A few months ago I wrote a post about Everyday Minerals, a great Austin based cosmetics company.  However the constant jarring of the containers (bicycles and Houston streets make for a very bumpy ride) caused their lids to knock loose, spilling the contents throughout my purse and make up bag.  It’s wasteful and messy and not remotely bicycle friendly.

Decidedly a pressed powder is the way to go.  Having heard wonderful things about Aveda, I visited the store in the mall.  I explained to the sales clerk, whose vapidity I naively took as “zen-ness”,  that  I was looking for a make up free of phthalates and parabens.  She proceeded to tell me about their wonderful products and how everything Aveda make is so “natural” (oh the ubiquitous word natural).  And I, having not done research for myself, going on hersay was drawn into the idea of a happier make up.  She rang up my purchase and handed it to me.  It was only after I got home and read the packaging that I realized that I’d been greenwashed.  My foundation contained parabens.

I called Aveda corporate customer service and expressed my disatisfaction.  Either the sales girl was uneducated about her products or she was more concerned about making the sale, than she was about customer service.  Aveda apologized for the “misunderstanding” and proceeded to tell me that they plan to remove parabens from all of their products in the future.  While this is a move in the right direction, I feel that she overstated the difficulty of reformulating their products without parabens.  I have since learned that multiple cosmetic companies, such as Origins, Tarte, and even Almay, are making their products without pthalates.

However, Everyday Minerals is now carrying a pressed powder.  I guess supporting a semi-local little guy is by far the best option.  Especially when that little guy has a transparent website with all their ingredients listed.