Cruelty-Free Path
I started switching my products over to cruelty-free products a long time ago, but I recently realized that some of my essential items are not cruelty-free. This year, I plan to switch over as many products as possible. I would love to have 100% cruelty-free products. (I am aware that I collect Dr. Martens. Pls don’t @ me.)
Most important criteria for products that I use:
Cruelty-free
Noncomedogenic
Unscented
Aquaphor Healing Ointment
For years, Aquaphor has been my go-to item for absolutely everything. I mainly used it as a lip balm, but I’ll slap it onto just about any problem area, assuming it will make everything better—because it does.
Cruelty-free replacement ↓
Alba Botanica Un-Petroleum Multi-Purpose Jelly
A quick Google search brought me to this product. One of my essential items is already an Alba Botanica product, so I was not skeptical about trying this one. I liked it 100% initially, but after using it for over a month as a lip balm, I had to switch back to Aquaphor because it doesn’t provide me with the same nourished feeling that Aquaphor does. I found myself needing to apply it much more often than I had to apply the Aquaphor. It is comparable, but it didn’t check all my boxes. I shall keep looking!
Check out Alba Botanica Un-Petroleum Multi-Purpose Jelly | Amazon
Sensodyne True White Toothpaste
This toothpaste wasn't a product I was obsessed with, but I had been using it for many years and considered it an "essential" item because it was my toothpaste.
Cruelty-Free Replacement ↓
Davids Natural Toothpaste
I've been using Davids Natural Toothpaste in the spearmint flavor for almost a month. This product has a lot to love: it's natural, made with clean ingredients, cruelty-free, fluoride-free, SLS-free, and made in the USA. It also comes in a recyclable metal tube, which is a huge plus because I want to reduce plastic use.
Check out Davids Natural Toothpaste | Davids
CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion
This one was about to be a hard pill to swallow. I'm VERY picky when it comes to lotions. If they're sticky, they're out. If they smell weird, they're out. If they're too thick, they're out. CeraVe never gave me any trouble. Its unscented smell wasn't nasty and never left me feeling icky. I was unsure how long it would take me to find a proper replacement.
Cruelty-Free Replacement ↓
Ceramedx Restoring Body Lotion
I searched "CeraVe lotion replacement," and Ceramedx came up immediately. I've been using it for over a month and like it way more than the CeraVe. It has a very gentle, unscented scent, and it's nice. (My smell-sensitive peeps will fully understand what I mean.) This lotion makes my skin feel even softer than the CeraVe did. Very pleased.
Check out Ceramedx Restoring Body Lotion | Amazon
Final thoughts: I'm genuinely so happy with all of these purchases, even the one that didn’t fully work out in the long run. Change is scary; I'm picky, and my body is sensitive to stuff sometimes, so I was nervous to make these few changes. I'm really glad that most of them worked out for me. I will make more posts like this to document further switches. I will also be documenting my other eco-friendly lifestyle changes.
Thanks for reading! ☺︎
Samantha ♡