Too late for shipping? Give a gift card here.
USA Lower 48 States:
Place orders by Thursday, Dec 14th with free standard shipping on $49+ orders.*
USA Alaska and Hawaii:
Place orders by Sunday, Dec 10th with standard shipping.
Canada:
Place orders by Friday, Dec 1st with standard shipping.
Disclaimer on shipping times: we can't guarantee delivery times due to weather and other events but if you follow our order cutoff suggestions we believe there is the best chance your order will arrive in time for Christmas.
Enjoy some fun, free gifts with your orders until the end of the year (auto added to your cart):
Get a free lemon WASHCLOUD® sponge cloth. These versatile sponge cloths work to wash dishes, clean up counters, and can be used as an eco friendly "wrapping paper" for a bottle of wine - a chic and sustainable holiday gift.
Get the previous gift + a set of 3 mystery body bars and bags. These moisturizing and palm-oil free soaps for body or hands are made of luxurious coconut cleansers to wash, bubble and clean without stripping your skin's natural barrier. Put the soap into the CASA AGAVE® loose-woven agave fiber bag for just the right amount of daily exfoliation.
Get the previous gifts + a Grande Jar of Eucalyptus Steam®. These cleansing vapors of eucalyptus are well known for deep support of respiratory health. We combine it with concentrated cooling peppermint for an awakening and refreshing shower.
Free Shipping
FREE shipping on USA orders over $49 USD - Lower 48 States only. 3-8 days estimated delivery.
FREE shipping on Canada orders over $95 CAD. Excludes customs fees and taxes which must be paid by buyer to the delivery carrier before delivery. Please allow extra time for your order to arrive as it can take 1-2 weeks (but often arrives sooner).
So when we say that this year has been a tough one for small businesses, we aren't kidding! If you have any budget for holiday gifts this year, we encourage you to shop small.
Of course you will want to support us. 😃
However, keep your eyes peeled (and peep our mini guide below) for more small businesses to spend your dollars at who are part of our community and are not giant conglomerates.
Nobody on this list is buying a mega yacht. 🛳️
Without further ado here are 8 stores we love to shop small with:
📍 Boston, Massachusetts, USA - Boston General Store ⤵️
Boston General Store is a women-owned business with a focus on finding makers who share their passion for the long-lasting and the well-made. Founder April was inspired by her grandmother's love of quality goods to open the store.
📍 Denver, Colorado, USA - Dante Perozzi Jewelry ⤵️
Dante Perozzi Jewelry is handcrafted with love (and seven fingers) by founder Dante. Sculptural demi-fine & fine jewelry made in USA with recycled metals and zero waste practices.
If you are tired of fast-fashion jewelry that's made just to capitalize on the trends then quickly breaks, make the jump to these lovingly handcrafted pieces made to endure and last a lifetime.
Dante once taught a jewelry making workshop at our own store which was so much fun to attend.
From the jewelry workshop class - these pieces were made using the lost wax technique, where you sculpt your design in wax. The finished wax is encased in a durable material that hardens around the wax creating a mold. This temporary mold can withstand the high temperatures needed to melt the wax away in order to create a space to pour in the gold, silver or brass metal. After breaking away the mold material, the end result is a highly detailed metal replica of the original wax creation:
📍 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada - Luna Collective ⤵️
Luna Collective supports over 100 independent artists and makers in their store. Items are chosen with intention and purpose. As a woman and queer-owned business, owner Eryn is proud to make a living supporting makers with similar values.
📍 Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada - Unmediocre Store ⤵️
Consume less, but better. Unmediocre Store owner Julie Veres has gathered a curated selection of more sustainable products to level up your home and lifestyle.
📍 Petaluma, California, USA - Estuary ⤵️
Estuary is the brainchild of April and her sister Gabi. They focus on offerings for a peaceful, sustainable home. Not just beautifully designed, but better for the environment. They emphasize fair trade and locally sourced whenever possible.
Kindred Homestead Supply is a women-owned, low-waste, bulk refillery for home + personal care located in Vancouver, WA. We'll meet you wherever you are in your low-waste journey and help you succeed! Join our community at a workshop, free swap, or First Friday. All are welcome, come as you are.
📍Bend, Oregon, USA - Free the Ocean ⤵️
Free the Ocean is working to remove plastic from the oceans. Watch one of these documentaries about plastic pollution to learn more about the problem they are working to manage.
For every product purchased, they remove 10 pieces of plastic from the ocean.
Thank you for supporting small businesses this season!
]]>BeOne has a podcast called “I Built a Company That Makes a Difference." In each episode, they talk to founders of sustainable businesses to get their quick take on how and why they started their companies and some lessons learned along the way.
They wanted to help share the story of our No Tox Life company, so included us in their podcast.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/35j2HCDWWxADPnfQt0oZbq
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/callie-milford-from-no-tox-life-how-callie-her-mom/id1664283339?i=1000613312942
]]>Jaimie opened up a zero waste market in Pennsylvania to guide, educate, and provide a luxury experience to reduce waste and one-use plastic in your lives, without a hefty cost. She carries many of our No Tox Life products in store and online.
We interviewed Jaimie to find out about her zero waste store and how she is growing the business with minimal resources:
I have always wanted to open a storefront since I started college, and truthfully I had a hard time finding what that was. Since college, I've made some lifestyle changes and decisions that have allowed me to step into my true self, and living more sustainably in my own life the past few years - it just made sense to bring this into my community.
It took me about a year and a half to curate a collection of products that I was confident in carrying. It took a lot of thought, intention, and trialing/research. The products I have in the market are products that I use, I believe in, and what the brand stands for - which is overall kindness. I would go through my daily life and write lists down of single-use plastics that didn't make sense and went from there.
Yes! I am a full time photographer as well, and I think it speaks true to the brand, the aesthetic, and the colors. When people see my photos and content posted, they know they are taken by me. The intention behind the content means much more to me knowing that I am the content creator, and photography is a huge joy for me on a daily basis.
I think right now I am on a learning path and hope to continue to grow this brand and this mission as a whole - All Things Kind. I have big dreams, but it's going to take work to get there, and boy am I ready for it!
Owning a business, especially being a multifaceted entrepreneur, you are constantly working (in all honesty). However, even though this is hard work, running two businesses and working a 9-5 - my photography and the market is an outlet for creativity, education, and joy.
When there is down time, I take advantage of that to create reels, take photos, write up emails, captions, etc. The work is always there, so having initiative is crucial. I do take off Sundays though - that's a reset day for me and very important so that I can show up my best week after week.
Best seller is the WASHCLOUD® Swedish Dish Cloth, hands down. The patterns and colors are eye catching, and it's a very easy, sustainable swap people are comfortable making.
I think social media doesn't always show the nitty gritty we have to deal with on a daily, weekly, monthly basis.
Being a business owner definitely has its perks, I mean, you're the boss, right? BUT, it's also the hardest thing - you are the BOSS. If you don't complete a task, that can affect your business within minutes, even seconds.
You get asked "How do you do it?" or "I don't know how you do it all" a lot, and truthfully, I always answer "I don't know either, but I love it." But without the support of my fiance, family, and community, this wouldn't be happening and I am super grateful.
There is definitely some sort of peace and freedom you feel as a business owner. I truly love being able to put forth my work (both photo and the market) and have people step into that space with me and be part of the mission. The best part is hearing that "someone told me to come visit" or "someone told me to book you" - THAT is what it's all about.
Want to shop zero waste near you? We can help! Fill out this store request form and we will get in contact with your local retailer(s) to have them carry us 🤩🥳 : https://notoxlife.com/pages/store-request-form
This conversation was from mid-2020 after the COVID pandemic hit the US, and has not been published before. My Zero Waste Store is a retailer of No Tox Life products based in California (Pasadena).
My Zero Waste Store, formerly known as "Ban SUP Refill," provides alternative solutions to single use plastic. Refills, unpacked products, sustainably packed products, and reusable items make this Pasadena-based business stand out.
Store owner Cheryl Auger is creating a meaningful impact by helping others discover ways to reduce the plastic crisis. Learn with me about how this powerhouse develops her innovative business, influences legislation, and helps shape the future of our planet.
Oh, good. It's going to keep growing. I'm also hoping that we're going to put at least one or two sewing machines so people can rent the sewing machines and do repairs.
We'll definitely be doing "Make Your Own Lotion." I'd like to grow into deodorant refills and those types of things. We'll be doing a bunch of different things, but the sewing machines will be for people to come in and be able to do their own sewing.
Well, you guys know. For sure, we were going to buy liquid products from you guys, and then that dried up. Dr. Bronner and Mrs. Meyers said that they weren't taking any new customers due to COVID. So, it really has limited my ability to get supplies and things for resale. But I think it's working out.
One of them said it was because they wanted to review their processes.
Yeah, or maybe because people in manufacturing still had to be physically there. Maybe they had people with COVID. They wanted to minimize or reduce?
No. Actually, I think it's a really hard time because of fire, dust in the air, high temperatures, etc. So, that's been a challenge as far as having street traffic. But when people stop by, they're very curious about what the store's about.
Some people are like, "Oh my God, we got our first refill store in Pasadena!" Some people know what it is, and they're super excited. Other people are like, "Oh, what's this?" So then, I go through the whole entire explanation of what we're doing in our mission.
It's kind of cool too. I have a lot of data because of my group that's been working on legislation and ordinances for the last couple of years. People will come in, and they're like, "Oh, I read your sign about how we're exporting our waste to Malaysia." And I'm like, "Yep, it's a sin. It's totally sinful, but that's what we're doing." It's so great to know that my information is informing people.
There was a couple in front of the store reading about plastics numbers three through seven the other day, and the guy was like, "I knew it! Read this; 90% of the plastics have never broken down and are still in existence in some form. They just further break down into massive microplastics. This is terrible!"
So, I can hear and see their rage when some people get the information. Then, also, to be so lucky as to have a letter from the city of Pasadena. I actually have another one I could put up, too. It's confirmation. Yeah, Cheryl Auger could be making that stuff up, but when you have the city of Pasadena saying, "Only put plastics one and two in the recycling bin and everything else in your regular dumpster," it's highly reinforcing.
Well, I'd have to say, can you name a big company that you respect and admire and think that their business is doing good? And I'd have to say that, off the top of my head, I can't think of any. It's unconscionable that still, in today's time, we have manufacturers that are allowed in the United States to make products with carcinogens and pesticides. Knowing that rates of autism and other health issues like cancer are increasing so dramatically during our time, we still allow people or companies to make harmful products that we use on our bodies.
A lot of it is just that people are so busy they don't have time to think or review and understand that legislation needs to help us. And I guess that's where small companies come in. I have a customer who came in yesterday. She said, "I will buy anything that is non-toxic, and I prefer that it's a soluble powder."
Yes, and I think fires certainly send a shock to all of us. And the hurricanes, bomb cyclones, smoke, and every other thing that's rapidly descending upon us.
And the people who are trying to deny that at least some part of these problems is not manmade. Because obviously, the weather does change. You can't say the weather will be the same all the time, but the extreme weather is created.
Right. We're seeing so many other things like impacts on crops. We're definitely getting less of a growing season. There are just so many impacts that are obviously the extinction of so many species. It's hard to turn a blind eye to it.
I worked for the Metropolitan Water District. (They operate the water supply to cities in Southern California). I was up at Microsoft with some of my colleagues, looking at their new Windows 10 platforms a couple of years ago. The guy from L.A., D.W.P. (Department of Water and Power), was also there. We were on break, and I walked by and overheard a conversation about how stupid people are because they throw the wrong things in the recycling bins. It's all contaminated, but they're sifting for things that get recycled.
And I was just like, "I don't even know what that's about," because I believed that recycling existed. It was a growing awareness. I started reading the gyre (ocean current) reports about how we were sending all of our waste, specifically plastic, to Asia and poor countries and the conditions we were externalizing. They were using it for cooking and insulation for their homes. Children were playing with it. It was getting into their farms, food, and water. The more I learned, the more concerned I got.
Part of that learning came from the state twin bills, SB 54 and AB 1080, that didn't pass. We know that 23 Assembly members failed to vote on August 31st for these bills. And we also know that many of them had voted in support of these bills in the past but, since then, had taken either one, two, or three contributions from Dart, a Styrofoam manufacturer. Then, they didn't vote on it in the final round.
It's heartbreaking because we've got a problem, and we don't have leaders that are helping us to solve it. Chris Holden and my Assembly member, Mike Gibson, have two of the highest positions and get the most campaign contributions. And like $200,000 of it comes from the fossil fuel industry.
I feel like we're in a fight for our lives right now and that, somehow, we have to get a message across to people that there's a truth out there. The plastic lobbyists don't want you to know the truth, but somehow, I have to impress the truth on you so that we make changes and we create awareness with others. So, it's my core mission.
A couple of people have asked me about whether or not I want to franchise my store, which is quite flattering. Maybe I would consider doing that, but I've told people, "If you want a store and you want some advice, call me or email me." I'm happy because I honestly believe that every walking community should have a refill store within something you can bike to or walk to.
I believe that part of the solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions is shopping locally, buying locally, and buying unpackaged sustainable goods. I think that's all a part of what is going to help us turn this climate crisis that we're having around and, certainly, the plastic crisis.
Did you see that article from NPR? It was about how the plastic industry has known about the fact that plastic isn't recyclable for 70 years. They did all these things, like creating the chasing arrows to hide it. And they have uncovered files where they learned that these executives had discussed it and talked about how to market around the plastic so that nobody would know that it was not recyclable.
So, interestingly enough, I gave a talk on Tuesday at Metropolitan Water District (WMD), and 65 people attended. I made a comment about the 14 articles being recycled. But I said, "Local jurisdictions, like Athens (waste management service), will take the clamshells, the number five that the rotisserie chickens come in. So, the deal is, just call around to each company and see what they take so you know exactly what you can recycle."
What ended up happening is one of the MWD employees called up Athens. They said, "Oh. Well, we take everything!" And so then, she starts saying to the group, "Oh, I'm so lucky finding out that this company, which is Athens, takes everything."
I was like, "No, that's not true. They get paid to haul. They're incentivized to take everything because they want the weight of the waste because that's what they're going to get paid for." And so now, Amy Hammond (Manager of Burbank Recycling Plant in California) is going to come speak on November 2nd to our group.
Yeah, shine a little light.
Yes. Today, I sent an email over to Pasadena City Council like, "You know, we've got to do something with now knowing specifically that we've got 14 items that are recycled statewide." And then, I sent it out to 200 plus people in my group, like, "Take the email, make it your own, send it to your city council, and let's see where we can bring this."
I think the misinformation campaign that COVID could be transmitted through surface was damaging, to say the least. I've been taking any opportunity. I've been working, sending letters with Surfrider, Break Free from Plastic, and a couple of other groups that the CDC has not found any surface transmittal. I use every opportunity I have to say that, but the damage has been done.
I have not, but I am personally against greenhouse gas emissions associated with shipping waste across the country. There's the Ellen MacArthur Plan, which has major attendees like the Mars Candy Company. They have these ridiculous proposals to do things like use high heat thermal exchange to energy. That's how all the little candy wrappers will get collected and managed.
I thought about it one day. So, you have approximately 40 million children trick-or-treating all over the world on October 31st. Now, how exactly do they get those candy wrappers over to Mars' incineration system? And I was like, "They don't. They just don't." It's preposterous to think that that would even work.
Right! There are two state bills and the federal bill right now, which is the Break Free from Plastic bill, introduced by Long Beach Congressman Alan Lowenthal. All three of those bills proposed that the manufacturer takes responsibility for what they're making their product and their packaging out of. So, if only one, two, and five can be recycled - and that's the infrastructure we have in place - then that's what manufacturers must use, or they've got to figure out their own plant.
We were thinking of the same thing. In fact, I was going to try to get a grant to do that locally. We would only focus on coffee shops. So, we like the vessel concept where you drop off clean coffee cups. There are a few places around the city where you could dump it in close proximity to the store. Then, we'd pick them up and clean them.
I did look into using church and public school infrastructures for dishwashing. I was going to go one step further: pick up the waste coffee, which is good for growing mushrooms. So, you have two purposes to go to that coffee store.
Amazing! They probably have laws about recycled content, then.
Right.
Yeah, there's a lot of work to be done. That's for sure. And I should mention that in case anybody lives in Thousand Oaks, they have a plastic ban ordinance on the agenda for the next city council meeting. It looks good. We need more of those. Truthfully, as you know, the city of L.A., L.A. County, and Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council all have bans poised to go.
Okay, well, that's an easy one. I have just fallen in love with Zip Tops. Zip Tops are silicone cups and containers that are like stashers. So, you can microwave them. You can put them in the oven. You can put them in boiling water and freely put them in the dishwasher. I love the way they look and feel, and they're made up right here in the United States. So, it's reducing the greenhouse gases to get them here. They are made in Austin, Texas.
- Cheryl Auger, owner of My Zero Waste Store
No, they are not 100% plastic free. We tried paper tubes, and the paper gets soggy since we have a wet formula. Unlike some deodorants that are made of wax and oil, ours is wet. Wet ingredients and paper don't mix.
So we do have to use a material that can hold up to our deodorant. It is less waste but not zero waste.
These new tubes have a number of important changes vs our previous tubes.
Our previous tube had a puck in the bottom that would fall out as you got to the bottom. The puck contained around 16% of the product (by weight) inside the tube, but was unusable unless you wanted to scrape it out and use flaky bits of deodorant.
The photos above show the deodorant puck that would fall out at the bottom of the previous tubes, with the amount of wasted product in each one.
Our new tubes have no plastic puck at the bottom, which means there is no wasted amount in the bottom of the tube.
Our new deodorant tubes are refillable and therefore have more complicated components. Due to this, our manufacturing price per tube is higher than before. Our new tube does hold roughly16% less product than before, but since 16% of the previous tube was unusable (unless you wanted to scrape it out), it is nearly the same amount of usable product. We have kept the main tube price the same despite an increased manufacturing cost with our new packaging.
Our new refill capsules are significantly cheaper than a tube price, so you will save a lot on refilling these tubes. Shop refills here.
The simple instructions on refilling are: RECYCLE, REFILL, CLICK, TWIST. Detailed instructions below:
To remove the capsule that's in there - turn counter-clockwise and lift it out. Don't forget to recycle it once you clean out any deodorant residue inside.
Place the new capsule inside the outer tube.
Press down and turn it clockwise until it clicks. Once it clicks, it is locked into place.
Remove the inner cap lid and twist the tube upwards from the bottom (counter-clockwise). The deodorant will rise up as you twist it.
Shop our whole range of deodorant and refills here.
Our previous tube was made of softer plastic and the bottom components would sometimes break in the mail or when dropped. Our new tube is made of more sturdy material so it will last longer and you'll see a lot less breakage.
The new outer tube packaging is made of ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene). Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene is a hard plastic material used to make things like electronics, auto body parts, helmets and more. Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) is readily recyclable in most regions.
The outer tube can be re-used by inserting a new refill capsule. ABS is a very sturdy type of plastic which can withstand drops better unlike our previous packaging.
The ABS we chose is post-consumer recycled plastic, which means it was in use in the world and was recycled and is now re-used.
The inner refill capsule is made of PP (Polypropylene) also known as number 5 plastic. Polypropylene is a softer type of plastic that is used to make yogurt cups, certain beverage containers that have a cloudy finish, medicine bottles, ketchup bottles and straws.
Polypropylene is considered safer than other plastics because it does not contain bisphenol A. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used to make rigid plastics flexible. For example with water bottles, the plastics used originally are not flexible, but then ingredients like bisphenol A are added and then it can squeeze and crinkle. Bisphenol A (BPA) is considered problematic because it can mimic estrogen in the body and disrupt hormones. Definitely good to avoid packaging with BPA!
Polypropylene used in our capsules is also readily recyclable. The refill capsule should be cleaned out of product when you are done, and recycled.
Ready to make the switch? Shop our refillable deodorant here.
If you have a retail store or grocery store, we offer wholesale and have online customers we'd love to send your way. Sign up here for wholesale.
Edit: the sale has ended.
]]>We are upgrading all USA lower 48 States e-commerce orders over $150 to free UPS Ground 3 Day Select Shipping.
UPS Ground 3 Day Select guarantees fast transit times of arriving by the end of the 3rd business day once the carrier picks up.
How to get this upgraded fast shipping:
We are upgrading all USA 50 States e-commerce orders over $250 to free UPS 2nd Day Air Shipping.
UPS 2nd Day Air guarantees fast transit times of arriving by the end of the 2nd business day once the carrier picks up.
How to get this upgraded fast shipping:
Take 30% off everything in this collection - see discount added to your cart automatically. Applies on top of any additional sale prices in this collection.*
*Discounts often do not "stack" or combine discounts on top of discounts. Generally you will get the highest amount discount possible in your cart. No rain checks. We reserve the right to refuse to combine them with other discounts or specials. Use the discount at time of purchase only, it will not be applied retroactively.
FREE shipping on USA orders over $49 USD. Includes Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
FREE shipping on Canada orders over $175 CAD.
Making products in my mom's kitchen in 2014 (Earth Day, April 22nd), we began slinging soap at our local farmers market. One booth and one farmers market turned into 10 different markets each weekend. One production assistant turned into 5 staff helping with shipping, packaging and making products.
We outgrew using her kitchen to make batches, and after two years we found a production facility space to expand to. In the front was a small building that was empty. We dreamed up a store design and decided to open our own store. It helped with the rent for the production facility to have the two buildings share a lease.
The store was carefully outfitted with custom shelving and furniture that we designed and built. After running the store for 2 years focusing on our products plus gifts, we listened to customer requests and decided to transform the space to a zero waste refill shop.
Our refill shop was unique because we made the majority of the products sold in the store right next door. Some very popular products included our "Cali-Castile" soap as a palm-oil free and plastic-free answer to Dr Bronners, and various laundry products, lotions, face washes and more. Not to mention our regular product line of shampoo, conditioner, soaps, deodorant, etc.
Once we got the refill store going, we were simultaneously expanding in our wholesale department and manufacturing production. We jumped from a handful of retailers to hundreds. We began shipping worldwide, and stocking stores in the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Europe, South America, and even South Africa. We translated some of our products to 20 languages to better sell in other countries.
In 2020 we were poised to expand even further, and opened our second production facility while keeping the first running. Little did we know that 2 weeks after opening the doors on the second facility, COVID came to town. The ensuing ups and downs set us back a bit but eventually we came through it.
Now we are in over 2000 small independent retailers and zero waste shops in the US, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and several other countries worldwide. While many of our retailers have had difficulties since the start of the pandemic, many have been able to pull through and are growing.
We continue to focus our business on creating good, effective, low waste products at a reasonable price. It has been hard with this year particularly, our raw materials and shipping costs have skyrocketed. Every single supplier we work with has raised prices at least 20-30% in the last two years. Some have raised prices 5X.
- Update, the sale is extended through the end of the weekend, Sunday April 24th! -
In celebration of our company anniversary and Earth Day (April 22nd), we would like to give all shoppers on our sites 22% off for a flash sale.
How to get the sale:
No coupon code needed, it will apply directly in your cart. Cannot be combined with other offers. No minimum order size. Valid for wholesale orders too.
E-commerce free shipping:
Our normal free shipping on US orders over $49 applies (order must reach $49 after discounts). Other countries are calculated rates only.
Wholesale free shipping:
USA 48 lower states & Canada: Free shipping on orders over $1000 USD and CAD. Other countries are calculated rates only. Alaska and Hawaii: free shipping on $1500 orders.
Sale begins: Friday, April 22, 2022 at 12am Central Time.
Sale ends: Sunday, April 24th at 11:59pm Central Time.
No rain checks. Valid only on:
e-commerce:
notoxlife.com
And also our wholesale sites:
wholesale.notoxlife.com (USA wholesale)
notoxlife.ca (Canada wholesale)
I use my CASA AGAVE® dish brush to agitate the soap pieces up and down and side to side. It generates bubbles, so now I have a bowl of foamy bubbles and a brush covered in suds.
Finally, I have my bowl of sudsy water, and I dip the brush in that to then suds up my dishes. The right photo is another small bowl I was cleaning.
The sudsy water is good to use for general dish washing, plus for cleaning out tricky things like bottles. Just pour the liquid in there and shake it around, and if you have a bottle brush, get it in there too.
When you're all done, drain out the water completely and let the soap scraps dry on a cloth or drying rack so you can use them again. Don't leave them sitting in water.
Our new series will explore cost differences between zero waste, small-batch, plant-based and plastic-free products vs some of their "big brand" counterparts.
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Our new series will explore cost differences between zero waste, small-batch, plant-based and plastic-free products vs some of their "big brand" counterparts. We are interested in why these products are perceived to be more expensive, and if they are, what is making them more expensive.
No Tox Life Vegan Lip Butter
Our new paperboard tube lip butter packaging is roughly 5 times more expensive than the plastic tubes we used to use.
Even though we order very large quantities of these paperboard tubes for our manufacturing, the price difference is not mitigated much. Paper costs more than plastic.
As part of our new design and pricing, we had to figure out how to make it valuable for customers even though our paperboard packaging choice was 5 times more expensive.
Our formula is packed with organic ingredients and nourishing oils and butters. Our lip butter is buttery vs oily and has a matte finish, plus it tends to last longer on the lips. Check out the ingredients here.
We made the tube hold twice as much capacity as a "normal" lip balm. So for every two plastic tube lip balms you go through, you'll generally go through one of ours.
However, we still have people asking why the product is so expensive compared to a big brand plastic tube lip balm.
To break down the numbers for you, here is a comparison on pricing between our product and big brand name lip balms.
Comparisons will be using net weight, which is defined as the weight of the product excluding any packaging weight. So just the weight of what's inside the tube. Net weight is the standard measurement for cosmetic products in the US that are solid or semi-solid.
We have limited shipping staff working starting Christmas Eve, some orders will be shipping the week of Dec 27th-31st and the remaining orders will all ship out the first week of January after the holiday.
Ecommerce orders (any size order) placed from Dec 24th through January 2nd get:
Ecommerce orders over $99* also get:
All gifts are automatically added to your box in shipping, no coupon code or adding to cart required. *Total order after any discounts must exceed $99.
All USA e-commerce orders over $49 qualify for free standard shipping. This includes Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and APO addresses.
USA & International (excluding Canada*) wholesale orders, any size order, placed from Dec 24th through Jan 2nd will get:
Wholesale orders have shipping specials for free shipping which will automatically appear at checkout when you reach the free shipping amounts. Orders must be placed on our own wholesale website to qualify.
*Canadian wholesale customers: unfortunately we are not currently able to add the gifts to your orders with our shipping facilities in Canada, hopefully for future gifts we'll be able to have this figured out!
Pre-COVID we had a huge holiday party and event with local vendors, live music and free hydrosols (essential oil water) distilled by us right in front of all the guests. It was so much fun!
We hope that everyone is having a great holiday, whether it's with friends, family, or enjoying the outdoors or simply relaxing at home. We miss seeing our customers and friends in-person!
Essential oil distillation equipment
Our giant decorations made out of foraged pine branches and a staple gun
Sandee, founder of No Tox Life, preparing the distillation equipment
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This brilliant design she came up with has everything you'll need in a dish soap holder (it fits the massive DISH BLOCK® dish soap 22.9 oz size!), it has a brush holder with drain holes and a common drain hole for the whole thing to keep your soap and brushes dry. It also comes with rubberized feet.
Each piece is handmade by Kari in small batches. Due to the limited batch production, she does periodic restocks online. They sell fast. This Saturday at 10am Pacific, she'll be restocking 3 variations of this design on her website (set your calendar to snag one!).
To celebrate this, we are running a giveaway with Remake Ceramics on Instagram, open to USA and Canada. (now live).
**Giveaway details**
@notoxlife and @remakeceramics have teamed up to gift one lucky winner an everyday low-waste essential kitchen dish washing kit that includes (over $200 value):
To enter you must:
Giveaway ends Thursday, Dec 16th at 10 am PST. One randomly selected winner will be notified of winning via comment and private message. Giveaway open to USA and Canadian residents. We will not be responsible if any damages occur during shipping.
]]>Ends at midnight Central time on Monday, Nov 29th.
Take 30% off any e-commerce order over $200 on our website. Automatically applied at checkout, no coupon code needed. Applies to orders from all countries.
Get a free WASHCLOUD™ sponge cloth - for dish washing or cleaning surfaces and counters, it's machine washable so you can keep your sponge sanitary. This will be automatically added to your order in shipping, no need to add it to your cart (we will choose a random pattern for each order).
Get a free ring-shaped vegetable brush, perfect for any type of fruit or vegetable that needs scrubbing. We love to use the DISH BLOCK® solid dish soap as a veggie wash soap too. Will be automatically added to your box in shipping, no code required.
Get all of the free items above plus:
Free shipping (USA only) for orders over $49. No coupon code needed. Applies to Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico as well.
Get a free WASHCLOUD™ sponge cloth.
Get a free ring-shaped vegetable brush.
Get free shipping (USA).
Get a free copper reusable straw set with pouch.
Get 30% off your order, no coupon code needed.
Free gifts will be automatically added to your box during shipping, no need to add them to your cart.
Starts at 12:01am Central Time on Monday Nov 29th, ends 12:00am Central Time on Tuesday Nov 30th. No rain checks.
Example of symbiotic living from nature: In a coral reef, the fish tend to eat the seaweed, making more room for coral to grow, and the coral provide hiding places and protection for the fish.
Humanity is happier when it co-exists with nature (living symbiotically). We should not be trying to conquer or destroy what nature already figured out and created over millions of years of evolution and changing.
The survival of humans depends on the survival of all of our environment, which includes the plant and animal kingdoms as well as other living things like mushrooms that are neither plant nor animal.
Our human race’s activities (consuming trillions of gallons of oil within the space of 100 years, polluting our oceans with single-use plastics, creating pesticides that kill beneficial insects, making diverse species go extinct with removal of rainforests and delicate ecosystems), are treating the planet as if we humans are separate from nature.
One of the key elements to really create change in all of this is educating humans on why it is so important to do something different. We can’t keep acting like business as usual.
On Symbiotic Sunday, we are donating 5% of all sales (net revenue, excluding shipping charges and sales taxes, and after discounts are applied) to charities, non-profits and groups that work towards education, training and awareness of people, to inspire others to build a better future and better relationship with our environment.
Comment or message on social media or email or text us and nominate your favorite charities and groups for us to consider for donations!
Take 20% off any e-commerce order over $100 on our website. Automatically applied at checkout, no coupon code needed. Applies to orders from all countries.
Get a free WASHCLOUD™ sponge cloth - for dish washing or cleaning surfaces and counters, it's machine washable so you can keep your sponge sanitary. This will be automatically added to your order in shipping, no need to add it to your cart (we will choose a random pattern for each order).
Get a free ring-shaped bamboo & agave fiber vegetable brush, perfect for any type of fruit or vegetable that needs scrubbing. We love to use the DISH BLOCK® solid dish soap as a veggie wash soap too. Will be automatically added to your box in shipping, no code required.
Get all of the free items above plus:
Free shipping (USA only) for orders over $49. No coupon code needed. Applies to Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico as well.
Get all of the free items above, plus free shipping, plus 20% off your order. No coupon code needed, will be automatically applied at checkout once your cart total reaches $100.
Starts at 12:01am Central Time on Sunday Nov 28th, ends 12:00am Central Time on Monday Nov 29th. No rain checks.
Stay tuned for one more sale starting on Monday!
As a result of these increased costs, we have contemplated raising prices, but for now are holding off as long as we can, as we want to continue offering affordable eco alternatives for those switching to natural and zero waste products.
In good news, in the last year we have grown the number of stores we sell in, and are now in over 1,500 retailers across USA, Canada, Europe and even Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Taiwan!
To celebrate small business, growing our zero waste and vegan brand, and surviving a global pandemic despite everything, we are doing sales starting Friday, with a new sale or gift updated each day through Monday night.
Take 15% off any e-commerce order over $75 on our website. Automatically applied at checkout, no coupon code needed. Applies to orders from all countries.
Get a free WASHCLOUD™ sponge cloth - for dish washing or cleaning surfaces and counters, it's machine washable so you can keep your sponge sanitary. This will be automatically added to your order in shipping, no need to add it to your cart (we will choose a random pattern for each order). Applies to orders from all countries.
Get the free WASHCLOUD™ sponge cloth listed above, plus get:
A free Solid Seaweed Shampoo sample. Our unique and effective shampoo formula is just like salon quality shampoo but without the added water. The shampoo will be automatically added to your order in shipping, no need to add it to your cart. Applies to orders from all countries. (This pairs well with the SOLIDSILK™ seaweed conditioner).
Free shipping (USA only) for orders over $49. No coupon code needed. Applies to Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico as well.
Get a free WASHCLOUD™ sponge cloth
Get a free Solid Seaweed Shampoo sample
Get free shipping (USA)
Get 15% off your order
Get a free round PLANTOODLE™ bar safe (we choose the color)
Starts at 12:01am Central Time on Saturday Nov 27th, ends 12:00am Central Time on Sunday Nov 28th. No rain checks.
Take 20% off any e-commerce order over $100 on our website. Automatically applied at checkout, no coupon code needed. Applies to orders from all countries.
All orders (of any size) get a free WASHCLOUD™ sponge cloth - for dish washing or cleaning surfaces and counters, it's machine washable so you can keep your sponge sanitary. This will be automatically added to your order in shipping, no need to add it to your cart (we will choose a random pattern for each order). Applies to orders from all countries.
Free shipping (USA only) for orders over $49. No coupon code needed. Applies to Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico as well.
Starts at 12:00am Central Time on Friday Nov 26th, ends 12:00am Central Time on Saturday Nov 27th. No rain checks.
Additional sales / gifts for Sunday and Monday to be announced!
]]>If you have a scent preference, throw that in the notes at checkout and we'll try to ship that scent!*
Our body wash soaps are palm oil free. What is the deal with palm oil?
Palm oil is a tropical oil produced in Southeast Asia, the mass production of palm is leading to the habitat loss of Bengal tigers, Organutans and the destruction of local environments, as well as the release of massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere as rainforests are cut down to make room for palm plantations. While our full line is not palm oil- derived ingredient free, we work to make our products as palm free as we can, and our body wash soaps and dish soap are 100% palm-free.
While palm oil production is scary, the quality and price of our body wash soaps is not. We did the work to make them affordable, vegan, bubbly & moisturizing, and available in bulk. You can buy in bulk on our regular e-commerce site and if you're a qualified retailer such as a zero waste refill shop or grocery store, we sell them on wholesale too. (Apply for wholesale here).
*Canada wholesale buyers, we only have one scent for sampling (Turmeric Ginger) for this gift due to logistics at our current warehouse but all scents are available for sale.
We plan to grow a lot more this year so if we're not in a store near you - reach out with the store name & location, and also tell the store manager you want us to be in the store!
Here’s the deal: we ship all orders FAST but once they hit the post office we literally can’t do anything about how fast or slow they go. 🤪 The post office, UPS, FedEx, and DHL have all suspended delivery time guarantees and they are so so busy.
(this graphic captures what we are dealing with)Holiday break
We have shipped all e-commerce orders as of 6 am December 24, and will be on break for a week and a half and resume shipping when we return on January 4th.
All USA orders over $49 qualify for free standard shipping. This includes Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and APO addresses.
If you need to have a guaranteed delivery 🚚 visit one of our many retailers - if you don’t know where to shop locally see our recent Instagram post and tag your city 🌃 so we can match you up with a nearby store 💓🙏🏼
Thanks for including us in 'What Our Team Loved in August', Cupcakes and Cashmere! 🧁👚
Here's what they had to say about our solid shampoo and conditioner:
My ongoing quest to find the perfect solid shampoo and conditioner hit a new high when I tried out the Solid Seaweed version by No Tox Life. This brand was already on my radar because of their very popular dishwashing block (I'm counting down the days until we run out of dishwashing liquid so I can give it a try) and due to the fact that it's founded by a mother-daughter duo. I picked up the 1 oz version at a nearby zero-waste store a few weeks ago and tried them immediately. All the other bars I've tested either lather up well but leave my hair feeling stripped (we all know that too-squeaky clean feeling) or don't lather, making it difficult to get the product into my hair. These bars lather up so nicely that I'm able to get the product into my hair without rubbing the bar for too long. I woke up the next morning with shiny, soft hair that, for once, had a little bit of volume!
You can read the rest of the August favorites here.
]]>What if you found out that the myth of recycling is being used by the petroleum industry to further a progressive march of environmental pollution? Plastic pollution has ballooned since the 1970s into one of the biggest threats to our planet today.
These documentaries are a good starting point to learn more about the plastic problem and to share more about this global issue with interested friends and family. We hope you can add them to your watch queue and they help inspire change in your life or whomever you share them with!
Broken: Recycling Sham takes us to Malaysia where single-use plastics line beaches and sprawl for acres across landfills. Many corporations market single-use plastics as recyclable, and this is simply not the case. This episode explores the 'greenwashing' used to mislead consumers, and the true final destination of single-use plastic.
Watch: Netflix
While all of Blue Planet is a must-watch, the final episode of season II is particularly powerful and explores how plastic is slowly killing our sea creatures. It is a hard watch, but an important one - and a study conducted on viewers found that 88% made changes to their lifestyle after watching this episode.
In the words of the great Sir David Attenborough: "Never before have we had such an awareness of what we are doing to the planet and never before have we had the power to do something about that. Surely we have a responsibility to care for our blue planet."
Watch: BBC America, Amazon, iTunes, Netflix
Vice's Garbage Island: An Island Full of Plastic sees journalists travel to Malaysia, where there is a Texas-sized flotsam of plastic and garbage. "By the time you get to the point where we're hoisting creatures out and eating them, you're looking at entire milk crate's worth of particles built up in their fat. It's the cycle of life reimagined as a dystopian sci-fi cliché. We are eating our own refuse."
Watch: YouTube.
]]>Tell us a little bit about The Minimal Co. - what inspired you to open the shop?
Making moves towards reducing my waste, I found it difficult to find products that fit my aesthetic and my core values. People said you couldn’t be minimal and also sustainable. Back then, in New Zealand, sustainability was associated much more with being a hippie.
I saw a gap in the market for a clean, minimalistic approach to sustainability and I wanted to offer the kind of products that even a person not looking for sustainable products would want to use.
Starting with a core range of products made in-house, using formulations I had been using myself for years, I started my e-commerce store in early 2019.
What are your thoughts on sourcing products from abroad?
When sourcing for my shop, I found that a lot of eco stores only sold NZ made products, which meant they often sold the same thing and lacked variety. I started to look at other products to sell and quickly settled on the fact that I needed to sell the best in class. Giving customers an alternative product from a brand I really believed in would be the best thing for me.
I reached out to all my friends overseas I was directed to No Tox Life, being told “once you start using these products you won’t go back!” It was soon after that I became the first No Tox Life stockist in New Zealand! My friend was right, I will never go back.
New Zealand is a small island country and while it does have a robust manufacturing sector, there are high costs to doing business in this country and many goods are imported for consumption. The US now supplies 10% of the annual total imports to NZ.
Even though No Tox Life isn't manufactured on the islands of NZ, they are designing compact, concentrated, and low impact products that can be shipped in bulk with a minimal carbon footprint. Plus the end of life involves no plastic packaging. It makes me so happy that I can spread the word on all these amazing products.
How has it gone with COVID and your business?
Working a full-time job as a Project Manager while running The Minimal Co. made for a crazy first year! After being open for 10 months, we moved into a flagship store in my home community in Mt Victoria, Wellington. This happened just before the Covid-19 pandemic sent us into an 8-week nationwide lockdown. Luckily, due to that full-time job, and the support of our amazing community, we made it through the lockdown and we continue to expand our little business even through the craziness of 2020!
What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone curious about a zero-waste lifestyle but nervous to take the plunge?
The best piece of advice I was ever given was: don’t strive for perfection. You will make mistakes, you won’t be perfect - not today or tomorrow, maybe ever! I know I’m not, and I dedicate a pretty big chunk of my life towards aiming for it. The thing to remember is that every change no matter how small is a step in the right direction so it's better to be imperfectly zero waste, than not try at all.
Start small, with a change that’s easy for you. For me, the easiest changes were ones I didn’t need to think about often. Switching to a wooden dish brush, compostable dishcloths, and the DISH BLOCK®. These were things that needed to be purchased infrequently so it was easy to stick to the swap. The easy swap motivated me to make changes in other areas of my life, areas that took a bit more mental effort to stick with.
Give us your top zero waste hack.
Find your local libraries and borrow instead of buying. The traditional book library, tool libraries, kitchen appliance libraries, and even birthday party libraries are sprouting up around the world. As we move into smaller homes and become even more conscious of waste, these libraries are amazing ways to not have endless things used only once a year and then hidden in a closet - but also not go without. Many are free if you live in that community, or run on a deposit system. If there isn’t one in your community, why not start one?
What is your favorite No Tox Life product?
It’s hard to name just one, but I think it would have to be the ONYX Detoxifying Charcoal Cleansing Bar. I have struggled with acne for as long as I can remember, even going on medication for it on and off over the years. I felt like I had tried everything, I had spent hundreds of dollars on products that just didn’t work. Thinking to myself, well if nothing works, I may as well use something that’s zero waste, I started using the ONYX Cleansing Bar and I couldn’t believe it, my skin cleared up in a few weeks and a year later, I have never had better skin!
- Bridget Feierabend, founder The Minimal Co.
Thank you Bridget for taking us behind the scenes of your beautiful shop and telling us more about how you got started!
More about The Minimal Co.
Not only does Bridget sell a beautifully curated selection of zero waste and sustainable products, but she has also teamed up with Trees For The Future and pledged to plant one tree per order (and five per overseas order!). As of July 2020, she has donated the funds to plant 5,000 trees!
See her website here.
Our main focus is formulating and manufacturing high quality, effective and low waste vegan products, so it has taken us some time to work out a good solution to better help our Canadian stores keep everything stocked.
To provide better shipping and customs rates to our Canada buyers, we now have a warehouse in Alberta and orders will be shipping out of that warehouse in bulk every 2-3 weeks.
We have a new Canadian wholesale site where all orders are in Canadian currency and GST/HST taxes are charged. HST/GST taxes are 100% refundable if you register properly with Canada Revenue. Customs and brokerage are included in the shipping cost and we have free shipping for orders over $1350 CAD.
When the package(s) arrive to your store, no additional taxes, duties, brokerage or customs fees are due.
Send us a quick email to wholesale@notoxlife.com if you need your login approved for your new Canadian No Tox Life wholesale account (if you are a new wholesale buyer please fill out our application form here).
]]>Meanwhile, people have been emailing us asking where they can shop No Tox Life products in LA, and where they can buy bulk and low waste.
Here is a list of zero waste stores and pop ups featuring a large selection of low waste goods including ours. All of these shops have ordered our products multiple times and are restocking frequently. If one of them doesn't carry a particular item you're looking for, definitely mention it to us (and them!):
Live Luca (Highland Park): https://www.ourluca.com/ - carries a wide selection of our products.
re_ grocery (Highland Park): https://regrocery.co (formerly known as Tare Grocery)
The Well Refill (Topanga): https://thewellrefill.com - also one of the ladies working with them is our former brick and mortar store manager 💓
My Zero Waste Store (Pasadena): https://www.myzerowastestore.com/
Homage Pasadena (mostly a gift shop but the owner Jill does carry a wide selection of our products): https://homagepasadena.com
Any other stores that should carry us or zero waste stores that we missed? Let us know on our instagram page or send us an email here.
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