Metro Gift Guide 2020: Sustainable Beauty Products For You And Your Loved Ones

Now more than ever, we are seeing the clamor of our planet for its inhabitants to be more conscious about the way they live and consume. Droughts and wildfires ravage forests, stronger typhoons and monsoons come one after another, extreme heat are killing agriculture and livestock, water levels are falling, and so much more. These are emergency sirens, calls for help by our environment, telling us that it’s in pain.

We may think that we’re not contributing to the global climate change, but actually, all the little things that we do and consume in our lives eventually add up.

Commercial toiletries like soap and shampoo are usually made with antibacterial agents, phosphates, and other toxic chemicals that can cause very serious imbalances in the environment when rinsed off down the drain. Most of them also come in plastic packaging that do not biodegrade. And with the rise of e-commerce and on-demand delivery, can you just count how many plastic packaging do you open and throw away every day?

We are lucky to be living in times where it’s more affordable and accessible to make the shift to a more-ecofriendly lifestyle, so we can protect our planet from more ruin. And local brands are mushrooming all over the country to make this possible.

If you’re looking for sustainable, eco-friendly substitutes, you want to look out for items with minimal and all-natural ingredients, which come in bio-degradable or reusable packaging.

Check out these local brands for the upcoming holidays' beauty and body gifting needs!

So True Naturals

This brand was started by Mia Rocha-Lauchengco primarily because she couldn’t find true castile soap for her then newborn, Natalie. With only a stick blender and a bottle of 100% olive oil, she started making her own soap for her baby. Now, these 100% olive oil soaps have become very popular for mothers and those who want only the gentlest soap on their skin.

The soap bars are made with minimal ingredients—just 100% olive oil, phthalate-free fragrance oils for scent and additional moisturizing properties, and other natural ingredients depending on the flavor of the soap such as fresh carabao milk for the rose geranium, or ground tableya for the tsokolate eh. 

So True Naturals also have liquid castile soap, which is much more gentle and soothing because of its vegetable-derived glycerin. The liquid soap come in reusable amber glass bottles.

Monino Saponetta

Here comes a new passion project from the country’s esteemed lighting designer, Monino Duque. Monino is known for lighting some of the most iconic ballets, concerts, plays, musicals, and events in the Metro. But not many know that he also dabbles in home furniture and perfumes under the Monino brand. This time, he is launching a new product called Saponetta—handcrafted artisan soaps made from different luxurious oils like coconut, olive, grapeseed, almond, and avocado; shea and cocoa butter; and fragrant essential oils.

The soaps come in different variants, shapes, and scents, and all ship in non-plastic, biodegradable packaging.

Beachborn

Beachborn is a quaint but passionate brand inspired by the wanderlust and jetset lifestyle. Every product is carefully handmade and their goal is to be able to finance Beach Born Barrios—sustainable production villages for farmers and their families whose lives the brand wishes to improve through fair trade practices.

One of our favorite from their hair line are the cocoa butter shampoo and conditioner bars. All-natural, cruelty-free, no parabens, these bars are made with cocoa butter and essential oils for maximum moisture.

Under their advocacy #BeachBornZeroWaste, you can get the shampoo and condition bars in plastic-free packaging

For colored hair or sensitive scalps, you’ll want to check out their activated charcoal conditioner, which is sulfate-free and infused with castor and rosemary oils to stimulate hair growth and prevent dandruff.

Once you finish the bottle, you can bring it back to their store located at SM Megamall for a refill, and you can get 10 pesos off your purchase.

Can you believe that they also have sunscreen that comes as a lotion bar? Their 25 SPF sunscreen bar is reef-friendly and plastic-free, and is made with cocoa butter so it also moisturizes your skin while it protects you from the sun!

Human Nature

Human Nature is a pro-enviornment brand that started in 2007, which has made great strides in making all-natural and sustainable everyday beauty and body products more accessible to Filipinos. The company is focused on creating products that are all-natural so the byproduct does not harm the environment, and directly supports Gawad Kalinga—a poverty alleviation movement building homes for marginalized families. So know that every time you buy a Human Nature product, you’re helping put more families in their own homes.

Although plastic packaging can’t still be eliminated entirely for liquid toiletries, Human Nature encourages people to buy their 1-liter shampoo and conditioners. By buying in a bigger size, you’re saving 72% less plastic compared to when you’re buying smaller bottlers.

Simula PH

Simula PH is an online hub that aims to make sustainable and zero waste products more accessible in the Philippines. Apart from their own products, they have also partnered up with other local brands who carry sustainable products for everyday use.

One of their partner offerings are these toothpaste-slash-mouthwash tablets as substitute for your usual toothpaste and mouthwash. They’re plastic-free and made only with the bare minimum essentials: calcium carbonate, silica, xylitol, menthol, and clove essential oil.

Do you use cotton rounds or cotton balls when applying your skincare? Simula PH also has washable cotton rounds made with 100% cotton. Use as facial pads, wet wipes, or make-up removers.

Can you imagine how much non-biodegradable waste our plastic napkins add to the garbage dumps? Cut down significantly on your plastic usage by switching to these washable cloth pads. Their pads are made with 4 layers of bamboo charcoal to decrease bacteria build-up and odor, microfiber for absorption, and a printed waterproof PUL to avoid stains. The Simula PH Period kit comes with 3 cloth liners, 3 regular pads, 2 heavy flow pads, and 1 wet bag.

The Good Trade

Just like Simula, The Good Trade is an online platform where sustainable brands and NGOs gather to offer their products to a growing eco-conscious market. With plastic packaging increasingly becoming an issue because of the growth of e-commerce, they make sure that all of their products ship in sustainable packaging varying between kraft paper, sticker printed using soy-based ink, and compostable matter.

Apart from promoting sustainable products, The Good Trade also helps various underprivileged communities. They support Wave Farers PH, which assists fisherfolk communities in Cavite; Tahanang Walang Hagdanan, which is dedicated to helping PWDs; and the Mobile Canteen, which helps street children eat healthy plant-based meals.

Ditch your usual deo for this all-natural deodorant from their partner, Matenara. It’s aluminum-free, and made instead with skin-friendly ingredients like arrowroot powder, beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter, vitamin E, and essential oils. Instead of using plastic or aerosol cans, this deodorant comes in a kraft push-up tube.

Do you love wearing falsh eyelashes for those special events? Instead of buying one-time-wear ones, check out these falsies, which you can clean and reuse. They’re 100% chemical free and doesn’t need glue to stick to your eyelids, as well.

For feminine care, you can switch to this all-natural feminine wash that contains olive oil and tea tree extract to protect your gentle areas from germs and bacteria. It’s also sulfate-free and comes in a reusable glass bottle.