When looking for new makeup or skin care products, the best color to go with might be green.
Many skin care and beauty lines are releasing products that are organic, all-natural or “green,” referring to their eco-friendliness.
Sephora, a retail beauty chain that opened Wednesday in the Boulevard at the Mall of Louisiana, offers many products that are organic or Earth-friendly.
Emily Massa, Sephora pro beauty team expert, said there is a higher level of environmental awareness than in previous years.
“It’s becoming a really big trend right now,” Massa said. “People are becoming more aware of what they’re throwing away and what they’re using. With all the celebrity attention on the green movement right now, I feel like that’s really brought a lot of consumer awareness.”
Massa said this consciousness has spilled over to the cosmetic market, leading many manufacturers to offer more natural products.
Larree Strickland, manager of Earthly Concerns on Lee Drive, said caring about the environment and about what goes on your body go hand in hand.
“If you’re concerned with putting artificial things into your body and on your body, you tend to be more concerned with what you’re doing for the planet as well,” Strickland said.
Both stores offer a variety of products that are organic and environmentally friendly.
Massa said Sephora does not carry as many natural makeup lines as it does natural skin care lines, but the most popular natural makeup line is Bare Minerals.
“[Bare Minerals] is fantastic,” Massa said. “It’s an all mineral-based makeup line. There’s no additives, no preservatives. They don’t put anything artificial in it.”
One of Massa’s favorite new “green” products that Sephora offers is Cargo’s Plant Love Lipstick.
“The actual tube that it comes in is 100 percent corn so it biodegrades in 48 days,” Massa said. “The packaging that it comes in is all recycled paper and it has wildflower seeds in it, so when you’re done you just crush it up with some water and some soil, and in a few weeks you’ll have flowers.”
One of Sephora’s lines is so natural that Massa said users should not be afraid to try a taste.
“Juicy Beauty is 100 percent organic,” Massa said. “You can actually eat their products.”
Earthly Concerns offers many local products including Organique, a product Strickland recommends.
“Organique … is made from start to finish in Lafayette,” Strickland said. “It’s completely sulfate-free, totally organic, and jojoba-based. Jojoba is one of the closest oils that you can get to your body’s natural oils.”
Both Massa and Strickland agreed that natural products were better for people who suffer from skin problems.
“It’s more of what you want from your makeup and how sensitive you are,” Massa said. “None of our lines that have additives or preservatives or mineral oils are bad for you.”
Strickland said many artificial products could aggravate skin conditions and users might see an improvement with a natural line.
“If you have a serious skin condition, you should always talk to your doctor and get a recommended skin regimen,” Strickland said. “But for people with eczema, psoriasis, dry skin or acne, using essential oil-based products is a lot better for you.”
Strickland said today’s all-natural, organic and Earth-friendly messages will be passed on to the children of today’s generation of college students.
“The number one skin advice that you get from older women is to stay out of the sun,” Strickland said. “Back then, they didn’t know as much about SPF. The biggest thing we’ll probably be telling our kids is, ‘Be careful what you put into yourself, because you’re poisoning yourself.'”
Many University students believe natural products are beneficial but did not know the best place to find these products.
“I refrain from using stuff that has a lot of artificial things,” said Gabrielle Clark, kinesiology junior. “With artificial stuff, sometimes you break out. But you can’t find too many natural things.”
Alexandra Collier, undecided freshman, said she does not use natural products because of the cost but believes they are better for people’s skin than regular products.
“My mom uses all organic makeup and stuff like that, but I don’t use any,” Collier said. “It’s better for your skin because you’re not putting any of those bad chemicals into your skin. I would be willing to pay more for natural products but not too much more.”
—-Contact Sarah Aycock at [email protected].