SKINTIMATE
Don’t let all the fruit on the can fool you. There’s no strawberry or tangerine anywhere in sight, but the “Signature Scents” line does contain BHA, which is officially listed as a possible human carcinogen and has to come with a warning label in California. Most body care brands have phased the preservative out, so it’s especially disconcerting that this women’s line has kept it in.
SCORE: N
AVEENO/NEUTROGENA
Johnson & Johnson promised it would be ditching chems of concern in its children’s and adult brands, including Aveeno and Neutrogena, by 2015. Yes, triclosan, phthalates, formaldehyde-releasing preservatives are mostly gone. Ditto for parabens. But J&J said it would be keeping parabens in some adult products. Case in point here: you’ll still find estrogenic propyl parabens in most Aveeno and Neutrogena shave products. You’re better off with Gillette, though not by much. Gillette has plenty of unsustainable petrochems and ecotoxic siloxanes of its own.
SCORE: NN
KISS MY FACE
I’ve had a very guarded relationship with these smoochers. Kiss My Face still sells sunscreens made with dubious chemicals like octinoxate, as well as fossil fuel-based deodorant. However, the company has cleaned up a lot of its other products, including it popular 4-in-1 Moisture Shave. It’s made with benign naturally derived ingredients and has a big following among granolas on a budget. It won’t froth up the way foams do unless you whip it with a shaving brush, but either way it does a good job.
SCORE: NNN
DR. BRONNER’S
If you want to up your green (and ethical) game, try Dr. Bronner’s Organic Shaving Soap. Virtually all the ingredients are certified fair trade organic, including the sucrose, coconut and olive oil. It’s even got organic hemp oil. If you’re committed to foam, keep in mind that this stuff won’t deliver much (unless you froth it up with a shaving brush). Yes, it comes in a plastic tube unfortunately, all the plastic-free bar shaving soaps I’ve seen still use environmentally contentious palm oil, and suppliers are still working on cleaning up its rainforest-razing rep.
SCORE: NNNN
DIY
Do we really need specialty products for every region of our body? Nope. Your shampoo, conditioner and body wash can double as shaving gels. Better still, bypass plastic bottles altogether and shave with oil – and not the stuff that comes in tiny bottles from the shaving aisle. Just dab on a few drops of quality cooking oil (e.g., organic olive or sunflower oil) and proceed to shave, rinse and towel dry as usual. Nice, clean, ultra-moisturizing shave, direct from nature, no extra crap or aftershave needed.
SCORE: NNNNN
