state of Minnesota bans BPA
By Lafe | May 22, 2009
It’s exciting to see the recent flurry of activity regarding the banning of BPA. Last month, Minnesota became the first state to outright ban the use of BPA and the City of Chicago passed a recent ban on BPA as well. Even more good news, the EPA will now require pesticide manufacturers to test certain chemicals including BPA to determine whether they disrupt the endocrine system. I’m delighted to finally see strong action at all levels prohibiting use of such a dangerous chemical as BPA, especially for infants and children.
Topics: BPA, Bisphenol A | No Comments »
The Dangers in Personal Care Products
By Lafe | January 29, 2009
There’s more and more news coming out about the dangers of personal care products, echoing what we’ve been saying all along about why it’s important to be as vigilant about those types of products as you are with food and drink. Simply put, what goes on your body goes in your body. A recent article on Huffington Post by Deirdre Imus discusses the dangers of personal care products. It’s a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the basics of why personal care products can be dangerous.
One quote in particular echoes what we’re trying to teach consumers about buying and using personal care products. She writes:
“Personal care products, like deodorant, soap, sunscreen, lip balm, hand lotions, shampoo and conditioners are designed to penetrate — that’s how they are able to do such a good job of cleansing and moisturizing. Many ingredients penetrate all the way down to the cellular level. While these ingredients make some personal care products effective, they also make them dangerous.
I know it’s hard to imagine that your favorite makeup, perfume, and personal care products could also be a threat to your health. But walk into any nail and hair salon and take a deep breath and think about what is entering your lungs and what is being applied to your body. As scientists search for the cause of diseases and chronic illness, a pattern continues to emerge. In a growing number of studies, researchers are beginning to link the adverse effects caused by many of the same chemicals found in commonly used personal care products.”
She goes on to discuss the dangers of chemicals that commonly appear in personal care products. They may look, smell, and feel clean, but they can be doing real and significant damage to your body. (And even, in the alarming example of lead levels in lipstick, to your loved ones.)
Topics: Harmful chemicals, family health, phthalates | No Comments »
A Stellar Review of the Entire Lafe’s Line from Trendcetera
By Lafe | January 21, 2009
I’m excited to share one of the best reviews we’ve ever received — coming from Trendcetera, an online publication that looks at trends for a number of different product types.
The writer was not only knowledgeable about the need for baby-safe plastic, but also understood the potential dangers of fragrances in baby products. She noted, in response to one parent’s surprise that our baby wash wasn’t heavily scented:
“The parental response is one more sign we need to wean ourselves off the usual products that have artificial fragrances and ingredients that come not from the lavender or chamomile plants, but likely from a lab.”
Though the review concentrated on our baby line, it also touched on how our philosophy extends to our deodorants and our joi organic intimate line.
All in all, it’s very rewarding to see reviewers who understand what we’re trying to do with our products and what sets us apart.
Topics: Baby Lotion, Baby Products, Baby Safe Plastic, Baby shampoo, Bisphenol A, Lafe's In the News | No Comments »
Resolve to Live Green in the New Year: Buy Organic
By Lafe | January 6, 2009
I have one last item for you in case you’re still mulling over possible New Year’s Resolutions and are looking for ways to live green. (It’s not too late!)
Buying organic is not only good for the environment — as it adds to the demand for products grown and made without pesticides and other harmful chemicals — but it also helps those farmers and businesses who choose to make organic products available on the market.
When buying organic, the most important thing to do as a shopper is look at the label. Just because a product says “green” or “natural” doesn’t mean it’s organic; in fact, the term “natural” is getting less and less meaningful over time. More companies are jumping on the green bandwagon in their marketing and packaging, without making any significant changes in their formulations.
What I look for when I’m looking for organic products is the green-and-white USDA Organic label. Most of our products meet the USDA Organic standard, which is a product formulated with at least 70 percent organic materials, as verified by a third-party inspector. While people’s awareness of organic options usually starts with food — and concerns over hormones and pesticides used in commercial farming — I believe that what goes on your body is as important as what goes in your body. In fact, that’s my motivation for creating a line of personal care products in the first place. Those motivated to buy organic food for health reasons should be able to make the same sort of choices when it comes to skin care.
Also know that some products, no matter how good for you, can’t be classified as organic. Our deodorant stones, for example, aren’t certified organic because they’re minerals rather than plant-based formulations. Using one of our deodorant stones is a more healthful alternative than one of the typical anti-perspirants on the market, but a mineral can’t be designated organic by definition.
Good luck to everyone resolving to live green in the New Year!
Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »
Resolve to Live Green in the New Year: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
By Lafe | December 23, 2008
When people think about green living, I’d guess that most of them think about recycling as one of the major ways in which to be green. Recycling is certainly helpful, and admirable, and part of the equation for stretching our natural resources. But if you’re truly living green, recycle is the third of three actions you should be taking with respect to resources.
The first of the three is reduce. That means to try to eliminate the use of items like plastic bags, paper cups, and styrofoam containers. One of the best ways to do that, of course, is to invest in reusable items, such as reusable grocery bags when you’re shopping and reusable cups when you’re getting coffee, and remember to bring them with you when you’re out and about. (I find it’s not as easy to remember to bring them with you as it is to buy them in the first place! But if you make gathering your reusable items as part of your routine for leaving the house, you can develop that good habit over the long term.)
The second of the three is to reuse. If you have a plastic bag from the grocery store, you can put that bag to use in other ways. Perhaps it can carry the lunch you’re bringing from home. Perhaps there are some items you need to transfer from home to work. Whatever you can do to repurpose that bag, to get multiple uses from it, it’s better than just using it once and throwing it away.
If you do recycle, make sure that you’re following the instructions the city or recycling facility is giving you on how to prepare and set out the items, and make sure that you’re recycling only after you’ve considered reuse possibilities. Recycling’s become easier over time, which is encouraging, as it shows that we as a society have gotten serious about acknowledging we have limited resources and can be smarter about how we allocate them. This is still very much a work in progress, though, and not only is it necessary to keep practicing the three Rs, but it’s also necessary to encourage others to do it as well. The more people are doing it, the more effective we’ll collectively be.
Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »
Last-Minute Holiday Gift News
By Lafe | December 17, 2008
We just made the Last-Minute Gift Guide on Gruntlings, a great site proclaiming itself “all things baby and child.” We’re really proud of the review, especially the comments about how Lafe’s is a safer option for baby, between the products’ organic makeup and the baby-safe plastic we choose to package them in.
Just a reminder if you’re doing last-minute shopping for the parents of babies and toddlers on your list — we can two-day ship as late as the 22nd to make it to your doorstep by Christmas Eve. It’s amazing that we’re just a week away from Christmas Eve, isn’t it?
Topics: Baby Products, Baby Safe Plastic, Lafe's In the News | No Comments »
Resolve to Live Green in the New Year: Shop Local
By Lafe | December 12, 2008
The end of the year is coming, and with it comes inevitable questions about New Year’s Resolutions. I think they can be powerful promises, especially when you think about how you can better your community and your planet rather than just yourself. Over the next few weeks, I’d like to offer a few suggestions for how to live green in 2009.
One of the easiest things you can do to live green — and support your community as well — is to shop local. In Austin, we recently had an Eat Local Week, which encouraged people throughout the city to dine at local restaurants and shop at local farmers’ markets. Not only does shopping local help small business owners and workers in your community, but in many instances, what you’re buying is fresher and doesn’t have to travel as far.
And though a growing number of larger businesses are beginning to see the value in selling organic products, as I noted in this blog a couple of months back, it’s often local co-ops and markets (such as Austin’s own Wheatsville Co-Op) who are the early adopters and advocates for quality organic products. Supporting these stores not only helps those owners who support vendors like Lafe’s, but it helps send a message to the entire industry that shoppers want quality organic products.
It’s not just happening in the United States — this recent Guardian article looked at the growing trend of food co-ops, working to bring its customers better food and a personal touch to their shopping experience.
Of course, shopping local isn’t the only way to save on fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. If you comparison shop online versus driving to multiple stores, you’ll save time as well as resources. Making lists before you shop also helps you organize your trips and plan the shortest route.
It’s hard to shop locally for every single thing, of course. But it’s worth making a conscious effort to do so. You’ll get to know your city better as you’re out there improving it.
Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »
Lafe’s Baby Products Featured on DadLabs
By Lafe | December 4, 2008
Austin’s lucky to have a group in town like DadLabs, who take a fun, scientific approach to a number of products on the market for babies and kids. I did a great interview a few weeks back with Clay Nichols, one of the DadLabs’ dads, and it’s up on their site now:
It’s a good introduction to our baby products, and I get to talk about the attention that goes into the products we make and how we package them. (And it’s also a good introduction to the practical yet whimsical approach of the DadLabs team.)
Topics: Lafe's In the News | No Comments »
Why We Don’t Use Fragrances In Our Baby Products
By Lafe | November 28, 2008
There’s a new study out from the New England Journal of Medicine, as the link above details, showing that “repeated topical use of products containing lavender oil and/or tea tree oil may cause prepubertal gynecomastia, a rare condition resulting in enlarged breast tissue in boys prior to puberty, and for which a cause is seldom identified.”
Part of the reason we keep our products fragrance-free is because of the growing concern that essential oils — even ones as seemingly benign as lavender and tea-tree oils — may carry a significant enough level of estrogenic activity that they affect children. This new study is an indication of the importance of clean and simple formulations in any product for children. Therefore, we have creating clean-smelling baby products without adding anything to the mix, and will continue to do so, especially in light of studies like this.
Topics: EA free, Harmful chemicals | No Comments »
A Sad and Disturbing Case from Britain
By Lafe | November 25, 2008
I ran across a sad and disturbing case a few days ago about a 12-year-old boy in Britain who died from using too much deodorant.
The story, in the Daily Mail, details the case, in which the 12-year-old sprayed copious amounts of Lynx brand deodorant on himself while in a cramped bathroom, and inhaled the fumes, which triggered an irregular heartbeat that led to his untimely death. The coroner in the case noted that the dangers of inhaling excessive amounts of the product in closed spaces were marked clearly on the packaging.
I gather, from the report’s details, that Lynx is very similar to Axe Body Spray, a highly-fragranced brand of cologne containing butane that is popular in the U.S. The very fact that this product needs warnings about its use is a good indicator that people — especially children — should steer clear of using this product. While the Daily Mail story is obviously an extreme case illustrating the dangers of such products, it concerns me that people are using these chemicals as part of their daily routine, sometimes without even reading the warnings or ingredient lists on the labels.
Topics: Harmful chemicals | No Comments »
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