cosmetic regulations (Congress has not updated regulations for over 80 years), why non-toxic products are so important, and what “clean beauty” really means. While JVN can be kind of over-the-top on most things (I mean, that’s why we love him, right?), I’ve always found his podcast episodes to be very informative, easy-to-understand on otherwise complex yet relevant topics, and actually very well-produced. Listen here: “Why Hasn’t Congress Changed Cosmetics Regulations In Over 80 Years?”
Are Sheet Masks the New Plastic Straws?
I’ve always wondered, if people seem to more conscious of their waste consumption and concerned with pollution, why do so many still love using single-use sheet masks? Sure, they’re super convenient and can be great skincare routine additions, but right from the start, they’re insanely wasteful. Most are made from a blend of synthetic materials, are wrapped in plastic or other non-recyclable materials, and those that claim to be biodegradable are actually soaked in serums that contain ingredients like silicones, which prevent the mask from breaking down, and also leak toxins into the earth when disposed. This Vogue article has tons of great insight into why these popular products are harmful to the environment and how easy it is to stop this trend.
Recycle empty Weleda products with Terracycle for free.
Terracycle has now partnered with skincare brand, Weleda to create a free recycling program! There are a ton of free Terracycle recycling programs, but many are limited to certain brands or specific product types, while many require you to pay for recycling. If you’re lucky enough to be near a store like Credo, you can drop off all empty/used beauty and skincare products and they’ll be correctly sorted and recycled for free by Terracycle (and you get Credo reward points). For the rest of us, Terracycle makes it easy to correctly recycle and dispose of products from anywhere in the U.S. Register to recycle your Weleda products for free.
Pai Skincare releases a sunscreen.
Good news: my favorite clean skincare company, Pai finally released an SPF cream! It’s called the Hello Sunshine Sunscreen SPF 30. Bad news: it’s only available in the UK and the EU. According to Pai’s website: “Some countries, including the USA, Canada and Australia classify sunscreens as drugs or borderline products.This means they go through entirely different regulatory and manufacturing processes to cosmetics. As we manufacture all our skincare products at Pai HQ in London, we would have to outsource its manufacturing in order to comply. Creating our skincare in-house, where we have full control of the process, is so important to us – so we’ve had to make the decision to only sell to markets where SPF can be treated as a cosmetic.”
The product description and ingredient listing on the UK website reveal an overall amazing-sounding product. It’s mineral and plant-based, non-nano zinc oxide, blue-light and infra-red protection, reef-friendly, and is supposed to be non-greasy so could be worn with makeup. Le sigh.
