Ava Anderson Non Toxic: Face Basics Set

Ava Anderson Non Toxic is a wonderful company dedicated to producing safe and healthy products for you! They do this by ensuring all of their ingredients are independently rated by the EWG as non-toxic, unlike most companies that simply decide on their own whether a product is safe or not without third party input. This month we had the pleasure of testing out their basic face care line of products, consisting of cleanser, exfoliator, toner, and moisturizer. 

The first thing you'll notice is that you can actually read and understand all of the ingredients! In fact, this company is a huge advocate of checking the back (ingredient list) on everything you put on or in your body.

Secondly, you'll notice the beautiful scent of the products - not because they are fragranced with cheap oils and perfumes, but naturally smell of delicious ingredients grown right out of the ground (not produced in some mad-scientist's lab).

Third, and perhaps the best, their products show you positive results within a few days! The most impressive result was when it cleared up one mama's postpartum acne outbreak, which is no easy task. Did we mention that it leaves you with a healthy, rosy glow to your skin?

A few notes we'd like to share: the exfoliator is coarsely textured and should only be gently massaged in circles on your face and neck. The cleanser is absolutely divine and removes all oil and grime from your face ~ you can actually feel the clean! The toner is by far our new MUST HAVE product!!! It works effectively as an underarm deodorant, to clear up acne, makeup remover, and as a general refresher for your face. Honestly, if you want to try just one item, go for the toner! And last, but certainly not least, the moisturizer is a creamy texture that absorbs well into the skin. However, I must say that with normal skin, we noticed that the moisturizer was only needed every few days as the product line does not dry your skin like many other brands do. All containers are made of 1, 2, or 4 BPA-free recyclable plastics.

The following is reposed from the Ava Anderson Non Toxic website as a guide to their basic skin care set:

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  STEP 1 | cleanser

  Our antioxidant and enriching cleanser leaves the skin clean and refreshed, with natural scent and sudsing. 3.4 oz, $19.95US

  
  

  
  

  

  STEP 2 | exfoliator

  Fine apricot kernels and skin-softening ingredients gently buff away dry skin, dirt and imperfections, leaving your skin fresh and radiant. Improves skin tone and texture. 2.7 oz, $21.95US

  
  

  
  

  

  STEP 3 | toner

  Spritz your face with our non-drying, non-stinging toner, as the first step in the moisturizing process. Yucca is a natural antiseptic, and witch hazel open pores and removes impurities. 3.4 oz, $19.95US

  
  

  
  

  

  STEP 4 | moisturizer

  Enriched with antioxidants, conditioners, emollients, nourishing oils and vitamins, to achieve radiant, youthful looking skin with improved elasticity. 2 oz, $20.95US

SHOP AVA ANDERSON NON TOXIC

Many thanks to Diane Possemato, a founding consultant, for supplying us with samples for testing and review!

Moksa Organics: Bath and Body with Purpose

It’s getting to that point in winter where I’m literally going to scream aloud if I don’t get some sunshine soon. Really soon. It’s also about this time of year when my skin is crying out for extra moisture after several long months of winter’s cold, dry air. Luckily for me, I’ve discovered a really awesome and easy way to escape the last days of winter…with Moksa Organics!

Moksa Organics delivers the whole package with lightly scented body butters that not only nourish your skin but your weary winter soul! The delightfully tropical key lime vanilla scent is subtle yet effective, allowing your mind to drift off to a southern beach strewn with palm trees! While it works wonderfully as an entire body cream, it is especially effective when applied to the hardened heels on your feet. Overnight and on more than one occasion, I've treated my tootsies to a Moksa hydration sleepover and it works like nothing else to soften callouses.

Another wonderful product to try, one that everyone needs, are their body bars! Moksa body bars are absolutely heavenly to use in the bath or shower and clean very well, even in hard water conditions. Some, like Payne's Prairie Organic Body Bar, donate 100% of all proceeds to charity! My favorite so far has been the Yasgur's Farm Organic Body Bar - the woodstock blend of patchouli and orange with just the right amount of exfoliating power to free my skin of winter plague (dry, dead skin cells). One bar lasts quite a long time, much longer than a normal bar of soap - in fact, about 3-4x longer than from what we've tested!

Not only does this company make effective products, their ethical standards are something to aspire to. Here is an excerpt from their website regarding their carbon neutral certification.

Moksa believes in starting a “clean” revolution one bar of soap at a time! Part of our business philosophy includes:

• waste reduction of raw materials
• perfecting our soap formulas (understanding the chemistry and molecular process) in order to eliminate end product waste
• reduction of water usage (our system for clean up entails a 3 part system that uses only a few gallons of water)
• overall energy reduction (energy efficient appliances, using off peak hours during creation and curing processes)
• AVOIDING NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES such as aluminum & tin containers (not to mention the environmental impact from mining), packaging made from petroleum such as plastics (PP, PET, PS, etc), as well as avoiding petroleum in our products, eliminating ingredients whenever possible that go through a refinement process
• avoiding paper products, packaging and labels from the logging industry
• supporting and purchasing from suppliers with the same business philosophy

We don’t waiver from our beliefs, even if it means that we as a producer make less money. Each and every day we feel good about what we do, and that’s worth so much more!

This is definitely a company that you'll want to show support for! Check them out today.

Moksa Organics Website

Pyur Nourishing Baby Lotion (for the whole family!)

Delicate skin requires delicate ingredients!

Description: Designed for even the most sensitive skin, Pyur Nourishing Baby Lotion is made with the best ingredients to leave your baby’s skin soft and nurtured. This lotion is the perfect choice for your baby’s daily use, because the therapeutic properties of vitamin E, chamomile and lavender are delivered in moisturizing butters and oils without clogging your baby’s pores. It comes in an easy pump bottle, allowing you to easily dispense the non-greasy and fast-absorbing formula lotion. Vegan. 8 oz.

Key Ingredients: Organic Aloe Vera Juice, Organic Lavender Distillate, Organic Roman Chamomile Distillate, Orange Blossom Distillate, Shea Butter, Vitamin E

Price: $17.95 US

Note: The texture is thick and smooth, definitely more creamy than most lotions. The scent is subtle and does not smell babyish, making this a perfect whole-family moisturizer!

There are times in life when a picture speaks a thousand words; this is the case with Pyur Nourishing Baby Lotion! Just as children will say the darnedest things, they are also quite picky about products - especially products you want to put on their entire bodies. All too often you will see kids running away from their well-meaning parents, all in the name of lotion application avoidance. Well, we decided to put this one to the ultimate test...we left the lotion on their bathroom counter, then sat back to see what happened. This is our first photo review....here it is:

Visit the Pyur Website

Body: Argan Oil from Destiny's Boutique

Description: Pressed from the precious nuts of the argan tree, argan oil is a rare treasure known for a remarkable ability to moisturize dry or lackluster skin. Only found in rural indigenous areas of Morocco, argan oil is a true wonder for an unusually high concentration of essential fatty acids and vitamin E needed to maintain the hydration of the skin and protect the skin from future moisture loss. Known as one of the nature's most powerful antioxidants, argan oil helps to fight off free radicals within our environment, preventing wrinkles and reducing collagen and elastin damage as our cellular turnover rate decreases with age. Argan oil is also great for crash course pedicure helping to soften dry cuticles almost instantly. Destiny Boutique's raw and unrefined argan oil is bottled in the United States from cold pressed, certified organic and fair traded oil harvested by the women UCFA cooperatives.

Ingredients: argania spinosa (argan oil)

Price: $29 US

Scent: The scent is very similar to licorice root and strong. Destiny's Boutique offers various essential oil blended argan oils, however the one we reviewed was pure and unmixed.

Size: 2 oz bottle, it only takes one pump per every several inches of skin - with daily whole body use, I expect one bottle would last me approximately 2 months.

Best uses/recommendations: I am very pleased with the hydration power of this argan oil! It goes on as any oil, but I found that it soaked in quickly to my skin, leaving it soft and smooth within minutes. I found it especially useful for stretchmarks and dry patches around my heels and nails. An added brag right to this product is the fact that it comes from a biodome, which just makes it that much more interesting to talk to friends about! It can be used on your face, your feet, your tummy, your tush, anywhere you want to smooth the skin out!

Vegan: Yes

Organic: Yes

Fair Trade: Yes

Raw: Yes

Safe for all ages

Pregnancy/Lactation friendly

Visit Destiny's Boutique

Body: Essential Body Cream by Anuera

Description: Super moisturizers soften skin while infusing powerful essential oils into every cell of your body. An aromatic delight! Available in many essential oil blended scents. 4 oz. FREE samples available by request.


Ingredients: Distilled water, grapeseed oil, coconut oil, olive oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, essential oil blend.


Nut-free Ingredients: yes


Price:  $10

I was intrigued by the claim that Anuera's Essential Body Cream "Corbin's Blend" promotes calmness, clarity and focus. I did find the scent soothing and found that the cream worked well to moisturize my hands - although we haven't yet hit my driest season so I'm now sure how well it would work on a seriously dry skin. I was happy though with the overall feel of the cream - it doesn't leave my hands / skin feeling too oily afterwards.

I also tried giving my daughter a little on her hands when she was being fussy one afternoon - and noticed immediate results - however, I can't help but wonder if this is psyschosomatic. My daughter might have calmed down because of the extra attention or simple curiosity about why I was applying the cream to her hands at all. And since I'd read it had a calming effect, I couldn't help but look for one. Plus, it's relaxing to apply a lotion in general sometimes, especially with one with a nice scent.


That said, it's eco-friendly, smells nice, doesn't leave my skin feeling oily and gross and seems to moisturize well. So the calming effect is surely just a fringe benefit anyway. A 4 oz jar will run you $10 but the 2 oz. sample jar I received will surely last me awhile as a little seems to go a long way (although if you were using it regularly over your entire body, you might go through it more quickly) so as a hand cream I find it worth the money.

Anuera Website

This review was written by Jen, an ecoSAFE guest tester.

Face: Lite Moisture Cream for Daily Use by Skin Free

Pharmacist formulated and doctor recommended.

Description:  Finally, a daily facial moisturizer that can be used daily for any type of skin. Soothing, anti-inflammatory organic extra virgin olive oil and hypoallergenic macadamia nut oil replenish the moisture balance for delicate facial skin. This is a light, but effective cream beneficial for skin of all ages. Vegan.


Ingredients:  Aqua (water), Olea Europea (Olive) Seed Oil, Macadamia terrifolia Seed Oil, Emulsifying Wax, Stearic Acid, and Sodium Hydroxmethylglycinate


Price:  $25 US

At first appearance, this moisturizer looked a lot like melted petroleum jelly. However, when I touched it, I immediately noticed that it is not greasy or sticky, instead it has a consistency like thickened water. A little bit goes a long way and quickly absorbs into the skin, leaving your skin feeling like velvet to the touch! Truly and delightfully unscented. If you are looking for a moisturizer that soaks in without leaving oily residue behind, give this one a try.


Packaging: Recyclable PETE (#1) jar


EWG Safety Rating:   Green/Low Hazard (2)

Skin Free Skincare Website