We are two friends living on opposite coasts (Brooklyn, New York and Santa Monica, California) that share a passion for living a minimal, zero waste lifestyle and on a mission to help others do the same.
Harper. Lives in Brooklyn with a +1. Sassy pup. Matcha. Wine. Whiskey. Cheese. Proscuitto.
Charley. Lives in Los Angeles with a +1. Doofy pup. Coffee. Wine. Whiskey. Cheese. Pasta.
All tagged Zero-Waste
Not a buy. While we like that the product works and has simple ingredients, and very reasonable cost per load, we don’t love the plastic packaging and scoop — especially when the product doesn’t really require it. There are other options out there at similar price-point and much more eco-friendly packaging, such as Aspen Clean’s Oxygen Bleach.
OK Buy. Meliora’s Bath and Body Soap is a great addition to the shower routine. The bars smell light and lovely and leave skin feeling soft, not dry. On top of that, they are Leaping Bunny Certified and contain good ingredients. Overall, the soap was not the cheapest in the sample, but the Meliora bars were cheaper than any liquid body wash. Plus, the bars ship in either recyclable paper boxes or package free in a paper envelope.
We are a fan of Aspen Clean’s Oxygen Beach Remover! We love the clean ingredients, EWG verified and Leaping Bunny certified, the zero-plastic packaging, and most importantly, the product works — our whites sheets are whiter. Top it all off, the pricing is very reasonable compared to standard Oxi Clean products!
A STRONG BUY. We used Cocokind’s Resurfacing Overnight Sleep Mask for five months, 1-2x a week and found that it was like a gentle peel — you can definitely feel like working (tingling a bit) on your skin but much gentler than a retinol product that our skin could never really handle. The next day my skin was definitely peeling a little bit and much brighter/smoother without any irritation. We love that the ingredients are relatively clean, but while scent can be a bit odd, we were OK with it. All in all, we love the results for our skin and we LOVE the affordable price point.
We’re disappointed in ourselves…to have waited THIS LONG to replace our Shout stain remover spray. Meliora’s Laundry Stain Removal Soap Stick is almost too good to be true — zero-waste, clean ingredients, affordable, and most importantly, it works! Buy, buy, buy.
BUY. We have loved ❤️ using Lulu Organics Hair Powder over the last few months. Made with only 4 ingredients, and virtually plastic-free, we like that the powder keeps us neat between washes. Also, Lulu Orgranics is budget-friendly, comes in a travel-sized option, and has 6 different scent options.
A GREAT BUY. We love Blueland’s commitment to zero plastic and it stays consistent with their Facial Cleanser— no plastic in packaging, reusable bottle, no harsh ingredients (sulfate, paraben and phtalate free) and hypoallergenic. We also loved the scent and experience — it foamed up from a powder into a creamy gel-like consistency. The ingredients are hydrating, with plant-based Oat, Kaolin Clay and Vitamin E. It is a great everyday use facial cleanser and reduces our use of plastic bottles. Pricing-wise very reasonable when compared to other standard options. The powder format also reduces carbon footprint from shipping — liquid is just so much heavier.
MOSTLY A BUY. We love Blueland’s commitment to zero plastic and it stays consistent with their Scrubber Sponge— no plastic in packaging, 100% plastic free and made without glues or adhesives (it is hand-sewn with cotton thread instead). We love the two sides — loofah on one side for scrubbing, and 100% FSC certified cellulose on the other side for softer washing. The fact that its hand-sewn makes it more durable than other scrubber sponges we have used in the past — and we really like the light blue color, it’s way more aesthetically pleasing than many other sponges. Only complaint is that it is quite a bit more expensive than even other eco-friendly scrubber sponge options, but if we’re doing an order from Blueland, we’re happy to throw it in with our order.
Better, but not great. Given how much we liked Blueland's cleaning products, it is disappointing to report that we wish Blueland Dishwasher tablets worked better. Even though they are zero-waste dishwashing tablets with no chemicals or strong smell, they are too pricey to not work as well as other options. However, given the update regarding PVA in other brands, we believe that it might be worth revisiting Blueland dishwasher tabs. We had previously rated them a NOT buy given the product did not dissolve and was on the pricey side. Since then, other brands prices have increased faster than Blueland’s. Most importantly, Blueland is a PVA-free, convenient tablet option.
: ITS A BUY (if you highly prefer liquid body soap over bar soaps). We love Blueland’s commitment to zero plastic and it stays consistent with their Body Wash— no plastic in packaging, no PVAs in the formula, no harmful ingredients. We also loved the scent and experience — the powder, when combined with water, becomes a creamy consistency, which was a lovely surprise. We like the scent and the ‘forever’ bottle that comes with the first purchase that we can reuse over and over again. Of course, the powder format also reduces carbon footprint from shipping — liquid is just so much heavier.
IT’S A BUY. We love Blueland’s commitment to zero plastic and it stays consistent with their Cloud Cloth— no plastic in packaging, made of 100% FSC-certified cotton fibers and cellulose, water-based and VOC free inks, and bleach-free. These cloths are VERY absorbent, reusable (can replace as many as 1,500 paper towel sheets!) and machine-washable. We also like the bold blue colors!
MOSTLY A BUY. We love Blueland’s commitment to zero plastic and it stays consistent with their Pop-up Sponge— no plastic in packaging, 100% plastic free and made of FSC-certified plant cellulose. It’s also certified by EPA Safer Choice and Leaping Bunny. We do love that it arrives super flat and compact (1/5th the size of a regular sponge) and ‘pops up’ when you add water. We’ve used it for 3 weeks now and that sponge has stayed remarkably fresh — we haven’t even had to throw it in the dishwasher yet — and we really like the light blue color, it’s way more aesthetically pleasing than many other sponges. Only complaint is that it is quite a bit more expensive than even other eco-friendly sponge options, but if we’re doing an order from Blueland, we’re happy to throw it in with our order.
Its a STRONG BUY! We really loved the experience of using Evolved by Nature’s Hand Soap. It smelled incredible, felt amazing on our hands (they really do feel more moisturized after!) and you really can’t beat this price. This product is really a win-win in almost every regard. This will likely be our go-to non-foaming hand soap from now on!
MOSTLY A BUY. We love Blueland’s commitment to zero plastic and it stays consistent with their Toilet Bowl Cleaner tablets— no plastic in packaging, no PVAs in the formula, no harmful ingredients. We also loved the scent and experience — it foamed up very nicely, and it is convenient to use tablets rather than liquid which can get messy. Of course, the tablet format also reduces carbon footprint from shipping — liquid is just so much heavier. Our only flag is that these toilet tablets are pricey. We break down just how pricey below — so it comes down to how much you use, how much you want to pay up for convenience and no PVA.
This was tough because there are so many good brands minimizing harmful ingredients, emissions, and plastic: Ecover, Dropps, and Thrive Market dishwasher powder were some of our best picks. Based on ingredients that were phosphate free, fragrance-free (optional), hypoallergenic, and chlorine-free. Dirty Labs is great runners up given their limited ingredients and super concentrated powder but it is on the pricy side.
We tried the entire suite of Blueland products for a month and break it down for you, from cost to efficacy and more.
Overall, we thought Blueland’s laundry tablets worked well, our laundry came out clean and smelling fresh (even though it was unscented!). While it continues to be the most expensive of what we have reviewed, we do appreciate that it is one of the few options that are PVA free, while maintaining the convenience of tablet form. Powder-based products like Meliora and Charley’s remain the most economical options.
Pipette sunscreen is the clear winner from the list we reviewed. The sunscreen has best ingredients, baby-friendly formula, limited cast, and a reasonable price point. We thought the other options (aside from La Roche-Posay) were also reasonable mineral sunscreen choices.
Raw Elements tinted moisturizer with SPF is a zero-waste, mineral-based SPF that is formulated for light to medium skin shades.
BUY. Dropps OxiBoost Laundry Pods are a convenient, zero-waste option for laundry detergent. The product comes in a recyclable cardboard box and other than PVA, the ingredients are relatively clean. Price-wise, you pay for the convenience of pods compared to powder, but Dropps are some of the cheapest pre-measured options around. Clothes smell just plain old clean since these pods are free from fragrance.
