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The good karma shopping list: we've curated the best sustainable products available in India

This blog was originally posted on Tweak India on Jul 10, 2020 by Sara Hussain.

From delicious body scrubs to eco-friendly floor cleaners, haunted by the plastic toothbrushes you keep throwing out and the loofah collecting mould under the shower’s cold water tap, you’ve been thinking about switching to sustainable products.

Today’s the day, you tell yourself, that you’re going to invest your hard-earned money in eco-friendly alternatives. But where to start? There’s the beauty shelf, kitchen, bathroom, closet, and so much more… it all sounds so intimidating.

To save you from Google aunty’s information overdose, we put together a beginner’s kit of cleaner lifestyle choices, curated from online platforms that offer eco-friendly fashion, beauty and sustainable home products.

You can’t change to complete zero-waste living overnight. Start with small tweaks around the house. Opt for sustainable products which use responsibly-sourced raw materials, free from animal testing and cruelty. Look for companies and labels that are making ethical choices in their hiring process, that are plastic-free and have eco policies.

A shopping guide to our favourite sustainable products

Botanique

Botanique’s cleaning products are made from natural acids, enzymes and botanical surfactants which are effective while also cutting out the fumes and possible health hazards of common home cleaners.

There’s an organic cleanser for pretty much everything — the floor, windows, washrooms, kitchen, your car, even Alex the Beagle.

Tweak recommends: 100% Natural Bio Acid

It’s a powerful cleanser that can remove watermarks and rust, leaving no residue behind. ₹245 for 500 ml

Brown Living

The thrill of your package arriving is immediately squashed by the sight of plastic bags and bubble wrap stuffed inside. What we love about Brown Living is not only their sustainable home products and selection of skincare, but their plastic-free shipping and packing policy.

Whatever you order from the website gets sent to you in boxes made of recycled or upcycled material with paper wrapping and water-activated paper tape using plant-based starch glue. They’ve set the bar pretty high.

Tweak recommends: Madhu wrap by Urban Creative

These are reusable food wrappers made of beeswax, coconut oil, natural tree dammar gum and cotton that replace your cling film and aluminium foils. They can be washed and reused as covers for bowls and plates, sandwich wrappers, raw food, vegetables and more. ₹349 for a set of 2

Bloom Reusable Sanitary Pads Period Kit by Naari Pads

This kit comes with a napkin for every flow during your cycle. There are four for medium flow and three for days when you have a heavy flow. You can opt for dark-coloured pads or lighter ones.  In the kit, you get an easy drying string and carrying pouch as well so you can store the used pad when you’re changing.

It’s odour and liquid-proof, so if you’re out and about running errands, you won’t have to worry about washing your pad that instant. The pads themselves are made of cotton. They’re highly absorbent, gentle on the skin and 100% biodegradable. ₹1,400

Aum Yoga Mat by Spiritual Warrior

They’re made from sustainably harvested tree rubber and cork, a material responsibly stripped from the outer bark of the oak tree which regenerates. Cork is anti-microbial while the rubber provides a strong grip on the floor. There won’t be any slipping or sliding taking you to shavasana instead of downward dog. ₹4,900

Ethico India

Launched by Rabia Tewari and Indranil SenGupta, the founders of the Mahim Beach Cleanup, Ethico India doesn’t just give you a place to shop for your sustainable home products and accessories but also serves as an educational resource where you can learn about the ethical practices and the people who are on the frontlines championing conscious living.

Tweak recommends: Upcycled Plastic Shop Bag by Aarohana

Aarohana’s shopping tote is handmade using upcycled plastic from plastis sacks and even old cassette tapes that would otherwise have entered our oceans and landfills. They’re stylish and super sturdy so they’ll carry all your groceries without the fear of it ripping open in the middle of the road. ₹ 1,000

Upcycled Rubber Sandals by Paaduks by Ethico

These classic sandals, available for men and women, are vegan. Made from cork, upcycled rubber tyres, conveyor belts and other natural materials like cotton and jute, you can choose between solid colours and desi patterns too, but we like a multipurpose black that can be worn with anything. The brand employs a community of cobblers who make these by hand. ₹999.

Rice Heat Bag by Hamsini

Microwave this pouch for 2-3 minutes and you have yourself an eco-friendly hot compress made of natural upcycled cloth and rice. This can be used as a cold compress as well, just stick it in the fridge for a couple of minutes and give your sore joints some relief. ₹435

Sublime Life

Self-tagged curators of clean beauty, Sublime Life has a large selection of products that are cruelty-free. The site also follows a plastic-free shipping policy.

Despite leaning heavily on the debatable ‘no nasties’ concept of chemicals in skincare, they have a healthy catalogue of brands with high-performance ingredients worth trying out.

Tweak recommends: Indulge Face Cream by Conscious Chemist

Conscious Chemist finds a balance between the botanical and scientific in their creations. This face cream is suited for all skin types and packed with ingredients like the antioxidant-rich matcha green tea, hydrating hyaluronic acid, and hemp seed oil which nourishes and protects the skin with amino acids and omega 6 and 3. ₹1,095 for 60ml

Kokum & Tamarind Body Butter by Neemli Naturals

This body butter uses kokum which is a fantastic emollient, meaning it traps in the moisture and hydration. The liquorice extract has skin brightening and soothing properties and vitamin C is the OG antioxidant we love. Add to that our favourite all-rounder niacinamide, a blend of beautiful oils like avocado and rose and you’ve got yourself a great body moisturiser for cooler weather. ₹1,450

Antioxidant Lip Balm by Daughter Earth

It’s made using olive oil and the seed oils of pomegranate, watermelon, grapefruit and almond along with a blend of natural extracts and other vitamins like C and K. All together, they create a nourishing balm that moisturises and protects against free radical damage on the lips and promotes healing. ₹475

Qtrove

Qtrove is like Ali Baba’s cave filled with sustainable products that will clean up your lifestyle. We particularly like their selection of handmade hair and body soaps, Ayurvedic hair oils and masks.

Tweak recommends: Neem and Turmeric Soap by PaNee

All nanis and dadis will swear by their haldi and neem concoctions — antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal. We wouldn’t go straight to our face with this soap if you have reactive or sensitised skin, though it is said that it helps with acne breakouts because it contains different essential oils.

Instead, you can do a patch test and use it on your body to help with that pesky body acne, prickly heat and let’s be honest, butt pimples. ₹350

Hibiscus Brahmi Hair Nourish Pack by Essence of Earth

This is a powdered mix of hibiscus, an age-old remedy to stimulate hair growth, brahmi, which nourishes and strengthens the roots, neem, amla and more. It’s got all the goodies that your mother keeps telling you about (but we rarely listen, right?). Make a paste with warm water and apply it on your scalp for 30 minutes for an invigorating hair mask at home. ₹370

Bamboo Toothbrush by Indisutras

Have you ever thought about the number of toothbrushes you’ve used in the last year? There’s also that one you forgot at your best friend’s house. Everything about this product is natural and eco-friendly – from the biodegradable bamboo handle and castor bean oil bristles to the wrapper and compostable box it comes in. Make this your one small switch for nature. ₹225

Almitra Sustainables

We love Almitra Sustainables for its collection of essential sustainable products for our kitchen, bathroom and beauty counters. From coconut fibre cleaning brushes and reusable bamboo razors to toothbrushes, combs, earbuds and more.

Tweak Recommends: Coconut Fiber Cleaning Kit

This kit comes with five natural coir brushes you can use around the house that replace your regular plastic bristles. Coir is durable, biodegradable and antimicrobial, making it a great pick for household cleaning. In this kit, you get a pack of 5 coir dish scrubbers, a brush you can use for laundry or on the floor, a vegetable scrub, bottle cleaner and long handle pot brush. ₹1,015

The Care Bundle

This also makes a great gift for someone you now that is trying to make more conscious choices. You’ve got all your basic grooming and personal care products. A pack of bamboo earbuds, charcoal-infused bamboo toothbrush, tongue cleaner made of copper, a large neem comb, loofah and a razor. Everything in it is plant-based, organic and biodegradable. ₹965

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