When it comes to moisturizing our skin, it is so important to remember that the best hydration starts from within. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to drink enough clean, pure water daily. However, various external conditions may dictate the need for some external skin protection or moisturization. Cold or hot, dry climates, lots of time spent indoors in poorly ventilated, forced air environments, and use of synthetic personal care products that use alcohol and other drying chemical ingredients are some of the most common reasons we may find our skin dry and in need of some nourishment.

This is where a quality moisturizer comes in very handy. Now when I say quality, I do not mean the best lotion out there. While there are some purer ones, the simplest and pure substances which help to moisturize our skin come from plant oils. In the plant kingdom, there are numerous plants whose oils can be extracted for the most natural, nourishing skincare routine, which adds benefits to our skin’s regeneration along the way. Many people are finding that using just plain organic, unrefined coconut oil contributes to a great natural skincare routine on its own.

I have always looked after my skin from an early age and believed that proper moisturizing was the way to go. Well, little did I know about the chemicals used in the commercial lotions that I used. Little did I also know about how much our skin is capable of absorbing and how this affects our health.

Ever since I looked into and researched the personal products out there and just how harmful they can be to our body, I looked for a company that can provide a truly natural option for personal care products. This is where I found Green Beaver. Not only do they offer high-quality natural products, but they are also a small, local Canadian company. You can read more about them in my review.

They offer 3 lines of lotions, the regular and the heavy-duty winter and gardener’s line. In this review I will be discussing the regular line which offers the following three varieties:

- Lavender Bath and Body Lotion

- AppleMint Bath and Body Lotion

- Cranberry Bath and Body Lotion

Based on my scent preferences I have tried the cranberry variety, though I am sure based on experience with their other products, that the other two are quite similar in terms of their quality.

The lotion is petrolatum free, and like their other products uses wild and organic Canadian ingredients. The lotions are also 100% biodegradable, vegan and gluten-free. They use no paraben preservatives, sulfates, artificial aromas, fragrances or dyes, glycol and use no animal testing.

The cranberry lotion worked very well. It is not too thick in terms of viscosity, and not to thin and runny. The scent is gentle, a sweet, yet a citrusy cranberry type. It works well to moisturize, absorbs quickly and leaves skin feeling nourished.

The lotion states:

We want to keep you and your family safe. That is why we use ingredients that are organically grown or ecologically wildcrafted. This hand and body lotion’s wild PEI cranberry, indigenous eastern Canadian carrot and organic Prairie seed emollients will nourish and moisturize your skin. For glowing, healthy skin, it is enriched with wild Canadian yarrow, willow-herb, sweet fern and Labrador tea.

I am someone who used to use lotions only after showers, mostly on my legs and arms and never on a daily or excessive basis. This pattern has pretty much continued, although I have scaled down somewhat over the years. As great as this lotion is, we still have to remember that our skin gets nourished from the inside out. A lotion can and perhaps should be used as merely a supplement to proper nourishment from the inside out.

In terms of the ingredients, they are great if we are talking high quality natural. It is fantastic to have a product have an almost perfect record in terms of being a low hazard in terms of ratings from the Skin Deep Cosmetic Database. The alcohol used by the way is not really an “alcohol”, such as rubbing alcohol, which would dry the skin, but it is an emulsifying wax, made by combining fatty alcohols from vegetable sources, such as coconut alcohol.

This lotion is suitable for the whole family, including babies. I highly recommend this line of lotions to anyone who is serious about optimizing their health on every level, conscious of the personal products they use and serious about high quality natural products.

Ingredients for Cranberry Lotion

(Plant ingredients are italicized)

  • Aqua/Water/Eau
  • Helianthus annuus (Sunflower Seed Oil – organic)
  • Glycerin (plant derived) *(1 – low hazard)
  • Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride *(0/1 – low hazard)
  • Coco-Glucoside *(0 – low hazard)
  • Cetearyl Alcohol *(0/1 – low hazard)
  • Vaccinium macrocarpon (Cranberry Seed Oil – organic)
  • Daucus carota sativa (Carrot Seed Oil – organic)
  • Borago officinalis (Borage Seed Oil – organic)
  • Linum usitatissimum (Linseed Seed Oil – organic)
  • Vaccinium macrocarpon (Cranberry Fruit Juice – organic)
  • Daucus carota sativa (Carrot Root Water – organic)
  • Linum usitatissimum (Linseed Seed Extract – organic)
  • Epilobium angustifolium (Flower/Leaf Stem/ Extract – organic)
  • Achillea millefolium (Extract – organic)
  • Anthemis nobilis (Flower Water – organic)
  • Comptonia peregrina Water (organic)
  • Ledum groenlandicum Water*
  • Tocopherol *(2 – low hazard)
  • Mentha piperita (Peppermint Oil – organic)
  • Aroma**
  • Citrus grandis (Grapefruit Seed Extract) *(3 – moderate hazard)

* Safety Rating based on Skin Deep Cosmetic Database

** AROMA BLEND 100% MADE FROM PLANTS

Packaging

The lotion comes in a rectangular, green, see-through, plastic #1 bottle, which is recyclable once product is finished. The regular size is 325mL (11 fl oz).

Price (as of this posting)

  • $9 – $12 CAD per bottle at health food stores across Canada
  • $8.99 CAD per bottle at HealthToYou.ca
    (free shipping to Canada & US, minimum order required)
  • $9.99 CAD per bottle at
    (free shipping in Canada, no minimum order required)
  • $9.29 CAD/$8.96US per bottle at FeelBest.com
    (free shipping in Canada & US, minimum order required)

Availability

  • Widely available at health food stores across Canada, especially Ontario
  • Widely available at many on-line stores for Canadian, US and international shoppers

The Good

  • Pleasant Scents
  • Excellent moisturizing ability
  • 100% biodegradable
  • Vegan
  • Gluten-free
  • No petrolatum
  • No parabens
  • No sulfates
  • No artificial aromas, fragrances or dyes
  • No glycol
  • No animal testing
  • Excellent ingredients
  • Fair price
  • Fair availability

The Bad

  • Nothing to my knowledge at this time