Allure | Seed products are packaged in shower-friendly paper — yeah, that’s officially a thing now — that’s both recyclable and compostable. They’re also made from recycled materials, so no need to feel guilty about hoarding bottles under your bathroom sink.

(This article first appeared in allure on April 20, 2018)
By Macaela Mackenzie

Mother Nature is officially upping her beauty game. Beauty behemoth L’Oréal has just launched an entirely new sustainable label called Seed Phytonutrients, which is about to bring the farmer’s market to your beauty cabinet.

Sustainable skin-care and plant-based green beauty are no longer just niche products to be found at specialty stores. Major retailers like Walmart are getting in on the eco-friendly action. As more and more brands hop on board, it’s becoming clear that earth-friendly practices — going cruelty-free, vegan, all-natural, or switching to sustainable production and packaging — aren’t just a fad, but the future of the industry.

Launched this week, Seed Phytonutrients is helping to shape that future. Sprouted from a desire to address the beauty industry’s impact on both your well-being and the well-being of the environment, the line is the brainchild of Shane Wolf, a L’Oréal executive who has worked on brands including Redken, Kerastase, Shu Uemura, and Pureology. He’s also a farmer.

The eco-friendly-meets-prestige-roots of the brand are evident in the products, which sources ingredients from local farms in Pennsylvania where the brand is based. The line also promotes seed diversity by using heirloom seeds (aka seeds passed down through generations via open-pollinated plants) versus hybrid or GMO seeds in its formulas. This is important because not only does planting heirloom seeds produce better-tasting and more nutritional fruits and vegetables, but it also preserves the genetic diversity of plants, a growing concern among farmers as 94 percent of our seed varieties have disappeared over the last century.

There’s a total of 16 hair-, body-, and skin-care products, including the Invigorating Facial Mask ($40), formulated with camelina seed oil, sunflower seed oil, safflower seed oil, olive oil, and mint; a Superseed Serum ($55) boosted with vitamin C and nourishing fatty acids; a quick-absorbing Hair and Body Oil($42) formulated with camelina seed oil, sunflower seed oil, coconut, argan oil, and olive oil; and a Gentle Facial Cleanser, that smells like roses and chamomile. Everything is gluten-free, paraben-free, sulfate-free, cruelty-free, and all products are between 93 to 100 percent natural.

As you might have guessed from the name of the line (or from the very seed-based ingredient list), seeds — sourced from organic American farmers — are pretty important to the brand. Instead of using chemicals to extract plant nutrients (such as antioxidants and vitamins A, C, D, and E) from the seeds, Seed cold-presses them to extract the good-for-your-skin oils inside.

Then there’s the packaging. Seed products are packaged in shower-friendly paper — yeah, that’s officially a thing now — that’s both recyclable and compostable. They’re also made from recycled materials, so no need to feel guilty about hoarding bottles under your bathroom sink.

If you haven’t already dabbled in eco-friendly beauty, consider the seed planted.