We are two friends living on opposite coasts (Brooklyn, New York and Santa Monica, California) that share a passion for living a minimal, zero waste lifestyle and on a mission to help others do the same.
Harper. Lives in Brooklyn with a +1. Sassy pup. Matcha. Wine. Whiskey. Cheese. Proscuitto.
Charley. Lives in Los Angeles with a +1. Doofy pup. Coffee. Wine. Whiskey. Cheese. Pasta.
Overall, Hawaiian Tropics Mineral Sun Milk with SPF 30 is a buy. While it does leave a bit of a white cast, the texture is liquid (‘milky’) and more easily spreadable compared to other products we’ve tried. Additionally, the Hawaiian Tropics is at the cheaper end, competing with Pipette in terms of cost.
MAYBE buy. We liked using Tushy bamboo toilet paper — and we love bamboo toilet paper in general, since it uses less than gallon to produce versus 37 gallons of traditional toilet paper. We also really liked that Tushy’s TP was unbleached. Big pro that the paper was decently soft and definitely strong. The wrapping adds a nice touch to the bathroom as well. We think it’s a reasonable option if you want an unbleached (yay), sustainable bamboo toilet paper and are willing to shell out a few extra bucks.
Overall, MAYBE buy. The small garbage bags are good if used for composting — they are also cheaper than the composting competition. HoldOn uses much better materials that consume less energy, which is great. Additionally, we expect the trash bags to compost, even in landfill conditions. The kitchen zipseal storage bags are great to use - especially for marinating when tight on time (which is often). We like that you can toss them in the compost when you are done with them rather than the trash and that they compost in weeks. More expensive than typical plastic zip bags, but cheaper than the alternative composting one. The trade-off for all of the products is worth it if you can afford it.
MAYBE buy. Mintly’s toothpaste, toothbrush and floss are very clean from an ingredient standpoint. However, we were not any more impressed with the products over other brands we’ve tried. Plus, cost-wise, Mintly is pretty much in line with the other brands, not making it any more enticing to buy. Lastly, we really like that there is an ingredient to re-mineralize teeth (fluoride) but we would slightly prefer nHap
Ethique, as a company, is pretty great - a b-corporation with zero plastic packaging who plants trees and donates portions of their sales. Additionally, their ingredients tend to be limited, with mostly natural and those that have low impact on the environment. We loved their solid shampoo and solid face cleanser. We liked their solid conditioner bar and their zero waste deodorant. If we’re using them at night, we don’t mind the solid face and body moisturizers, but the thickness of them are just a bit much for daytime.
It’s a BUY! We are very impressed with the quality and commitment to reducing carbon footprint that feels very deeply ingrained in the DNA of Paper Culture — all for a cost that is competitive with other premium brands like Minted, Artifact Uprising or TinyPrints. Paper Culture will be our new go-to for cards and photobooks!
BUY (Definitely for the toothpaste!). Huppy: zero-waste, plant-based toothpaste! (We did it, we rhymed.) We really like the ingredients of Huppy - all natural and contains a fluoride alternative called nHap. The bamboo toothbrush is ok - just based on cost while the floss is probably a skip from us. Note: zero waste toothpaste is just going to be a lot more expensive than drugstore brands. However, we like that the active ingredient is nHap, so if your budget allows, we think the switch could be worth it.
BUY - if you can afford the extra cost (about $110 per year, per person), then the products are great. Our only issue with Bite is how expensive the products are — particularly the toothpaste bits. All of the pros are: a fluoride alternative (nHap), cruelty-free (not tested on animals), zero-waste (cardboard, paper and glass packaging), compostable bamboo toothbrush, compostable vegan floss, and toothpaste bits that taste like berry vitamins. From a quality perspective, Bite is a great product.
It’s a BUY! - we like Thrive Market and think its worth the membership. As a B-corporation, it houses organic, sustainable pantry (and frozen food!) items with some home goods like TP and laundry/dishwasher detergent powder.
We’ll hit you with the bad now: it seems pricey. Membership is $59.95/year and prices look expensive. That said, it is a delivery service that charges nothing for delivery >$49. We compare to Whole Foods in this review, and we think over the course of the year, you can get out ahead by just switching the dishwasher detergent to Thrive Market (details below!).
BUY. Thrive Dishwasher Powder has limited ingredients, the citrus scent is light, there is a fragrance free option, and our dish cleaning experience was pretty good. Each bag (con: it’s plastic, but at least it’s thin plastic compared to the big liquid jugs) contains 75 standard washer loads. The biggest pro yet is that even at the regular price of $6.99, Thrive Market has the most affordable dishwasher powder on the market. At the current sale price, it’s a total steal.
Note: We also reviewed Thrive Market’s Laundry Detergent Powder, which was also a screaming BUY.
We think Better Life Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner is a BUY, though it is fairy similar to Seventh generation’s toilet bowl cleaner - a bit of a toss up between the two in our book. We like that its Leaping Bunny certified, clean plant-based ingredients and smells great! It also cleans really well!
MIXED BUY. ThinkSport 50+ SPF mineral sunscreen is a buy if kids are constantly in the water and you’re looking for an affordable reef-friendly mineral non-nano sunscreen. Otherwise we found the lack of blendability and white cast to be less than ideal - Pipette’s mineral sunscreen did a much better job there.
It’s a BUY. We are big fans of Cocofomm powder shampoo! We like that it can replace full sized bottles of liquid shampoo, completely plastic free packaging, and how nicely it foams up in the shower. Most importantly, our hair and scalp feels incredible clean and healthy afterwords. Great for travel too!
Yes, Thrive Market Laundry Detergent is a BUY. SLS-free, dye-free, PVA-free, fragrance-free option: this eco-friendly detergent powder is one of the best options. Clothes smell fresh, and come out clean. Thrive is also a B-Corporation (love this). Drawbacks include membership fees as well as plastic bag, which we hope gets resolved over time. Overall, we enjoyed this laundry detergent powder.
Not a buy. While the consistency is great (very lightweight) and it generally blends pretty well — the tinted nature of La Roche-Posay’s Tinted Mineral Sunscreen helps — it does have a bit of a “greyish” undertone. But what we really didn’t like — there’s a kind of chemical smell to it that we really didn’t like, and a number of ingredients that were flagged by EWG as less safe. Finally, there’s the price, it is pretty darn pricey as it is to be used for the face only. We’re pretty disappointed as this sunscreen is on many “top mineral sunscreen” lists in magazines!
BUY. If you have the space for a drying rack, Pennsylvania Woodworks drying rack is a buy. Even though it's a slightly pricier upfront purchase, you make your money back in savings from not running the dryer 33-50% less often. Also, given its quality and 100% wood structure, we think it outlasts any of the plastic, epoxy cheaper versions on the market. Lastly, Pennsylvania Woodworks has really small racks which may suit your needs.
Maybe — it’s on the price. Hammond Herbs deodorant is not only natural but zero waste and leaves no marks. We liked it way, way more when compared to Schmidt’s, whose texture is like rubbing gritty sandpaper against your skin. Comparing to Public Goods Natural Deodorant was unfair; their deodorant is so smooth that it’s like silk caressing your underarms. Hammond Herbs does have a major plus over the two - it’s zero waste.
Proverb Deodorant, an eco-friendly deodorant is a ‘no’ from us. This is entirely based on price! As one of the most expensive options, we just can’t recommend it. We like the packaging, we like the texture and the scent. Even the ingredients are pretty good and the bar doesn’t leave white streaks. Our favorite part is that the refill has ZERO plastic. If you can spend the extra bucks, we think this is a good choice.
ITS A BUY. We LOVE Pipette’s Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50. It is everything we want in a safe sunscreen that we can use on our face and body, and for the entire family — including babies! We’ve tried a few different mineral sunscreens (which do not include benzenes and other harmful ingredients that is not safe for kids, and frankly not great for adults either…) and this one is our current favorite by a long shot. Its moisturizing thanks to the plant-based squalene in the product and there is NO WHITE CAST. Hallelujah.
