How Green Would You Go?: Would You Toss Your Eco-Unfriendly Cosmetics?

Of all the products out there to help green-ify your life, eco-friendly cosmetics are one category I can consistently get behind. Just like discovering that my body feels better when I don’t feed it with multi-syllabic pseudo-food ingredients (shocking, no?), my lips seem to like balms that contain things like olive oil and shea butter. That said, I can’t bring myself to part with some of those super-packaged, chemically concocted products that reside in my makeup bag – because even though I know the banana scent in my banana moisturizer is completely artificial, it smells good all the same.

What I will do is start seeking out eco-friendly brands more often, looking for less packaging, local products, and more natural ingredients. Below, some products to start off your earth-friendly cosmetic kick.

Last summer, Lush Cosmetics started using popcorn in their packaging, instead of packing peanuts or shredded paper. The company’s solid shampoos ($9.25 for 1.9 oz.) are a packaging- and preservative-free alternative to the bottled stuff.

Strange Invisible Perfumes makes perfumes, lotions, and body wash “solely from ingredients found in nature.” The body wash ($35) and lotion ($40) come in scents like Sicilian Lemon and Wild Orange, and the bottles are made of 100% recycled plastic.

Bestselling Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm ($2.99) contains sunflower, peppermint, and coconut oils, and the tube is made from 50% post-industrial recycled plastic.

We want to know your take: are the skin-saving benefits and good cosmetic karma worth tossing the make-up you already own?