4 Natural beauty companies you need to know about

As more people choose organic alternatives to live healthier lifestyles, more companies are trying to keep up. Organic food is now a mainstay in every supermarket, but shoppers are also looking for non-food products that are also “earth-friendly.” These four beauty companies are paving the way back to nature and into your makeup kit.

Consumer purchasing power is putting products that are free of synthetic and toxic ingredients on the shelves, as more and more people choose the organic alternative for the taste, health and environmental benefits.

These four beauty companies are listening to what you have to say, and revealing what’s in — and not in — their products.

Healthy, shiny hair is young-looking, beautiful hair and a new company called NEUMA Beauty has formulated a line of natural products that not only beautify your hair, but protect our planet as well. NEUMA was developed by a leading team of cosmetic chemists, which have been responsible for developing some of today’s top beauty brands worldwide.

“NEUMA provides a healthy alternative that truly performs, leaving your hair — and you — looking beautiful,” says Jeffery Orrell, senior vice president of sales and marketing for NEUMA Beauty. “What makes NEUMA different is what’s NOT in the bottle, without sacrificing performance,” continues Orrell.

What’s NOT in the bottle:

Synthetic fragrances and/or toxic ingredients, including: carcinogens, 1,4-dioxane, phthalates, neurotoxins, sulfates, aluminum compounds, paraben preservatives, laureates, glycols, ammonia compounds (DEA, MEA, TEA), chelating agents (EDTA, benzyl alcholos, SLS, SLES, ureas (DMDM), synthetic polymers (PVP, Acrylates), synthetic coloring agents (FD&C 0r D&C), chemical sunscreens, dioxins, formaldehyde donors, nano sized particles that penetrate the skin, harmful pert chemicals or environmental pollutants such as chlorphenesin, triclosan or polyquaternium-16, that never break down once introduced to our earth’s aquatic environment.

What IS in the bottle:

“NEUMA lovingly incorporates essential oils, certified organic plant extracts, essential fatty acids and vegetable proteins into our products so that they treat your hair — and our environment — with kindness and respect,” explains Orrell. “These safe, mild ingredients leave your hair healthy and silky with a radiant shine. NEUMA is about being beautiful… in all the right ways.” In addition, the company uses 85 percent post-consumer recycled bottles, 100 percent certified wind power and 100 percent recycled fiber containers.

“Caring about yourself and caring about the earth don’t have to be mutually exclusive. For more than 20 years, this has been the guiding force in creating Super Natural Beauty for your hair, your skin and your home,” says John Masters.

John Masters Organics grew out of Masters’ desire to create a luxury beauty line that treats the earth with respect. The result is the culmination of the hard work performed by people all over the world.

“We only get one body, and we only get one planet. Why not treat them both with the utmost care? I didn’t want to deal with chemicals and synthetics every day, and I truly believed that when given the option, others would feel the same,” says Masters. “Why use synthetics when natural products work better and are safer for the environment?”

The company offers an array of skin care, body care and hair care products, including orange and ginseng exfoliating body bar, blood orange and vanilla body milk, rose foaming face wash, Moroccan clay purifying mask, organic pomegranate facial nourishing oil and more, as well as a number of unscented products.

Some people may not be aware that eating salmon and other omega-3-rich fish is an excellent natural beauty secret. Working from the inside-out, seafood can be one of the best products in your beauty arsenal. According to WebMD.com, “When it comes to foods that pack a beauty punch, it’s hard to beat salmon. Loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, this high-quality protein source is also filled with vitamin B-12 and iron.”

Vital Choice is a trusted source for fast home delivery of the world’s finest wild seafood and organic products, harvested from healthy, well-managed wild fisheries and farms. The seafood is shipped to your door on dry ice, so be sure you’re planning to be home to receive it in a reasonable amount of time.

Under the direction of Founder and President Randy Hartnell, the company captures the fresh-caught quality of fine, sustainably harvested Alaskan salmon and other Alaskan and northwest Pacific seafood by cleaning and flash-freezing it within hours of harvest.

Professional chefs agree with Jane Brody, longtime food/nutrition columnist for The New York Times, who once wrote, “The freshest seafood is that which has been frozen shortly after harvest and remains that way until cooked.”

Vital Choice seafood also is very low in mercury for two reasons:

1. They feature species that are inherently low in mercury, such as salmon, sablefish, sardines, scallops, prawns and crab.
2. They offer only younger, smaller (therefore, minimal-mercury) members of predatory species such as halibut and Albacore tuna.

Hartnell is more than just the company’s “leader.” He spent 20 years “riding 20-foot tides and becoming intimately familiar with wild sockeye salmon.” Hartnell explains, “Because wild salmon is such a fundamentally sound food, the Vital Choice formula is simple: bring benefit to both our customers and producers by procuring the very best fish and delivering them in prime condition at a fair price.”

As a result of Hartnell’s many years as an Alaskan salmon fisherman and the many close relationships he enjoys with fishers and processors, he knows when, where, how and from whom to source the very best fish — a level of quality seldom found in supermarkets.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that your skin is your largest organ, because it just doesn’t seem like one. Typically we think of organs as heart, liver, kidneys, etc., but what you put on your largest organ is absorbed into your body. These days, women are looking for makeup products that don’t contain ingredients that when applied on the outside, could end up being harmful on the inside.

Mineral makeup offers a natural solution. Just a few years ago, mineral makeup wasn’t easy to come by and usually sported a big price tag. Now, mineral makeup in the form of foundation, blush, eyeshadow and more can be found at just about any drug store or makeup counter. Brand competition has made it quite affordable.

So, what’s all the hype about? Women love mineral makeup, especially those women with sensitive skin. But beware — not all mineral makeup is created equal. “Just because it says ‘mineral’ on the package doesn’t mean it’s good for your skin. While you’re trying to cover up wrinkles or imperfections, the hidden chemicals in your makeup could be working against you, explains nurse practitioner Kamila Fiore, ARNP, NP-C. “In fact, some hardly contain any healthy minerals at all and they’ve got dangerous additives that can irritate your skin and clog your pores. They can even make you look older,” she adds.

That’s why Pure Essentials Mineral Makeup contains no parabens, no preservatives, no fragrances, no petroleum products, no waxes to clog pores and no micronized minerals, making it gentle enough for sensitive or acne-prone skin.

The Pure Essentials Mineral Makeup collection includes foundation, blush and finishing powder.

Jackie Silver is Aging Backwards and she shares her secrets, tips and shortcuts in her book, Aging Backwards: Secrets to Staying Young, on her website, AgingBackwards.com, on TV and radio, in print and in person. She is a frequent television news guest, one half of The Ageless Sisters radio show and contributor to numerous websites. She also appears in dozens of videos on Livestrong.com and eHow.com. Jackie is sought-after as an anti-aging and beauty expert by the media. Sign up for her FREE newsletter at AgingBackwards.com, connect with her on Facebook (Aging Backwards With Jackie Silver), Twitter @AgingBackwards and Pinterest.

More on organic beauty

Best eco-friendly beauty products
Why you should green your beauty routine
Choosing organic beauty products