(If you’re not familiar with the devastating effects the palm oil industry is having on our environment and the people and organisms within it, we’ve posted the basics here, how to quit it here, an AP investigation here.This very dated article is also a good start if you’re new to the issue and its effects on threatened and endangered animals.)

I know that a lot of other common body care ingredients can have detrimental effects on our planet, but I think avoiding palm oil is really the best place you could start, especially if you’re new to natural beauty. And it just so happened that the biodegradable soap brands I’ve listed below are all women-owned, making soaps in small batches that are free of lots of other questionable ingredients you’ll find in more conventional products. And the packaging on these beauties? Yup, 10000% eco club approved:

TERRA-TORY is an NY based all-natural soap company touting 100% Natural 0% Bullsh*t Skincare. This is a very rare company that is both palm and coconut oil free… Learn more on their website.

Vegan + eco friendly soap from Smithmade Essentials are fun & fragrant artisan soaps handmade in small batches in New Haven, CT. On their site you can find the full details about each ingredient used.

No Tox Life has their own line of body cleansing bars wrapped in recycled paper for shipping. Be sure to grab their famous dish wash block and deodorant while you’re there!

BHAVANANYC makes all-natural, vegan sea salt soap bars using luxe natural ingredients like activated charcoal and Rose Kaolin Clay.

Bell Mountain Naturals are makers of natural small batch soaps that are super cute, and always palm free. You might be familiar with their gem design!

UK vegan soap-on-a-rope brand KLEEN cures their all-natural soaps for a minimum of 6 weeks and uses only skin-friendly, eco-friendly ingredients that are free of palm oil, parabens, and toxins. Not to mention, their packaging and branding is totally gift-worthy.

Another handmade soap brand, Unearth Malee specializes in palm oil free Thai-inspired soaps, lotions, lip balms, and even solid dish soap! To further raise awareness of the devastating effects of palm oil, the brand donates a portion of sales to help save the endangered orangutan. Learn more in founder Marie’s Etsy shop!

Naked & Thriving is a sister and brother founded skincare brand that offers products free of over 2500 potentially harmful ingredients, environmentally-friendly (free of palm oil of course), and with many organic ingredients for a truly natural clean. They have a full line of skincare, from cleansing bars to oils to

Founded in 2019, Rustic Glory Soap Co offers both scented and unscented palm oil free soap bars infused with nourishing essential oils and botanicals. And they are just the prettiest bars to place on your bathroom counters!

Latina woman owned soap brand Nopalera harnesses the power of Native Mexican Prickly pear cactus along with healing plant oils for nourishing soaps, moisturizers and creams.

The brands above also feature sustainable packaging, making truly biodegradable soap for us all to enjoy… sans palm oil.

On the hunt for more zero waste body and skincare products? Check out these brands!

We are always looking for beautiful, natural, quality skincare and body brands to add to our lists. If you know of another palm oil free bar soap brand, let us know below!

The post Back to Basics: 10 Natural, Women Owned, Palm-Oil Free Bar Soap Brands appeared first on Eco Club.

Like any fat-based ingredient, palm oil has its baser benefits. It’s rich in antioxidants, and an excellent source of Vitamin E. In a bid to be as unbiased as possible, I acknowledge that palm oil does have positive features, although most of those are for the businesses that utilize it (it’s as effective in baked goods, for example, than any other vegetable oil, but cheap). And that’s why it’s exploded in popularity as a component in products ranging from shampoo to 95% of your favorite Trader Joe’s snacks. (I’m sorry, it had to be said. As someone who worked there for almost three years, I always felt discomfited by the company’s liberal usage of palm oil in literally EVERYTHING.)

Is Palm Oil Bad For You?

If you’re wondering whether or not palm oil is bad for your health, the most apparent negative attribute is that it is, simply, an oil. That means it’s not only high in saturated fats but can cause health conditions such as elevated cholesterol if consumed in excess over a long period of time…. which is kind of inevitable when it’s in most of the packaged foods we eat.

And while those are two very real worries, if I’m being honest, they’re minute concerns of mine compared to its larger impact. On a macro level, palm oil has far more troublesome implications for us as consumers. Globally, environmentally… We should consider how palm harvesting has expedited deforestation, its implications for our economy, and how it’s personally affecting our wallets.

Can Palm Oil Be Sustainable?

If you’ve been making strides in adopting green living, and know of palm oil and its pervasive presence in U.S. goods, you may have concluded that while you may not be able to avoid it, you could at least choose products sourced ethically—at an upcharge, no doubt. And while that’s an admirable effort, with how the palm oil industry functions, there is no way to guarantee the oil in your favorite ice cream isn’t harming the environment. In fact, studies show that sustainable-certified palm oil farms are actually being decimated faster than their non-certified counterparts. No doubt because our collective zeal for living organically has somehow ironically come back to haunt us e.g. Fiji Water.

As someone who’s grown more economically conscientious over the last few years, palm oil is like the boogeyman: its presence is never far, and it’s exhausting trying to avoid the ingredient entirely. I know how destructive it’s been for the environment, its role in global warming, and how it’s ravaged the orangutan population—and yet it feels like I’m yelling fire in an empty room.

There are so many other real-world problems today that addressing the inescapable presence of palm oil in our consumable goods seems to have fallen to the wayside. And I get it; tackling single use packaging and plastic straws just feels more manageable, and the sense of gratification is far more instantaneous.

At the end of the day, the only person who can decide if palm oil is good or bad for you is yourself. There are so many facets to consider—accessibility, cultural utilization, personal preference, and health considerations—that while the answer may seem obvious to me, it may not be that simple for you. (I mean, it’s near impossible to avoid in packaged foods; if you’re shopping on a budget then boycotting may not even be an option.) Far be it for me to police what you can buy; gatekeeping is a permeating issue within the green community that I’d really rather not be a part of. In all honesty, all I’d like is to spread awareness so that everyone can come to their own educated conclusions.

Do you have a strong stance on palm oil? For those who avoid, share your tips! For those who are just now learning about this ingredient—what should I explore next?

The post Is Palm Oil Bad For You? And Can It Be Sustainable? appeared first on Eco Club.

If you have heard about even one of the destructive consequences of the unethical global palm oil industry, it’s probably easy enough for you to assume that it doesn’t end there. Like many other sustainability advocates, I first heard of its catastrophic affects on rain forests and animals (most famously orangutans). But I’ve only learned more horrifying facts from there, such as the use of child labor and the greenwashing tactics many major brands use to assert that their palm oil is actually sustainable.

The incredible mistreatment of humans, animals, and the environment in this industry has now been clearly documented again and again, but I wouldn’t quite consider it a mainstream issue (perhaps it could benefit from its own version of the ‘stop sucking’ campaign). Which is why this investigation feels of particular importance.

Skimming AP News, I saw their article Child labor in palm oil industry tied to Girl Scout cookies. If you give it a read, you’ll find the painfully ironic link between girls selling Girl Scout cookies here in the US and Indonesian girls quitting schools to work on palm oil plantations that support their families… for samoas and thin mints.

You cannot simultaneously empower and exploit girls. That’s not how it works.

I hope you’ll read the article, linked here. It’s unfortunately only the latest in the AP investigation into this $65 billion industry–one that uncovers even more abuse of women and girls. Another terrifying headline:

Cutting it out means cutting out many processed foods (and I swear, 99% of what’s sold at TJ’s), not to mention conventional beauty and household items. 

I can’t remember exactly, but I think I first learned about the industry from Elizabeth Stilwell on Selva Beat. So grateful they have kept their archives public! I’ve linked to other resources I’ve saved in the past below:

Friends of the Earth Palm Oil Fact Sheet
Orangutan Conservancy Threats to Orangutans
Associated Press Fruits of Labor
5 Innocent Animals Suffering at the Hands of the Palm Oil Industry
How The World Got Hooked on Palm Oil
Other Names for Palm Oil (look at that list!!!!!!)

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