One way to keep up with popular trends is to take a look at what celebrities are up to. I can't say they always know what is best, and I would never recommend doing anything because someone famous endorses it, but I can safely argue that celeb lifestyles receive a lot of attention! 

When it comes to healthy cosmetics, I am very excited to see what celebrities are saying. They are not experts, but its nice to know there are some famous faces out there advertising for a healthier world. 

Take Alicia Silverstone for example. She has been leading a Kind life, which means being actively leaner and greener in all daily endeavors. I am not sure if she is responsible for coining the term Kind, but I will give her credit for getting a clue! ...haha bad joke. Take a look at her quirky plug for Gabriel Cosmetics' Clean Kid Kit, taken from her OpenSky profile:

Yes, she seems a bit goofy but aren't most of us health nuts a little...well, nuts? 

Another leading female advocate for Kind living is Jessica Alba. She has teamed up with Chrisopher Gavigan, founder of Healthy Child Healthy World bring an honestly pure line of baby care products to a family near you. The Honest Co. strives to be just that - a company with healthy products and nothing to hide.

Celebs with a conscious are worth listening to, and since their voices reach millions of people it is great when they have something positive to share. Hopefully this trend of consciousness will continue to educate the masses...who knows, maybe BabyLove will get a sponsor of its own. Hey Beyonce, care to get on board with our project? We could use your help!

The BabyLove team received an enormous amount of inspiration this weekend when we visited Baltimore to attend the 20th Annual Net Impact Conference. For those of you unfamiliar with Net Impact, it is a global organization dedicated to social progress, using the power of businesses, corporations and education for good. Most simply put, the organization aspires to teach everyone that no matter what their role is at work or in life in general, they can make a positive impact. 

You are a net impacter if you: 

• Make decisions on a daily basis that lend to a higher cause.
• Go beyond your employee duties to enhance social responsibility occurring at your work place. 
• Are willing to take a risk to make a change or lasting impression in your community, city...world! 

Jessalyn and I learning the ways of responsibility in Baltimore. Apparently fancy cake has a lot to do with it. 

Corporations and industries do not only influence our economy, but our behavior as a society as well. If they operate in a manner that is socially and environmentally aware, the consumer in turn will have less of an opportunity to practice unsustainable habits. And if every company took steps to mitigate the harmful side effects that come of their operation, such as air or water pollution, there would be much less cleaning up to do. 

Its a shame that this isn't always obvious to everyone, or in their best interest. Sometimes it takes one person working within the company and concerned about to stand up and propose a change. 

As a happy member of Net Impact, BabyLove is devoted to doing whatever it takes to make a difference. We believe it is important to be mindful of our actions, and as an up and coming business we have the potential to put our energy towards betterment. This is our number one mission, beyond making money, earning fame or status...We wont be happy until we know we've done all we can for our mothers and mother nature!

Happy hump day! I hope your week is treating you well. Its always nice when work has its rewards, and for BabyLove we're beginning to see our hard work really pay off. We've been busy uncovering the latest in skincare and are excited to share our thoughts on some sample kits we received this week. 

To get a firsthand look at beauty sampling we decided to order boxes from some popular providers. Today we received our October packages from Beauty Army, Ipsy and Green Grab Bag. Our roommates peeped over our shoulders and chimed in with (jealous) ooh and aahs as we opened the boxes. 

Beauty Army's products arrived in a chic pink box that, to our surprise, is recyclable! We are always excited about companies who incorporate elements of sustainability. But Beauty Army's eco-conscious doesn't stop there. Upon closer examination of the products and a little bit of research into their ingredient composition, we found that all of these cosmetics are formulated naturally. In fact, most of the brands Beauty Army offers are all natural. Good looking out!

Ipsy had clever packaging as well. The magenta sleeve is a nice touch, and although plastic is no friend to the environment, we appreciated their material-minimalist approach. Instead of the more wasteful box-inside-of-another-box-stuffed-with-tissue-and-wrapping packaging style we usually see, Ipsy simplified their design with one external envelope and a cute makeup bag to house the products. We applaud re-usability and are taking notes for our own sample kit design. 

Last but certainly not least, Green Grab Bag delivered quite the cosmetic surprise. Everything included in their package is simply mouth watering. Coconut hazelnut sugar scrub, dark chocolate body butter, wild ginger alaea salt scrub...these products are supposed to go ON your body right? Well I guess they are probably healthy enough to eat too, but I wouldn't go that far. 

Another product that impressed me in this bag was Beeseline, a beeswax take on Vaseline which is a petroleum jelly product. I can't wait to let my mom try this out and hopefully break her Vaseline habit! 

Thank you fellow samplers! We applaud your work.

The Stink about Deodorant.

Deodorant is a daily ritual for most, and sometimes, during high noon on a summer day, we will find ourselves hating that big guy on the bus who smells like he forgot to apply his Old Spice. Or maybe he swapped his Speed Stick for a fish stick...but I digress. 

Our offense to odor has grown incredibly since the time of our first pheromones. This is evidenced by the mass amounts of sweet scented lotions and soaps available for our slathering. Though many consider an individual's body odor to be repelling, recent studies indicate that what we use to cover up or prevent our smells are full of equally unattractive chemical ingredients. 

Deodorant products in particular have been under question as of late. Research has uncovered concerning ties between cancer and common ingredients, such as parabens, which are used as antimicrobial preservatives to promote shelf life. Parabens are absorbed through the skin every time deodorant is applied and, as their preserving nature suggests, have been found lingering in the body, disrupting cellular function. Whats worse is this and other harmful chemicals don't only exist in deodorant but are allowed by the FDA to be used in many other cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and even in some food items. Our exposure is at an all-time high, and we don't even realize it. 

Did you know that deodorants and antiperspirants are two separate product categories with two different chemical compositions? I didn't until I started looking into potential health risks of our trusted daily odor defender. Apparently antiperspirants are for the most part comprised of the same harmful ingredients as deodorants, but in addition also contain aluminum salts. These are used to block the pores from which our sweat is excreted, thereby preventing the release of fuel for our BO fire. Aluminum is also a nuerotoxin, and has been linked to nuerological diseases, including Alzheimer's. Though some stakeholders argue antiperspirants are safe for use, you cannot ignore the vast amount of aluminum people are exposed to daily:"It is often used in cooking utensils, containers, appliances, and building materials. It is also used in paints and fireworks; to produce glass, rubber, and ceramics; and in consumer products such as antacids, astringents, buffered aspirin, food additives. Another use for aluminum is in water purification, and it can therefore occur in your drinking water." Phew. 

I encourage a glance at this insightful article to get the rest of the facts on deodorant/antiperspirant health concerns. 

With a laundry list like that, I myself am compelled to search for an alternative solution to odor in an effort to cut back on my own unplanned chemical consumption. Once educated about this issue, why go out of your way to apply chemicals straight to your body? It just doesn't make sense. 

This is where I put down the Dove and begin my pursuit of a finding my deodorant soul mate. I hypothesize there is a product out there that works without health implications. I also believe that pleasant body odor can be achieved through a combination of natural products, hygiene and a healthy diet, as corroborated by Bubble and Bee.

The first product I will test is Aloe & Almonds Natural Deodorant (seen here for under $3!) that my sister recommended. Check back for updates and reviews. 

Wish me luck on my quest. I hope I do not scare away my future husband...but if he can't deal with this he's not man enough anyways. 

Welcome to the first edition of Where we Stand, an article released every Wednesday from your very own webmaster and one of BabyLove's originators. I will be using this space to share insight into the development of our business concept, reasoning behind certain decisions we've made and to hopefully spark conversation among our community and followers. Please comment with any responses you might have, we can't wait to hear from you! 

To begin I would like to talk a little bit about why we love moms!

You may be wondering why BabyLove has chosen to focus its efforts on serving new mothers and moms-to-be. Isn’t everyone worthy of healthy skin care? Aren't there separate demographics with a similar interest in trying natural products? We believe the answer to these questions is YES, and we hope our site does not discriminate against any individual looking for a cosmetic revolution. Yet at this moment it is clear our primary consideration goes out to mothers, and we have decided this is an important stance for several reasons:

An Unmatched Consciousness
Nothing will alter your mentality quite like having a child in your life. Suddenly you are no longer living for yourself alone, but are responsible for looking after another. Moms are in need of safe options for skin care to protect their families from harmful chemical ingredients, and from what we've found there are few resources that wholly satisfy this need. While some websites will explain the hazards of cosmetic use and others provide natural alternatives, they are sparse and are unable to address every angle of the issue. A mother's concern for safety should be met with thorough and transparent guidance. 

Leaders of the Next Generation
Mothers are also charged with the difficult task of preparing our generations to become successful inheritors of the future. If mothers lead healthy lifestyles, chances are similar morals of self-importance and environmental awareness will be imparted to their children. BabyLove will make it easy to find a risk-free regimen for moms and their families, so our growing generation can continue a more sustainable tradition.

Looking for a Helping Hand
In addition, moms are often pressed for time and deterred by high priced cosmetics that lack a guarantee for their effectiveness. Moms, do you agree? BabyLove was designed keeping these issues in mind. We believe mothers should have a quality service that meets their needs efficiently, they deserve only the best!

Moms are awesome, inspirational and... always right. We want these ladies to have tools that make life easier and healthier, for themselves and their kids. And to BabyLove, not many things are more important than that.