Written By Anthony Molano Cadena
Isn’t it ridiculous how much more expensive “organic” beauty products are compared to their non-organic counterparts? And more importantly, are organic beauty products even worth their high price?
There are a variety of reasons why eco-friendly beauty products are generally more expensive than conventional ones.
Higher quality ingredients
The simplest of these is that organic ingredients, sourced in responsible ways, tend to cost more to produce than their non-organic alternatives. It’s not easy making products that have minimal impact on the environment –and the associated extra costs of it translate into a higher price for consumers.
Legal certification
In order to be certified, organic farms need to comply with strict regulations, are subject to inspections by certifying agents, and reports need to be filed to await decisions. All of which costs money in filing fees, inspectors, compliance, etc.
Fewer low-quality fillers
Beyond that, organic beauty products contain fewer “cheap” ingredients like emulsifiers (filler) and unnecessary chemicals. These farms also, of course, need to use natural growing aids and pesticides, which are more costly than the conventional alternative.
Low demand
Another reason why green body care products are expensive is that their demand is low. Encouraging businesses to rethink the way they operate so that they have minimal impact on the environment would be an extremely challenging task because they would have absolutely no motive to do so.
Fair wages
In conclusion, since many green companies have some sort of goodwill, they generally pay their employees higher wages than large companies because they want to give back to the community.
In this article, We’ll take a look at how a local business (Green & Frugal from Whitby, Ontario) tackles economical and environmental problems by pioneering new concepts in the beauty industry.
We all want to do good –but is doing good a privilege that only the rich can afford?
Green & Frugal focuses on exactly that, beauty products that make a positive impact on the environment and your wallet. They achieve a lower price than their competitors by keeping markups as low as possible and not diluting their products with water. The company’s major objective is to ensure that everyone has access to organic beauty products at low prices all while keeping their quality top-notch.
Taking minimal markups lowers Green & Frugal’s net profits, but it establishes and reinforces their reputation of impact over financial gain. They do this because they advocate that organic beauty is overpriced and seen as a luxury when it should be accessible to people from all social classes. It shouldn’t be a luxury to have a non-toxic skincare routine no matter who you are.
Green & Frugal has a promising competitive edge in the beauty industry. Their products are more concentrated and durable than their competitors because oil and powder-based products are more concentrated since they are not diluted and more durable because they don’t rot as quickly as water-based products. Another quite fascinating feature that Green & Frugal products have is that you can dilute the product as much as you want from its concentrated base to make it stronger or weaker according to what you feel is necessary. Oil and powder-based products expire 1 year after being made, while water-based products expire 5 months after being made (with the use of expensive natural preservatives, way out of the price range for the general consumer).
Water-based organic products are difficult to store properly since they must be kept cool to avoid the growth of bacteria, making them difficult to transport and wasteful if the product goes bad and isn’t used. Effectively, without the use of inorganic preservatives, water-based natural products are inefficient due to them being prone to bacteria growth in relatively short periods of time. On the other hand, oil and powder-based products don’t require the use of preservatives because they don’t contain any water, thus decreasing the cost of Green & Frugal’s final products as they don’t need to spend money on expensive natural preservatives.
You’re probably asking yourself, “ok…but I still don’t see what’s so bad about inorganic products?”
The simple answer is that organics are worth the price because they protect you from a variety of toxins found in conventional beauty products.
Most inorganic beauty products contain various preservatives that are dangerous to human health. Preservatives are commonly used chemicals that make a water-based product have a long shelf life by preventing the growth of bacteria.
Although preservatives do their job well, their capacity to convert into a carcinogenic agent is almost unheard of. Nearly all cosmetics contain synthetic preservatives that produce a dangerous chemical named formaldehyde over time. The issue is that, over time, formaldehyde is a proven human carcinogen related to long-term medical complications.
While synthetic preservatives are typical chemicals used to preserve water-based products for long durations of time, they end up causing a varied amount of harm to the human body according to the amount of exposure to the chemical. The usage of preservatives in consumer goods is the main disadvantage to inorganics, but it’s not the only one, they can also be full of contaminating heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, and nickel.
“Researchers have reported that artificial preservatives such as nitrates, benzoates, sulfites, sorbates, parabens, formaldehyde, BHT, BHA, and several others can cause serious health hazards such as hypersensitivity, allergy, asthma, hyperactivity, neurological damage, and cancer”
-International Journal Of Pharmaceutical Sciences And Research.
Choosing organic skincare is already a guarantee that you’re keeping these toxic synthetic ingredients out of your body, but there is always one drawback with this solution: the cost.
The price imbalance between organic and inorganic items is an issue that affects both the middle and lower classes worldwide. Green & Frugal addresses the imbalance issue by producing low-cost alternatives that don’t expose customers to dangerous pollutants. All ingredients in organic beauty products are safe because they must be paraben, silicon, sulfate, and phthalate-free. Green & Frugal’s products are vegan, low waste, handcrafted, and plastic-free all while being safe and affordable to the health-conscious consumer.
We’ve covered everything about Green & Frugal but its history, so please relax, while you read a story of pure honesty and perseverance.
It all started with founder and CEO Tara Holguin at University while she was studying the global food system & social justice issues. She was horrified to learn of the harmful impacts of conventional farming on the environment, her health, farm animals, and the workers.
She recalled, “It’s the excessive chemical use, GMO practices, and unethical treatment of farm animals, is not only impacting our health and our environment, but it is plainly unethical and unnecessary and is done to increase the profits of corporations.” She went from eating cheap processed foods to rearranging her finances to accommodate an organic/natural/whole food diet right away.
The number of dangerous substances in most of our food and cosmetic items startled and disappointed her. These toxins are absorbed by our skin, then into our circulation, and occasionally into our fat – Eww!
Some of these chemicals can have disastrous effects on the environment and wildlife since they make their way into our water supply, and many of them are also tested on animals. So, she opted to make her own goods in order to avoid possibly dangerous preservatives, emulsifiers, scents, or colors.
She came up with the idea of removing water as an element was essential since it would eliminate the possibility of health hazards – after all, water is the foundation of all life and is where bacteria thrive.” Some companies sell water-based goods, such as Aloe Vera-based products, without preservatives, which might be dangerous since germs can still develop and you can’t always detect them. From this point forward,
She began looking for recipes that included oil or powder. These were concentrated and rich goods that were not watered down, making them even more nutritious and effective.
She was able to securely handcraft all of her items in tiny amounts after years of getting requests for them, ensuring freshness and quality control. Everything made at Green & Frugal is carefully researched and made with top-quality ingredients that are sustainably grown and organic whenever possible (all oil ingredients are sourced from a supplier that supports sustainable practices).
She keeps the markups as low as possible to make good natural products more affordable to all. Green & Frugal are establishing its first storefront in Toronto, Canada, where you may bring your own container to fill with either their goods or ingredients to build your own custom organic beauty product. In addition, they have a wonderful assortment of reusable products to help the zero-waste/plastic-free movement. Produce bags, beeswax wraps, stainless steel straws, and more items are also available at https://greenandfrugal.com/
Tara Holguin. (2022, May 4). Low waste makers of Green Bodycare. Green & Frugal. Retrieved July 10, 2022, from https://greenandfrugal.com/