STANDOUT BOROUGH-BASED BEAUTY PRODUCTS EMPHASIZING NATURAL, ORGANIC, AND IRRITANT-FREE INGREDIENTS

BY ERIK SCHONING

SOAPWALLA Brooklynite Rachel Winard launched Soapwalla out of necessity. After a lupus diagnosis, her skin became increasingly sensitive and irritated, and conventional beauty products only exacerbated the problem. Enter her line of vegan and sustainably sourced beauty products, designed to be easy on the skin. “Walla” means “creator” or “master” in Hindi, and there truly is mastery in Soapwalla’s ingredient lists jojoba, almond, ginger, lavender, and rosehip among them…the kind of stuff mainstream beauty companies seem to only slap on their labels after the fact. Its line encompasses products for face and body, and includes aluminum-free deodorant creams, Vitamin A-rich face serum, and of course, soap, like Winard’s crushed saffron and makrut lime bar. soapwalla.com

S.W. BASICS A superstar of the Brooklyn beauty scene, this company has made the tough leap to the big leagues, now stocking its wares on Target shelves and in Amazon’s digital beauty aisle. Expansion hasn’t affected the products, however, which remain, true to its name, simple, and feature minimalist design and bare-bones ingredient lists. The gentle facial cleanser, for example, contains only three residents: rosewater, tea tree oil, and vegetable glycerin. Another favorite is the toner (with an apple cider vinegar base), which evens skin tone and neutralizes pH, keeping it oil-free without drying it out. While locals might lament that the secret’s out on a hometown product, the continued popularity of S.W. Basics has enabled it to move beyond bestsellers to things like floral waters and a line of baby-oriented products. A great way to walk through essentials is with its Starter Mini Kit (at right, $18.50) small sizes of cleanser, organic apple cider vinegar toner, and shea butter cream. All products are Certified Organic, cruelty free, and vegan. swbasicsofbk.com

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SHEN BEAUTY is business is unique on our list in that it isn’t a maker brand. A necessary destination for those who prefer brick-and-mortar, this Cobble Hill beauty shop stocks all manner of cosmetics and beauty products. Founded in 2010 by Jessica Richards (seen at the top of the next page), a fashion industry veteran, the boutique has rapidly proved itself a trendsetter, hosting numerous product launches from top brands like Dr. Barbara Sturm, goop, and Lernberger Stafsing. Shen stocks a variety of natural and organic names, along with bigger-name luxury imports. The difficulty of shopping online for beauty products is well known (just try color matching on a computer). The in-store experience here remedies these digital complications, making it easy to find something new every time. Services include facials, makeup application, waxing, and brow shaping, which provide great opportunities for testing out a new cleanser, moisturizer, or cosmetic. Shen-beauty.com

Shen Beauty

BODY STUFF This maker’s lovely and uncluttered packaging is a telling indicator of its avoidance of needless fuss. Body Stuff soaps come twine-wrapped in recycled book pages, for example, while bath salts are delivered in test tubes stopped with a cork. Such earthiness (what its Etsy page describes as “no BS”) extends to contents scrupulously free of silicones, phthalates, parabens, and sulfates. An anti-inflammatory charcoal ginger face mask, moisturizing cedar wood clove soap, and detoxing rose geranium bath salts make up part of a line that’s more horticultural than industrial, with an extra-cool DIY vibe. Seen here is the Tubes Trio Gift Box ($22), “the perfect recipe for an evening of unwinding, self-care, and skin pampering.” It includes (in test tubes) Facial Steam, with a botanical blend to open up pores and soften skin, a Rose-Oatmeal Face Mask for exfoliating and moisturizing, and Lavender Mint Bath Stuff for a soothing and calming soak. Lastly, there’s a mini French Clay Geranium Soap “to gently cleanse, wash, and detox.” ilovebodystuff.com

Hand & Stone SPREAD

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FLYNN & KING This company comes with credentials: its founders, Corinna McDonnell and Summer Dinh Manske, are a makeup artist and the daughter of a soap chemist, respectively. Perhaps it’s that pedigree that makes the operation so, well…put together. There is a sophistication to retail items here that belies the company’s humble origins. Among intriguing products found on its site is a clay and coconut water exfoliant and mask, a line of soothing magnesium deodorants, and a beard and hair treatment with argan and collagen-boosting rosehip oil. Notice, too, the uniqueness of ingredients and the mind-boggling variety of stuff available. Did we mention the full line of nail polishes? Plus, the company partners with the Coalition for the Homeless and the Center Against Domestic Violence to ensure leftover goods end up going to those who can use them. A crash course in, among other things, Flynn & King’s flair with essential oils is this Weekender Set ($60), which includes two-ounce, plane-ready sizes of Revive (cleanser with argan and rosehip oils), Balance (facial toner with aloe and rose geranium), and Replenish (allover dry oil with Kukui Nut and argan oils). flynnandking.com

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BETWEEN YOU & THE MOON AT THE BROOKLYN HERBORIUM “Made with love in the borough,” Brooklyn Herborium’s Between You & the Moon line is a range of natural/herbal goods made by hand and bottled with, as its maker explained, “a focus on intention and the flow of energy.” Sustainably developed, botanically based, “as organic and fair trade as possible” and gluten-free, they also contain no GMOs, petrochemicals, parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, perfumes, or colorants, and are produced with no animal testing. The Holistic Introduction Collection (seen here, $96) is assembled “to return skin to its natural, most lovely state,” and includes Nourish & Replenish and Integrity Mineral Mist, No Evil Double-Cleansing Oil, Sow Your Wild Oats Organic Grain Cleanser & Herbal Steamer, a Pore Refining Clay Mask & Spot Treatment, and Cow Fart Goo Herbal Remedy Balm. Services are available, too, such as a Functional Facial, Integrative Therapy for Reducing Redness and Reactivity, and Functional Self-Care Consultations. betweenyouandthemoon.com

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