Once upon a time, you may have browsed the skin-care aisle deciding which moisturizer to buy based on how luxe the packaging was. One or two primary ingredients may have been advertised on the box it came in, but it was normal to know little about what you were putting on your skin; what was inside that tub of cream felt like a mystery. More often than not, the formulas would work out in our favor, but eventually we got curious, priorities shifted, and the lack of transparency sunk into a bygone era of beauty.
Yes, beautiful packaging can still factor in — an aesthetically pleasing medicine cabinet feels good, don't fight it — but, now that the perpetual trend of "clean beauty" is here to stay, we have some follow-up questions while shopping: are potentially irritating fragrances hiding somewhere on this long ingredient list? Is the packaging sustainable? Is this vegan? Can I recycle this?
These days, beauty-lovers, especially those of skin care, know what they're looking for. Even as all-encompassing as clean beauty seems, it can still be a challenge to find a brand that walks the walk and talks the talk of transparency. Long story short, discovering new under-the-radar products is on the 2022 menu, and we've just found the brand that might actually check most of our boxes. Meet Fleur & Bee.
Fleur & Bee creates the skin-care steps you love — cleanser, toner, moisturizer, etc. — but with higher standards. But we don't expect any informed shopper to go into the unknown without all the facts. Ahead, we break down the reasons why Fleur & Bee should be on your radar this year.
An Ingredient List That Takes Its Job Seriously
Our expectation that most, if not all, beauty products should be cruelty-free isn't new; it's kind of shocking that animal testing is even still a thing at all. What is new is our hope that more products hitting shelves are cruelty-free and vegan. To be clear, the two aren't synonymous — cruelty-free means a product isn't tested on animals, while vegan refers to the animal-derived ingredients and byproducts, or lack thereof, in a single formula. On the surface, going vegan may just seem like a good ethical decision to make, but it can also have an impact on the environment, the biggest benefits being the conservation of water and reduction of energy consumption. After all, carbon footprints won't shrink themselves.
Here's the thing: a vegan ingredient list isn't necessarily "better" for you. When shopping, it's important to keep in mind that harmful ingredients can still linger in the formula, including fillers and fragrances that don't make the product better or worse, but certainly don't pass most clean beauty standards. Fleur & Bee prioritizes products that are 100 percent vegan and free of the other potentially harmful ingredients, including parabens, sulfates, phthalates, silicones, GMOs, artificial fragrances, gluten, dyes, and more. And, yes, they're cruelty-free.
Sustainable Responsibility From Start to Finish
The value of a product used to only be on what was inside the packaging; now, we're flipping the script. While formulas still need to be effective, we also care about the materials used to produce them — from the formulas themselves to the bottles they live in. Fleur & Bee is conscious about its choices, opting to use sustainably sourced ingredients, which are made using 100 percent renewable wind energy (an emissions-free source of energy). The ecoresponsibility further extends to its FSC-certified, 100-percent recycled post-consumer waste paperboard packaging that houses Fleur & Bee products. In an ideal world, a lot of these sustainable decisions could be made with overnight changes, but the reality is that it can take months, if not years, to restructure production practices. With that in mind, Fleur & Bee aims to be a completely carbon-neutral company by the end of 2022.
Affordable Prices That Don’t Break the Bank
Five years ago, vegan and cruelty-free skin-care brands — that worked! — were hard to find. Now, they're here, but usually expensive. Long-time beauty-lovers know that the price of a product isn't always indicative of its quality, and Fleur & Bee helps to prove the point (not one product costs more than $40).
The brand also offers affordable skin-care kits (both under $100) that work for all skin types. The Starter Set, for example, includes three products — a cleanser, eye cream, and moisturizer — that essentially serve as the building blocks to any beginner routine. The other kit, the Deluxe Set, takes your routine to the next level including the basics, plus a rose water toner and vitamin C serum. Even if you still have trouble remembering which products to use when, Fleur & Bee makes it simple — no nasties included.
