When I was interviewed by USA Today about vegan cars, I got a surprising amount of messages that people didnt realize that non-food products could be vegan and plant-based. But in reality, animal products show up in surprising ways in all types of products that we use! Did you know that Bounce (the popular dryer sheets) use animal fat?! So, I decided to round up my favorite plant-based, cruelty free, eco-friendly household products. I picked all easily available products anywhere in the US to make the switch as easy as possible! It's such a good way to make a positive impact on the environment and animal welfare without having to put in very much effort. Switching brands of soap is likely easier than eating a vegan diet for most people and still makes a major difference, so check out my list below for easy ways to make the switch!
Love Beauty and Planet
Love Beauty and Planet is PETA certified vegan and cruelty free! They use only 100% recycled and recyclable bottles and use all ethically sourced fragrances. And let me tell you, the fragrances are out of this world. I no long buy perfume, I just use these body products (and I've been complimented multiple times that I smell nice!) The lovely smell really has lasting power, whether its from the shampoo or the lotions.
My favorite scented shampoo is the black tea kombucha and red ginger. All the shampoos are sulfate-free, which is great for your luscious locks! Now, hear me out about the shampoo, because when I first bought it, I thought I hated it. I washed my hair and then it still felt (and looked) greasy. I couldnt figure out what was going on so I googled reviews and found that tons of people said the same thing. But then, I found one shining beacon of a comment, saying to simply wash your hair twice! You know...lather, rinse, REPEAT. Since I already bought the shampoo, I decided to give it one more try and listen to this one comment and not skip the repeat part. And it made ALL the difference. My hair looks shiny and clean and has absolutely no greasy build up. So, if youve ever tried the shampoo and were underwhelmed, give it another try and remember to repeat! Even after blow drying my hair, I can still smell the beautiful fragrance!
The body wash has tons of great scents too, but my all time favorite is Tumeric and Tonka Essence. It smells absolutely phenomenal. It smells almost like a deeper richer less sweet vanilla scent and the tumeric is great for glowing skin! I also love the coconut water and mimosa flower scent, especially in the summer as its nice and fresh smelling!
I also adore the body and hand lotions. The hand lotions come in small tubes so you can buy a few and carry them with you in your different bags/purses. I currently have five! For both the body lotion and hand lotion, I adore the shea butter and sandalwood scent. It's sweet but also really rich and luscious. I also really like the murumuru butter and rose!
The other product I'm super excited about from Love Beauty and Planet is the hand sanitizing lotion! It's a eucalyptus and vetiver 2-in-1 sanitizer and lotion together. First of all, its really hard to find a vegan, cruelty-free hand sanitizer. And all the sanitizers are so drying, which is the last thing I need in this Boston winter! So now, I get best of both! Moisturizing and animal-friendly...its a win win!
They have TONS of other body/hair products so be sure to check out their full line and all their scents here!
Available at: Target, Amazon
Mrs. Meyers
Mrs. Meyers Clean Day is PETA certified cruelty free, made from recyclable packaging and is totally plant-derived. The scents are inspired by a garden and they are truly magical!
Their laundry detergent in Rain Water scent is one of the best smelling detergents I've ever had (including non-vegan brands!) The scent is clean and crisp, perfect for laundry. The best part about it is that the smell really lasts. Usually, the detergent may smell good in the bottle but the clothes come out of the washer not smelling like anything. With this, the clothes smell like the Rain Water scent! There are essential oils in the detergent that I think contribute to the smell being wonderfully long lasting!
Their dryer sheets, also available in my favorite Rain Water scent, are absolutely amazing. The usual brands of dryer sheets are not vegan or even vegetarian, as they include animal fat (who would have thought?! But also...ew). These are plant derived and smell even more fantastic than the usual non-vegan brands. That clean rain water scent is truly one-of-a-kind and the best laundry scent ever!
My other favorite Mrs. Meyers product is their line of air fresheners. They always have fun limited time holiday scents (which I have purchased way too many of every single season) as well as standard scents. I have yet to find one I don't love but my absolute favorite is the snowdrop. It's clean and fresh smelling with a welcome hint of sweetness. As with the products above, the smell is long lasting. It's not one of those sprays that you can only smell 30 seconds after you spray it. For hours afterward, I still smell the spray!
They have TONS of other household products so be sure to check out their full line and all their scents here!
Available at: Target, Amazon, Whole Foods
Everspring
Everspring is Target's very own eco-friendly, cruelty free, plant-based brand of household products! They have 100% recyclable bottles and sell many bulk refills to reduce plastic consumption.
Their scents are all really earthy and floral but still crisp smelling. Usually, I'm not a huge lavender fan, but I adore their lavender & bergamot scent. It's not too strong while still leaving a nice lasting scent with beautiful floral tones. I also love the lemon & mint scent. It's really clean smelling and I always choose this scent for the dish soap and dishwashing detergents!
The dish and hand soaps are available in the standard pump bottle but also have refill bags available, which I really appreciate, as the brand has a real focus on sustainability and they definitely follow through on that. Its made with 100% natural fragrance and the refills will fill the traditional soap dispenser three times. As mentioned above, the scents are floral and earthy, which I really love.
I also love their surface cleaning wipes. There is a lot of cleaning product inside, which is key. The worst is the cleaning wipes that are too dry, without enough of the actual cleaning liquid in the bottle. But these are really saturated and can therefore clean especially well and they last a long time for each use. They don't leave streaks and can cut through cooking grease and residue with ease. I love the lavender scent for these too!
Available at: Target exclusively
Good Filling
*Local Boston Bonus!*
For all my local Boston readers, I have an extra eco-friendly local small business bonus for you: Good Filling!
**Please note that not every product from Good Filling is vegan but the vast majority are!! Their website products are all clearly labeled with the product features, so just look for the following icon:
Good Filling is a local small business that has all different home and body products from major national brands in refillable containers! So when you finish the bottle, simply swap it out for a discounted refill! (They sanitize and disinfect all of their products, so no COVID worries!) Their goal is to reduce waste and make it easy and accessible for everyone to reduce and reuse. This means by shopping at Good Filling, there will be less plastic in landfills and oceans (and who doesnt want that?!)
Logistically, you order what you want through their website (https://www.goodfilling.com). Then you can choose from a few delivery options. You can pick up your order from a trading post (small businesses or buildings that Good Filling partners with, located in Back Bay, Central Square, Harvard Square, Kendall Square, North Attleborough and South End [more info here]). Good Filling also partners with a few apartment buildings in the area, so if youre lucky enough to live in one, they can deliver right to your door free of charge! Check out the map of participating apartments here. You can drop off your empty bottles at the same time as you pick up your new filled bottles for both of these! These two options are free and are hand delivered to the location (aka no gas transport, which is great for the environment!)
There are also paid delivery options. For $5 a member of the Good Filling team will hand deliver (also gas-free, eco friendly!) your order to your door, and you can leave your empty bottles there for them to pick up as well. This option is available to anyone living within the 128 corridor of MA. If you are outside of this area and cannot pick up at the locations, they do also offer regular shipping. On top of delivery, there are also brand new Good Filling Stations! They are self serve machines where you can bring your bottles to be refilled! There are currently two: one at Bower Apartments in Fenway and one at CambridgeSide shopping center in Cambridge (and more on the way soon!)
For anyone in the Boston area, I highly recommend Good Filling! Their products are all great brands using clean ingredients and ordering through Good Filling takes it one step further to be even more eco-friendly and sustainable. It's good for you, for the animals and for the environment, so what more could we ask for?!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me (I use Good Filling myself!) or anyone on the Good Filling team (Contact@GoodFilling.com or DM them on social media!) Remember to double check that the products are vegan if that's important to you, and happy shopping!!
Available at: Good Filling
Have a wonderful and sustainable 2022 blog friends!
And let me know if you have any plant-based, cruelty free, eco-friendly brands that you love!!