

I am a registered nurse and the mother of both a fur-child and an actual human child. I also grew up with parents who were *just* on the fringe of hippy-dom (they made their own candles, had a vegetable garden that provided just about everything imaginable, heated the house with a wood stove and even composted and recycled LONG before anyone else was doing it). These three facets of my life have always pushed me to have respect for environmental sustainability.
This respect—unfortunately—has often had to take a back seat when choosing skincare, because my skin is so picky about products that it has been difficult to find ones that work for me but that don’t harm the environment. I’m suddenly hitting the age of “experience creases” and I am in need of a product that will keep them at bay. As with most people (nurses in particular) these days I do not ever get enough sleep or feel well-rested and thus have been scouring the shelves for something to reduce puffiness and dark circles. It’s been a difficult search. As an advocate of transparency around ingredients, I want to trust the brands I use, which is something I have always been proud of. It was heartening to find out that (according to Vogue Business) I’m not alone in feeling this way as “More than half of consumers say they consider sustainability a key factor when shopping for beauty”.
I went looking for a brand that possesses a deep sense of social responsibility. Knowing that the skincare products I choose have a positive impact on the world, nature, and communities is absolutely amazing—and it doesn’t hurt when these products can also bring about incredible results, which I can see and feel.
Origins sees the world as precious rather than something to be exploited and they combine nature and science to provide uncompromising natural skincare that’s clinically proven to deliver immediate and long-term improvements. Their packaging is minimal by design, they’re conscious about manufacturing practices and they plant trees around the world. Their formulas don’t use parabens, phthalates, propylene glycol, formaldehyde, sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), mineral oil, petrolatum, paraffin, diethanolamine (DEA), polyethylene beads & animal ingredients (except cruelty-free honey & beeswax in certain products). Their formulas are—in many cases—100% vegan, which is important as I feel that vegan skincare is more environmentally friendly and sustainable while it benefits me at the same time.
I managed to find three 100% vegan products that exactly fit my specific skincare needs—all from one truly remarkable company:
FOR MY SENSITIVE, COMBINATION SKIN I USE:
Dr. Andrew Weil For Origins Mega-Mushroom Relief & Resilience Soothing Treatment Lotion
This 100% vegan, mushroom-infused, soothing, light lotion boosts hydration and reduces the look of redness in just one use while prepping skin for serum and moisturizer. This seemingly magical treatment makes my skin look supple, soft and healthy. Key ingredients include reishi and fermented Chaga mushroom, sea buckthorn, hyaluronic acid, red algae, sugar cane and lactobacillus probiotic.
FOR MY LAUGH LINES AND ‘EXPERIENCE CREASES’ I LOVE:
KEY INGREDIENTS: Peptides, Anogeissus, Hyaluronic Acid
With 15 youth-boosting results including evened skin tone, reduced forehead lines, radiance and moisturization, Origins’ most comprehensive anti-ageing serum for face, neck and décolletage visibly transforms my skin with each use. Six potent line-levelling peptides help relax expression lines and boost and support skin’s natural collagen, while anogeissus helps maintain fibrillin, which provides structural support in elastic and nonelastic connective tissue throughout the body. I am definitely not alone in feeling this is one utterly amazing product, either. In fact, after only one use, 85% of consumers said their skin looked more youthful and after one month of us 90% said it reduced the look of lines and wrinkles.
FOR STUBBORN DARK CIRCLES AND PUFFINESS I USE:
With miracle-working ingredients like vitamin C, niacinamide, ginseng and caffeine, what can’t this ophthalmologist-tested eye cream do? This hard-working eye cream helps reduce dark circles—instantly and over time—while it depuffs, brightens and hydrates. In fact, 89% of people in consumer testing said their eye area looked brighter and more radiant immediately while 86% of people in clinical testing had visibly reduced dark circles after four weeks. Perfect under makeup, just a wee dab will help your eyes go from puffy and drab to bright and fab! In two different tones (one for fair-to-medium skin tones and cooler undertones and another for medium-to-deep skin tones and warmer undertones), it’ll revive your eyes in a snap—tired-looking eyes have nothing on this cream.
Knowing that the skincare products I choose have a positive impact on the world is absolutely incredible—and it doesn’t hurt when these products can also bring about incredible results. I went looking for products that mirrored my respect for environmental sustainability and found a brand that possesses a deep sense of social responsibility. They not only produce clean products but they produce them in facilities and with methods that follow that trend.
Origins has pledged, planted and cared for 1,858,675+ tree saplings around the world. With the creation of the Origins Green The Planet Fund, they’re growing their commitment to help offset carbon emissions, combat climate change and restore ecosystems through global tree-planting initiatives. All of their cartons are FSC-certified, made with paperboard from responsibly managed forests. Currently, 55% of their packaging by weight is recyclable, refillable, reusable, recycled or recoverable but their goal is to ensure that 80% will be by 2023. They use 100% renewable electricity to manufacture their products in primary facilities. Because of all of this, I see that they are truly rooted in sustainability—and for that, I love the company and their products.
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