Ethical skincare delivered right to your door? That's what Happy Planet Box offers, along with vegan snacks, eco friendly beauty tools, and more. If you're looking for a natural and cruelty free subscription then this is one for you!
About The Evolution and Happy Planet Box:
Created by The Evolution, a one stop shop for your zero waste, vegan, and natural staples, Happy Planet Box is a subscription service out to make a difference. First and foremost an online eco friendly retailer, the business specializes in plastic free and low waste products, ranging from bathroom, travel, skincare, and laundry. This really is a place where you can get it all!
Not only do they have a fully stocked web store, they also have a selection of ethical subscription boxes customers can choose from. The Evolution curates dental edits which include everything you need to keep your mouth and teeth healthy and fresh, as well as a seasonal collection that is delivered quarterly. I have been kindly gifted a few of their beauty collections and each one has proven a hit!
Each Happy Planet Box follows four rules set by The Evolution: each product is vegan, cruelty free, and natural; there will be a variety of sizes (both full and sample); everything will be good quality and long lasting; and the packaging will be eco friendly as well as upcycled or recycled when possible. They also promise to value small businesses who have a passion for the planet and the community - how wonderful is that??
Happy Planet Box Review - Winter 2021 Edit:
Subscribers of the Winter edit of Happy Planet Box will find a jam packed selection of green goodies. There are twelve individual treats from six ethical beauty brands, and the products inside the collection are worth about £32.83. However, I always like to remind people that curated services like this offer more than just a numerical cost - The Evolution works hard to find businesses that align with their ethos and to arrange for them to be a part of the box, and part of the value of Happy Planet Box comes from discovering new treats. I mean, inside this edit alone I found two brands I hadn't experienced before. For me, that's a huge part of the fun!
But what actually was inside the Winter edit? Well, let's take a look:
I love a good Etsy find, and
Mad About Nature is definitely a lovely addition to the latest version of Happy Planet Box. Created by owner Keilly, this small business is dedicated to delivering products free from palm oil, plastic, and animal based ingredients. Mad About Nature is family owned, and started as a journey to help their daughter who was born with eczema. Along with their handmade goodies you can also find eco staples from other ethical brands meaning you can pick up a whole lot of treats in one place!
The Deep Cleansing Facial Mask comes in two varieties: Ultra Refined French Green Clay or Ultra Refined Pink Clay. Both are designed to deeply cleanse, gently exfoliate, and offer a soothing skincare treatment ideal for oily and acne prone skin. I love the plastic free and compact packaging - it has no frills (though the handmade labels give it a nice personal touch) and the tin will be great for repurposing after the mask is all gone.
I love a good masking session, so was excited to have a new one to test out. The Deep Cleansing Facial Mask has a lovely pastel green colour and is very light and powdery. I think it is brilliant for customizing, and I love mixing it with a bit of rose water and a few drops of oil if I'm wanting to tailor it to be more nourishing or to target radiance, spots, or redness. The mask works really well as a standalone too, and is gentle on the skin. I find it gives a good detox, and it doesn't dry out my skin too much either which is a big plus. Overall I'm enjoying this, and am keen to check out what else Mad About Nature offers!
Ingredients: NOT LISTED
I'll admit that face soap bars are not usually my favourite, so I was hesitant about the
Lamazuna Solid Facial Cleanser at first. However, I was immediately intrigued by the fun pattern on the box and the jet black colour of the bar. How would this feel? Would it work??
It definitely performs well, providing just a little bit of lather and applying nicely across the face. The size is really convenient, as it is small enough to comfortably fit in your hand and the cloud shape has little rounded ridges that make it easier to grip - perfect for using over a sink! I do find that on occasion small pieces break off, but I actually find it doubles as an exfoliant when this happens which is a nice surprise.
The biggest perk of this solid cleanser from Lamazuna is that it doesn't strip the skin. Often I find products like this leave my face feeling dry, irritated, or tight - that wasn't the case with the Solid Facial Cleanser. If anything, this adds a little bit of moisture while it washes the day away, and it leaves your skin feeling totally refreshed and clean!
The mix of charcoal, lava clay, nigella seed, and volcanic sand are great for oily and acne prone skin and offer a purifying and softening experience that is much appreciated. I do find the added coconut oil can be a bit too much for my congestion prone face sadly, so this bar is one I passed on to Tim who doesn't have any issues with the ingredient. And the fact that this is a fun shape and colour means he is much more likely to remember to use it on a regular basis, so that's a real win!
Ingredients: SODIUM COCOYL ISETHIONATE, STEARIC ACID**, PALMITIC ACID**, MORROCAN LAVA CLAY**, COCOS NUCIFERA OIL*, NIGELLA SATIVA SEED OIL*, CHARCOAL POWDER**, VOLCANIC SAND**, DECYL GLUCOSIDE, AQUA, CITRUS PARADISI PEEL OIL*, LITSEA CUBEBA FRUIT OIL*, TOCOPHEROL**, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS SEED OIL**, CITRAL***, CITRONELLOL***, GERANIOL***, LIMONENE***, LINALOOL***. * ingredient from organic farming and of natural origin ** ingredients of natural origin *** naturally present in essential oils
Dark chocolate is one of my favourite treats, so of course I was thrilled to find a giant slab inside the Winter collection of Happy Planet Box! Not only that, it's a brand I have not yet tried - double win!!
Coco Pzazz is a Welsh business that prides itself on being intrepid chocolateers. While the brand is not fully vegan they do have
a sizeable range, plus they do a whole lot when it comes to ethics and the environment. They have been plastic free since the beginning of 2020 and instead use bio-film to wrap their products, offer carbon neutral UK shipping, ensure none of their commercial waste ends up in landfill, use sustainably grown chocolate that supports communities in Ghana, and regularly make charitable donations as well offering micro loans!
I'm usually a purist when it comes to most chocolates, but I was curious to see how the limited edition ginger bar would taste. I was happy to find that it's not a flavoured formula, but uses crystalized ginger that is spread throughout the chocolate. Honestly, it's not one that I would normally pick up or probably choose again as I am just not a huge fan of candied ginger, but it was good to try something new and the chocolate itself was DELICIOUS. I need to find one of their 70% dark options ASAP, because the base of this Ginger one is exceptional.
Ingredients: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, emulsifier: SOYA lecithin, natural vanilla, ginger, sugar, ground ginger (5%). Chocolate contains cocoa solids 70.3% minimum.
White Rabbit is one of the first natural plastic free brands I ever discovered, so it might be surprising that I haven't actually tried that many of their products yet. I am a big fan of their lip balm, but otherwise I am pretty new to the range! Having a little set to play around with was perfect, and I was super excited about this addition to the Happy Planet Box.
The bundle comes with four mini tins of their moisturizers, and includes a Rosehip & Camellia Day Cream, Coconut & Rosehip Calming Cream, Rose & Frankincense Day Cream, and Rose & Orange Night Cream. I love the variety here, and think it is such a good way to trial the range before committing to a full size. As someone with fussy skin, I appreciate the option to do this!
Right off that bat I can tell that the Rose & Frankincense formula is going to be my favourite of the two day creams, as it leaves my skin feeling velvety soft and the scent is very soothing. It's a little thicker than the Rosehip & Camellia moisturizer, with a fuller texture that takes a few seconds longer to absorb, but it is ultra nourishing and offers an intensive treatment that really makes a difference. I do think it might prove a bit heavy for me come warmer weather, but for now I'm loving this sample!
The Rose & Orange Night Cream is a surprise find too, as I don't normally get on with such rich products. The fluffy almost whipped butter consistency is very dense at first, but it melts down into a lovely pliable cream and works to condition and repair the face as you sleep, and I love how soft and restored my skin looks when I wake up. Again, it may end up being too heavy for my skin personally as we move into sunnier days, but it's a great boost during this cold dry air!
The Coconut & Rosehip has such a lovely smooth texture to it, but sadly coconut oil doesn't get on with my congestion prone skin so this is one I will be giving to Tim to use. I think it will be great for use around his stubble line, as the skin there often is more sensitive and this will work to reduce irritation and ease any issues that arise. Thanks to Happy Planet Box we each can have some new favourites!
I was a little surprised to find sachets inside Happy Planet Box, and as you know I'm really not a fan of single use plastic samples. However, I was pleased to find these are NOT plastic - they're aluminium and are recyclable!
The oils themselves are fab, and I expect nothing less from Fushi. Subscribers were treated to two samples of Argan and two samples of Rosehip, both of which are great versatile carrier oils that can be used for hair, skin, and more. Organic, pure, fresh pressed to ensure potency, and multi-tasking, both of these products are ideal for protecting and nourishing and are very gentle.
Rosehip is full of fatty acids, omegas, and vitamins, making it a good pick for aging skin in particular. I personally reach for this oil when my face is experiencing sensitivity as it is healing and really gives needed TLC. Argan, on the other hand, is an oil I love for increasing the shine and strength of my long locks. It's packed with antioxidants, fatty acids, and vitamins, and offers regenerating properties that are beneficial for dry skin, but it's also a hero for hair. I may not love sachet sizes, but I do love what is inside so definitely worth checking Fushi out!
Last but not least, Happy Planet Box included a single muslin face cloth inside the edit which is perfect for using alongside the oils or solid cleanser. We have seen Cosy Cottage inside the collections before, and I hope it's not the last time either as they are a lovely small business with so much to offer. This cloth is a great size, ideal for a gentle exfoliation, wiping away excess product from the skin, or removing makeup. It's finely woven, and is just such a good staple for anyone trying to minimize waste since it's reusable and plastic free. Such a nice bonus in this box, and one I can use for a long time to come.
Happy Planet Box is a great eco friendly subscription service, and their gift option makes for a beautiful present - each edit has impressed me so far, and I can't wait to see what they curate next! Since every collection is created specifically for the season, it's always a surprise and I'm excited to see what they come up with.
What do you think of the winter edit of Happy Planet Box? Do you spy any products you would love to try, or any new brands you would like to check out in future? I am always keen to hear what is on your mind, so let me know!
And if you want to pick up your very own Happy Planet Box, just head over to The Evolution and pick the option that suits you best. At just £25.00, you will be getting your money's worth plus discovering loads of new vegan, natural, and eco friendly brands!
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