Do you think natural, pure products are more expensive? They don’t have to be!
I hear it all the time: “I would love to change to natural, pure, organic products, but they are just too expensive!” Sure, some products are more expensive.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t find great, natural, clean products for the same (or close!) to what you are paying now. So I decided to do a “Drug Store Challenge.” I searched the most popular personal care products on two top drugstore on-line shops (drugstore.com and amazon.com) and compared them with some of my favorite natural products.
The results will surprise you!
Read on to see how some of my favorite (reasonably priced) products compared to conventional drug store prices. Don’t miss the other “totals” which will really surprise you!
Disclaimer: prices reflect on-line prices at the time of writing this article. Some prices may change slightly. I note the size in ounces when the two products being compared are different, and adjust for the difference when calculating the total at the end of this article.
Drug Store Version: Pantene Pro-V Daily Moisture Renewal Shampoo $7.50
Ingredients: 19 total ingredients, nine ingredients to avoid
Natural Pick: Aucure Organics Shampoo Moroccan Argan Oil and Argan Stem Cell $7.02
Drug Store Version: Dove Body Wash $8.99
Ingredients: 25 total ingredients, nine ingredients to avoid
Natural Pick: Pharmacopia Organic Body Wash $7.49
Drug Store Version: Eucerin 16 oz $11.99
Ingredients: 27 total ingredients, nine ingredients to avoid
Natural Pick: Acure Organics Body Lotion 8 oz $5.25
Drug Store Version: Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser 8 oz $6.79
Ingredients: 14 total ingredients, eight ingredients to avoid
Natural Pick: Acure Facial Cleanser 4 oz $7.20
Drug Store Version: Neutrogena Healthy Defense Facial Mosturizer SPF 30 $14.99
Ingredients: 33 total ingredients, 14 ingredients to avoid
Natural Pick: 100% Pure Moisturizer SPF 30 $20.00
Drug Store Version: Softsoap Antibacterial Hand Soap 7.5 oz $2.69
Active Ingredients: Triclosan
Ingredients: 18 total ingredients, 10 ingredients to avoid
Natural Pick: Deep Steep Organic Foaming Hand Wash 8 oz $4.49
Drug Store Version: Colgate Total Whitening $4.39
Ingredients: 17 total ingredients, five ingredients to avoid
Natural Pick: Jason’s Power Smile $3.50
Check out the totals:
Drug store brands: $59.14
Natural picks: $67.40. Adjustments made for differences in size (I included natural two cleansers and two natural body lotions to make the total ounces the same)
That’s just $8.26 more for the natural versions. More, yes, but not breaking the bank!
Here are some other “totals” to consider: Over the course of a normal morning applying the drug store versions you apply a total of:
Five parabens: preservatives linked to endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity and cancer.
Three formaldehyde releasing preservatives: formaldehyde is a known carcinogen.
Five phthalates and fragrances: linked to endocrine disruption and allergies.
Three Sulfates: eye and skin irritant, can combine with other ingredients to form carcinogenic nitrates.
Four DEA, MEA, or TEA chemicals: hormone disrupting chemicals that can form cancer causing nitrates and nitrosamines.
Nine PEGs and “eths”: contaminated with 1,4-Dioxane, a known carcinogen.
Four coal tars: carcinogens.
Two BHA and BHTs: endocrine disruptor and suspected carcinogen.
Two triclosans: pesticide associated with endocrine disruption and antibacterial resistance.
One retinol: may speed the development of skin tumors and lesions when applied to the skin and exposed to sunlight.
Five chemical sunscreens: hormone disruption and allergies.
23 additional chemicals with a “moderate hazard” rating or higher on EWG’s Skin Deep Database.
That’s a total of 66 chemicals that are known or suspected to cause harm, from only seven common products applied before even leaving the bathroom each morning.
Many of the questionable ingredients show up in multiple products. That means you are applying higher levels of these chemicals over the day than if you used just one product in isolation. These higher levels of exposure have not been tested, nor has the combination of multiple chemicals. The natural picks are free of all questionable ingredients.
Click here to view the full ingredient analysis of the drug store products, and which ingredients are of concern.
Want a Quick Tip Guide of ingredients to avoid? Click here to get one free! So there you have it. The Drug Store Challenge.
Making it easy for you to fall in love with truly natural, pure, products that won’t break the bank!
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Assistant Editor: Gabriela Magana / Editor: Catherine Monkman
{Photo: Flickr.}
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