Earth The Effort: Part II
In honor of Mother Earth, we turn to a green goddess (not the salad dressing) for some nature-friendly tips. Nova Covington is the CEO of Goddess Garden Organics and has been kind enough to share about the products and philosophy behind their award-winning company.
Please tell us about Goddess Garden’s philosophy.
At Goddess Garden, we’re creative thinkers, working together to do what is best for people and the planet, in a way that is easy for people to incorporate into their daily lives. We are a connected and open organization, doing meaningful work, and creating happiness through safe, organic, plant-powered products. We’re also optimists. We believe in the power of positive change, and feel the universe is inherently good. We’re inspired to help people on their path toward well-being.
You’ve won some awards, please share a few highlights.
These are some of our most recent awards:
- 2016 Delicious Living Best Suncare
- 2016 B Corp Best for the World Award – Best for the Environment
- 2016 Natural Beauty Award from Yoga Journal
- 2017 Breakout Brand of 2017 from Naturally Boulder
- 2018 Delicious Living Beauty and Body Award for our Essential Oil Perfume
These awards show our dedication to innovation and creating the kinds of easy-to-use products consumers want, with the better-for-you, Earth-friendly ingredients they are asking for.
Why is Earth Month important to Goddess Garden?
We know everything is connected. If something isn’t good for people, it’s likely not good for the planet either. The things people are doing and the products people are using are having a very real impact. We want that impact to be a positive one! Chemical sunscreens have been tied to the destruction of coral reefs and are even facing a ban in Hawaii right now due to their detrimental effects. Natural mineral sunscreen, like we make at Goddess Garden, has always been a better option for people like my daughter, whose sensitive skin inspired the company. Non-coincidentally, it is also much better for the reefs that are sensitive to the same chemicals. Earth Month gives us a chance to highlight the effects people can have on our planet and show that we all can—and will—make a positive difference.
What are a few of your favorite Goddess Garden products?
I love our sunscreen, of course. Of our recreational sunscreens, the facial is my favorite since it’s the most sheer and offers a boost of immortelle essential oil to help fight sun damage. I also love our facial care products. I use Face the Day—every day—even if I’m not planning to be outside. It’s a great moisturizer and makeup primer, plus it has mineral SPF 30 in case I do get outside. I also regularly use the serums. Under the Sun helps mineral sunscreen go on evenly and protects from environmental damage. Day undone is soothing and nourishing. It’s a like a treat for my skin at night. I’m also a fan of our essential oil perfumes, with Amber Fire being my favorite. Because we disclose our ingredients, they’re opening up perfumes to people who may not have been able to wear them for years. That’s really exciting to me since people want to be able to enjoy perfumes without worrying about mystery ingredients. And of course, I wear our aromatherapy bracelets all the time, since I can get a mood lift wherever I’m at. I mix up the blends, but I’m a big fan of Happy Day and Grounding.
See below for more Earth Month goodies:
Weleda introduces their new Body Care Collection. It includes their Soothing Hand Cream for dry sensitive hands, Soothing Body Wash, an extra mild wash, and the Lavender Creamy Body Wash which includes lavender essential oils and mild, plant-rich surfactants. Weleda has been connecting people to nature through plant-rich, Certified Natural Personal Care according to NATRUE standards. With the Almond Partnership Spotlight, Weleda has a long-standing partnership with a cooperative in Spain. The almond farmers work to sustainably grow almonds for Weleda’s products. And the Lavender Partner Spotlight has Weleda partnering with a farming cooperative in Moldova, where ripe lavender flowers are cut by hand and processed into essential oil. (Available at usa.weleda.com)
Juice Beauty’s Antioxidant Serum is a lightweight serum that feeds skin with vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acid-packed plant oils to help smooth the appearance of fine lines and help reduce free radicals that may contribute to the appearance of aging. Now through April 30th, Juice Beauty is donating $1 to Environmental Working Group and $1 to Breast Cancer Prevention Partners with every sale of their best-selling Antioxidant Serum. (Available at juicebeauty.com)
The Paul Mitchell Tea Tree line includes Tea Tree Special Shampoo, Tea Tree Conditioner, Tea Tree Lavender Mint Deep Conditioning Mineral Hair Mask, and Tea Tree Lavender Mint Conditioning Leave-In Spray. They all feature natural tea tree oil, peppermint and lavender to invigorate the scalp and leave hair smelling great. The Shampoo has a refreshing tingle to wake up weary hair, while the Conditioner detangles, softens, and helps prevent moisture loss. The Mask is a creamy, ultra-rich treatment mask that uses natural French clay to help strengthen and hydrate strands. The Leave-In Spray is a lightweight leave-in mist ideal for dry, coarse, moisture-starved or unruly hair. John Paul Mitchell Systems has teamed up with Reforest’Action to plant a total of 750,000 trees by the end of 2019, which will provide habitat for two million animals, offset 500 million miles of carbon emissions, and improve life conditions for 10,000 people in Guatemala, Peru, and Haiti by helping the local economy. (Available at paulmitchell.com)
The EO Beloved Rose Fragrance is a new launch for Earth Month. The aromatherapy perfume is made with pure Damascus Rose, Sandalwood, Himalayan Cedarwood, Rose Gallica and Geranium essential oils. The set includes both Beloved Rose Oil and Beloved Rose Spray. Another new Earth Month launch from EO are the Everyone Natural Deodorant Sprays. They’re formulated with Ethanol, which is derived from Sugar Cane to naturally fight against odor-causing bacteria. Available in Lemon + Lavender and Tea Tree + Lavender. (Available at eoproducts.com) (link to www.eoproducts.com)
Number 4 Hair Performance Hair Care’s products are 100% vegan, gluten free, sulfate/sodium chloride free, and paraben free. In addition, they exclude animal testing and potentially toxic ingredients. The Jour d’Automne Non Aerosol Hair Spray is an environmentally safe spray for all day hold with a weightless formula that won’t weigh hair down. Between April 20-April 22, the Jour d’Automne Non Aerosol Hair Spray is available for $21 (regularly $30) and includes a free tote bag made from recycled plastic and post consumer waste. (Available at number4hair.com)
SheaMoisture Silicone Free Miracle Styler Leave-In Treatment is a multi-purpose styling product that yields all of the benefits of a product that contains silicones, but without residue and the difficulty of removing the non-soluble ingredient, making it perfect for women with fine hair as well as women with curly, textured hair. It is formulated without sulfates, phthalates, parabens, mineral oil, petrolatum, formaldehyde, and butylene glycol. (Available at walgreens.com)
Magic Organic Apothecary’s Daily Cleansing Ritual won the Gold Winner award from The Green Parenting Natural Beauty Awards. The kit includes their cult Green Balm, packed with nature’s antiseptic—Tea Tree Oil. It helps remove excess oil, impurities and stubborn eye makeup. It also includes a soft face cloth made from bamboo fiber, one of the most eco materials on the planet. (Available at thechoosychick.com)
VENN Skincare is a celeb-approved beauty favorite (used recently to prep skin for Allison Williams and Chadwick Boseman on the red carpet). They do not include ingredients linked to harmful health effects, including fragrance, parabens, silicone, phthalates, sulfates, and color. The Age-Reversing All-In-One Concentrate contains peptides and botanicals, such as Ginsenoside Compound K, regarded as one of the safest and most powerful anti-aging agents for the skin. The comprehensive concentrate streamlines the modern skincare routine by delivering long-lasting benefits in a single cream by repairing the skin at the cellular level, help skin increase production of collagen and elastin, and healing, brightening, hydrating and smoothing skin. (Available at vennskincare.com)
The latest in clean beauty, Knours., is committed to creating healthy and safe products with carefully selected natural ingredients and oriental herbs with top EWG Certifications and Safety Ratings (never mind a recent write up in WWD!). They also don’t test on animals. The Your Only Cleanser has an oil to foam formula. The hybrid cleanser starts off as an oil to dissolve make up then transforms into a foam cleanser for a non-stripping cleanse. The Skin Meditation Gel Cream is a hypoallergenic lightweight soothing gel cream. And for the lazy types, the In-bed Cleansing Wipes cleans and removes impurities, no rinsing required! (Available at knours.net)
