Opinions Needed (TreeHugger)
Photo by bcanna, under a Creative Commons license
I’m looking to beef up the Fashion & Beauty section of TreeHugger—my upcoming day job, for those just tuning in—and would love to know what you would like to see more of. Do you like the product reviews the way they are now? Or would you prefer to read in-depth product testing? Would highlighting new products be more useful or product roundups by type? What are some of the problems you’ve faced maneuvering the world of eco-friendly fashion and beauty products and how could we help make it easier?
My deepest thanks in advance—I don’t throw around exclamation marks lightly, but here you go!
Comment below by August 10, 2007 and stand a change to win a copy Felt Frenzy by Heather Brack and Shannon Okey, with my thanks. I’ll pick a winner at random on the 11th.
Hanane said,
August 6, 2007 at 12:09 pm
I think that having product reviews, is a good idea, info about testing is also great, and looking into independent makers of natural products. Soaps, lip balms, etc.
My daughter has allergies and I am always looking for things that she can use that smell good too. She wants to be like the other girls who can use the products from Bath and Body works but she just can’t.
So good we depend on independent makers who can customize things.
megan said,
August 6, 2007 at 12:16 pm
I would love product round-ups. It would be so nice to be able to click on a tab that said “shampoo”, and find a list of trusted brands with reviews/info. I’d also love more information about affordable eco-fashion and the refashioning of used items. Most of the “green fashion” that I’ve seen has been way out of my price range.
lynne marie said,
August 6, 2007 at 12:48 pm
I agree with Hanane about the allergy component. I can’t use Bath and Bodyish stuff either, or most anything at a “regular” store. Even some “natural” products out there will give me the hives, and it was always fun trying to buy things for the household when we had a roommate who was allergic to anything with any form of cow’s milk.
What about the homemade and local component, too? Indie fashion designers and apothecary revivalists who are selling their wares via Etsy, their own online shops, boutiques, etc.
Also, is there a way to give people a packaging grade? For instance, I go to the local natural-foods market and I see great products, with great ingredients that won’t cause me to be a hive poster-child…Invariably, my last decision is the packaging used.
ellen said,
August 6, 2007 at 12:55 pm
Round-ups for sure, but maybe also an occasional indepth on a single product?
Mark said,
August 6, 2007 at 2:05 pm
I think you should personally test the products. We do when we bring new products to the store. I think it gives you more authority in the reviews, as you will be the one to either love the product or hate it when you break out in red blotches. ;)
No problem, of course, you can just use witchcraft to get rid of them.
celeste said,
August 6, 2007 at 2:29 pm
i’d like to see products in order by price, and being honest about any non-green things: sodium laurel sulfate, plastic, aluminum (yes, even Siggs), and the thrifty alternatives. recipes for bath products, independent choices (links to etsy stores, for example). more of a green consumer reports (accept no advertising, or at least make no promises to advertisers because you may be giving them an honest, bad review).
Alina said,
August 6, 2007 at 3:02 pm
The product round-up by type would be good. Like for example, comparing different brands of eco-friendly shampoo or moisturizer or what have you. Its nice to know about new products, but I think it would be more useful if they were also reviewed. I would hesitate to order something expensive online not knowing how good it is in advance.
xiane said,
August 6, 2007 at 3:26 pm
I love all the ideas given; I particularly love a lean toward smaller, indie businesses. I’ll freely admit that I have a stake in that, but it is also very satisfying to have recommendations given for shops that I know are working hard to be green *and* will potentially cater to my needs.
Thank you for the chance to give some input!
Lisa said,
August 6, 2007 at 5:14 pm
I Like a couple of other posters, I have awful allergies to scents and preservatives. Even natural, organic products tend to use preservatives that give me rashes (Formaldehyde derivatives). It would be great to list nasty ingredients not just for the allergy prone, but for anyone concerned about their products.
I prefer reviews as opposed to lists of new products–your review of the sunscreen last week was great. And indie products are the best!
Can’t wait to see what you come up with.
Loretta Dunne said,
August 6, 2007 at 5:32 pm
I would definitely like to see in-depth product reviews. I was surprised to learn that some of the pricey natural health-care products I had been using were not rated highly in the study that can be reached via the Environmental Working Group website.
fathima said,
August 6, 2007 at 5:59 pm
i think this is more a critique of the stress on eco-businesses as a whole, than your section of the site or even the entire site, but i often find myself wondering about the ways in which eco-consciousness is now packaged as something that can be bought.
in other words, i’m interested in the continued stress on consumption. (though, of course, you do often post on DIY projects and i also understand that the products you feature are alternatives to more mainstream, less eco-safe ones.)
so, i guess what i’m asking, would you consider posting your thoughts about what it means to buy things as a means of making the world a cleaner place? are there ways to just cut back on things entirely? and what does it mean that it’s so difficult to uncouple eco-activism from new-age consumption?
or maybe it’s not that difficult and i’m coming to the table laden with my own social and classist baggage :)
kelly Jo Pollard said,
August 6, 2007 at 6:56 pm
one thing that I have often felt was a hinderance to me in my eco-friendly fashion attempts is the ability to find anything in a sizelarger than a 6 or 8. I am a size 12 (apparently a very large person) and never have much luck in the eco-friendly department.
tips/hints for a larger size range (pun!) would be appreciated.
Shana said,
August 6, 2007 at 8:53 pm
Round-ups and in-depths, please! One of the things that bugs me about TH, at the moment, is the “here’s this thing that seems green on the surface, and here’s how much it is. Yay!” But is it really green? Does it really work? Is it really worth it? The product posts on TH seem like those at Great Green Goods, which I’ve quit reading - just “here’s a widget, how much it costs, and where to get it.” No assessment of efficacy or other virtues, which causes one to ask “okay, so? Great, a widget. Um, good to know?” It’s currently not very helpful. MakeupAlley is a GREAT resource for health and body reviews, but there’s very little from the eco-friendlier brands - most of it’s L’Oreal, Chanel, MAC, etc. The Jason reviews, for example, are very few and far between. So it’d be great to have actual reviews of green HBC items, and preferably from someone who a) understands that things don’t have to lather and be perfumey to work well, and b) is comparing with conventional products AND other green products. There’s a different set of expectations for a green product, and maybe there shouldn’t be, but that’s how it currently works in the real world, and it’d be great to hear that perspective, instead of someone saying “this Aura sunscreen is nothing like my Coppertone, therefore it must not be any good. Boo! Green sunscreens suck and are totally worthless! I’m never buying anything Aura again!”
So glad you’re doing this!
–Shana in Missouri
Josiane said,
August 6, 2007 at 10:58 pm
After a quick review of the latest posts in the Fashion & Beauty section of Treehugger, I’ve found that I was not really interested in the skincare product reviews, which for many reasons I’m not very likely to buy, some of those reasons being that they won’t necessarily be available in my area, and that I prefer making my own stuff from simple ingredients (thanks for the links to care2!) or buying local. Showcasing indie producers, like other commenters have suggested, is an interesting idea, but it would work best if you were showcasing producers from many different places, so that your readers from everywhere would get to find out about local stuff at least once in a while.
On the other hand, the posts that were most interesting to me were the ones that gave me the opportunity to learn about great ideas (such as the Think Trainer and the Flocks sweaters), or the informative posts, such as the one about Episkin.
Christina said,
August 7, 2007 at 3:25 am
It would be great to have kind a consumer reports gone green style of reporting. Testing by a third party that also compares to other conventional and green products but also and most importantly to me- that is be compared to simple homemade solutions. For example if your looking at toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo all of those things can be replaced with baking soda, so is that product better and worth buying if I can be even greener and just use baking soda with equal or superior results? Also a good look at ingredients and how much travel pollution has gone into making the product as well as a similar look into the packaging. Thanks for asking!
Hedgewitch said,
August 8, 2007 at 10:38 am
Hi,
On beauty products, I’d really like to see a summary of the main issues on green/non-green aspects of the industry and also a checklist I could customise to my own requirements and use to check out new conpanies and products as I come across them. With food, I feel I have a pretty good idea of the issues and how companies address them (or not) - e.g. organic, local, fairtrade, unhealthy ingredients in prepared food etc., but with beauty products I don’t feel I have that kind of understanding. I am not in favour of animal testing, but am unsure of ethical issues and hazardous ingredients and probably a whole bunch of other stuff I don’t know about but should be considering when I choose products.
Diane said,
August 8, 2007 at 10:42 am
I’d like to see interviews with fashion designers that are using recycled materials and not just *cashmere*. Sure, we like organic cotton and hemp but they still require new manufacture and judging by the availability of used clothing in thrift stores, we’re overrun by supply.
As for beauty products, it can be challenging to find products without sodium laurel sulphate even in health food stores. Yes, your testing them would be greatly appreciated! The last Jason shampoo I bought was SLS free but my hair did not look or feel clean. I use apple cider vinegar as a rinse and while it makes my hair shiny and balances the PH it could certainly smell better! I’d like to see products that are PH correct to begin with and then I wouldn’t have to follow up with ACV. Packaging other than plastic gets my attention as well.
Ruth said,
August 9, 2007 at 9:17 am
I think the post about Episkin was most valuable to me, because animal testing has been an issue I care about very much. I would in general be less interested in specific product reviews and more interested in general information - for example, how to tell if products labeled “organic” or “natural” really are. One thing that I have been wondering about for years is: what happens to all those lovely natural beauty products when they are washed off of me? They may be better for my body, but what effect do they have on the environment after they go down the drain? While it may seem harmless to be using a teaspoon or two of bath oil or some all natural eye shadow, millions of people who do this are definately causing a lot of pollution! Yet no one ever seems to talk about this when discussing water pollution. I’m not saying we should all give up soap (eeeuuuwww!) but I do wonder if some products are less polluting than others.
The Worsted Witch » said,
August 11, 2007 at 1:06 pm
[...] Thanks for all your comments, everyone! My patented Random Randomizer has awarded Felt Frenzy to one Loretta Dunne. [...]
jessie said,
August 24, 2007 at 11:53 am
etsy! review etsy soapmakers/ bodycare people. i love them but can’t spend the time to sort through them all. also, i would really appreciate, as petty as this sounds, a hair styling products review (ie. mousse, gel, spray, whatevs) as well as specific treatment products, like acne treatments (hi adult acne, how are you?).
mary said,
December 3, 2007 at 12:52 pm
I would love a how-to guide to buying eco-friendly/non-sweatshop clothes that don’t change the way I actually dress. I know that treehugger has a guide to switching to green fashion, but it looks like most green fashion is centered around luxury goods [cf: the cashmere comment above] or trendy pieces that you can only wear for a few seasons anyway. I’d love to have the mainstays of my wardrobe be green, but I can’t find even basic things. This fall, I went searching for black workout pants in organic cotton and failed miserably. I had plenty of options if I switched to mauve or pink, but if I wanted to look like me and not a crunchy yoga instructor, I was outta luck.
Maybe you should start a column where you have someone come up with a fashion basic and go search for it. If you want to start, please find me an eco-friendly black tank top, size XS.