Burt’s Bees is 98% Natural

Posted by allnaturalme in Friday, May 2nd 2008 under: Natural Beauty

And 2% Bleach!

Isn’t one of the signs the world is coming to an end when Burt’s Bees sells out to Clorox?

I know this is sorta old news, but because I live under a rock without a television or any interest in current events, it’s pretty new to me.

What a drag. Even though it is a natural part of business evolution for a small company to grow big and then hand off the hard work to hit the jackpot, knowing that Burt’s Bees is now owned by a huge unethical corporate monster, will make it very hard to scrub up with the Garden Carrot Complexion Soap and pretty up with the… (wow. it just hit me.)

Oh no, the Lip Shimmer!!!

Ahh…. mourning the loss of you, my sweet Lip Shimmer. When I finish this tube, I’m so done with you. Guess it’s time to renew my moral contract and seek out the small guys again for my lip shimmering needs.

Handmade really is the way to go!

Popularity: 41% [?]

47 Comments Already

Sam Said,

May 4th, 2008 @8:43 pm

That is a drag! I love the lip balm and eyeliner!

Isn’t the creator of Burt’s Bees being sued by the state of Maine?

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Mama C reply on May 6, 2008:

Haven’t heard of anything - I’m not the best gossip queen, I just know that Roxanne Quimby wanted to buy land in Maine to create a state park.

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JerseyGirlinOz Said,

May 8th, 2008 @5:15 am

Sadie and Sam, if you’re looking for suitable alternatives to Burt’s Bees, you can visit my website (www.greenmaureenorganics.com). The lip balm(https://greenmaureenorganics.mionegroup.com/product/14201) is certified organic—and really yummy—and it lasts for ages!

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trying2flywith5@yahoo.com Said,

May 8th, 2008 @11:12 am

burts bees may be trying to make a change from the inside out, so to speak. any thoughts on that?

A Letter to Our Loyal Customers

As you’ve probably heard by now, we at Burt’s Bees are entering an exciting new chapter in our lives as a result of the recent sale of the company to The Clorox Company. It’s a great opportunity to help us better deliver against our mission of making truly natural personal products available to everyone, everywhere.

This new journey gives us the energy and the resources to do even more. Not only will we be able to accelerate our growth, but this will also help us to grow the natural personal care category in general, furthering our commitment to The Greater Good.

You can keep counting on Burt’s Bees in the ways you always have. We will always stay steadfast behind our values and commitment to making the best natural personal care products with the most environmentally sensitive packaging and nature-safe manufacturing processes. And, above all, we’ll continue on with our social mission to make people’s lives better every day, naturally.

It’s your desire to improve your well-being and the world around you that has given us the support to take this next step. We thank you and ask for your continued support so we can keep the Burt’s Bees hive buzzing.

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MamaTaney Said,

May 8th, 2008 @1:29 pm

I’m really not so shocked by this, but am really curious as to Clorox’s recent green ventures. They’ve got the Sierra Club logo on their new Green Works line of cleaning products. I’m really curious: is this a sign of the “big bad bleach” turning over a new leaf, or just exploiting a booming industry? Is Burt’s Bees really trying to take advantage of bigger sponsorship so they can continue to grow, remaining “98% natural”, or did they just sell-out completely? Our local Co-op won’t carry Burt’s Bees anymore because you can get them everywhere (though the health-food stores here still do carry them). So which is it - small company selling out or “Big Bad Bleach” trying to earn some karma points?

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sagenhoney Said,

May 8th, 2008 @2:51 pm

Wow, I guess I have been living under a rock too. I had not heard about this before. I only used their products here and there, but now I am compelled to never use them again. Thanks for the info.

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jessbrown Said,

May 8th, 2008 @3:03 pm

At school our ICES club (Ithaca College Evironmental Society) had a table showing natural feminine products and cosmetics one should use and I then learned that Clorox bought out Burt’s! What the Heck!

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asking79 Said,

May 8th, 2008 @3:07 pm

I have known about this a while now, and we refuse to purchase it anymore. It really makes e questions them anyhow for even considering selling out to Clorox. The fact that they did it just makes me sick. It’s sad.

On another note you mentioned the Sierra Club logo…I don’t know what you think about the so-called conspiracy theorists, but I recently seen an interesting documentary by Alex jones called “END GAME: Blueprint for Global Enslavement” and in it he talks about he New World Order and how the politicians are starting the Nafta superhighway and trying to connect Mexicom Canada and the United States as one Union - the North American Union. It actually makes sense seeing how the economy and everything is going down. Anyway, it’s talking about the politicians taking over - full control of everyone and everything. Hence the name Blueprint for global enslavement. Anyway in it he actually mentions how the Sierra Club is ran by some crooked politician/s. And how it’s just a front for what they’re trying to do. You can find the whole video on video.google.com if interested. I don’t know for sure what I think at this point but anything is possible.

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SeeLaHSeeSYou! reply on May 8, 2008:

Zeitgeist also talks about the North American Union and the AmRo…this union’s equivalent to the Euro. Thanks for the information on the Sierra Club.

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MamaTaney reply on May 30, 2008:

That’s really interesting, I’ll have to check it out! Part of me doesn’t want to believe in conspiracy theories, but then the other part of me hears how Monsato actually sued a guy who had been harvesting seeds from a plant that randomly grew on his land - he never originally planted it there, it ended up on his land by an act of nature. It was a rape seed plant (I believe) and he had been saving the seeds for years, but Monsato was able to prove it was originally theirs because they had altered the DNA. They sued this guy and WON!
Makes me believe in conspiracy theories.

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Sam reply on August 1, 2008:

Wow, it’s amazing what people will do for a little cash. Why would they care so much that one guy is harvesting seeds on his land? They actually took the time to altar the DNA just to prove a point?! That poor guy.

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MamaTaney reply on August 1, 2008:

I know, it is utterly ridiculous. The way the big guys stay on top anymore is to completely squash out the little guys. Even those who aren’t trying to make a profit and those who aren’t doing any harm.

SeeLaHSeeSYou! Said,

May 8th, 2008 @6:04 pm

WoW! I had NO idea that Burt’s Bees sold out to Chlorox. I don’t buy many products from Burt’s Bees but now that I know this…I definitely will not. When are these “organic” companies going to learn that merging with a corporate entity will only decrease business? There are so many “organic” brands being bought up today (Horizon and Kashi are two big examples) and I don’t buy their products anymore because of it.

Oh well…I guess I’ll just add another one to the list. As long as Dr. Bronner’s doesn’t sell out, I’m good.

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allnaturalme reply on May 12, 2008:

Dr. Bronner’s has their Moral ABC….always good reading material.

I know they’ll be strong.

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SeeLaHSeeSYou! reply on May 29, 2008:

They better! I love love love their products!

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Green Maureen Organics Said,

May 8th, 2008 @11:27 pm

Being bought out by a large corporation is one of the biggest fears amongst my reps and customers! According to our founding directors, it’s highly unlikely ever to happen

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Sam reply on July 26, 2008:

Do you sell any kind of gel or creme for curly hair? I have a lot of hair, and it’s all curls and frizz, but it’s so hard to find all natural products just for curly hair.

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See reply on July 28, 2008:

Google “Miss Jessie’s”

great products for Curly hair.

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Sam reply on July 30, 2008:

Are they all natural/organic products?

allnaturalme Said,

May 12th, 2008 @2:00 am

So guess what my sister got me for my birthday?

A whole bag of Burt’s Bees!!

I guess now we know who in my family is NOT reading the All Natural Me Blog… ahem. But the sweet thing is, she was so proud of herself for getting me some all natural stuff and in my family, getting people to come over to the natural side, is a beautiful thing.

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Green Maureen Organics reply on May 12, 2008:

Ah, family!

I’ve had my organic skincare business for nearly 3 years now, and my family still sends me stuff from Bath & Body Works as gifts. Does ANYONE know what I do?!!! LOL.

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Sam reply on July 30, 2008:

How lame. What do you say when they give you gifts from Bath and Body?

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Green Maureen Organics reply on July 30, 2008:

I just say “Thanks so much!”

Then I give it away

MamaTaney reply on July 30, 2008:

You know, I used to LOVE Bath and Body Works. I mean, c’mon, when they first came out who WASN’T in love with that sun-kissed raspberry (?) scent of theirs. Their store was just heaven for me!
Now though, I can barely walk past the store without getting sick to my stomach from the smells. If I go into the store I go into an asthma attack.
We’ve finally stepped back far enough away from that type of stuff that we can no longer tolerate (physically even) being around it. It is just far too harsh and fake!

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Green Maureen Organics reply on July 30, 2008:

So true! Going past the perfume counters in department stores practically makes me have seizures!

MamaTaney reply on July 31, 2008:

I know what you’re saying! I have to steer clear of perfume counters all together anymore. I used to enjoy wearing a little bit perfume (only certain ones), but I can’t anymore. I will go into a total asthma attack! If I wasn’t aware of all the things that are in those perfumes, it would be almost sad!

See Said,

July 30th, 2008 @3:05 pm

sad to say but no. I double checked. They have natural ingredients but not all of the ingredients can be called “natural” or “organic”

sorry about that. but thank you for making me double check. I no longer have hair so I don’t use it anymore.

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MamaTaney reply on July 30, 2008:

See,
Which one are you talking about here? This thread list is getting kinda long and it is hard for me to tell.

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Sam reply on July 30, 2008:

LOL. I think See is answering my question about Miss Jessie’s products. I wanted to know if they were all natural or not. Maybe you know MamaT, do you know of any all natural hair products that are made for curly hair? My hair is a disaster and I’m tired of putting it up all the time. Haha.

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Green Maureen Organics reply on July 30, 2008:

Sam, the Miessence products I recommended to you (Protect B% Hair Repair & Shape Styling Gel—above) are *certified organic*. You can see the whole range of hair care products at http://www.greenmaureenorganics.com.

I just looked at the Miss Jessie’s site, and I don’t see anything in there about the products being natural, let alone organic.

Even then, you have to be extremely careful of the terms “natural” and “organic”. The word “organic”—in chemist terms—simply means “a compound containing carbon chains”, so even products that contain petrochemicals can legally be called “organic”. Same with the word “natural”. Many toxic ingredients are deemed “natural” because they were derived from natural substances—so by that definition, a sodium lareth sulfate derived from coconuts is called “natural” by many companies. Hey, cyanide is derived from almonds, but I wouldn’t wash my hair with it LOL!

Your best bet is to be educated about ingredients—and if you’re looking for true organic products, look for the organic certification.

MamaTaney reply on July 30, 2008:

When I started making my own, I looked up essential oils and herbs that were good for our style of hair. I checked out Susun Weed’s site, as well as some other sites. That would be my recommendation. But, of course, Green Maureen would know WAY more than me!

Sam reply on July 31, 2008:

Thanks Green Maureen! I definitely read ingredients when buying ANYTHING. lol. You can never trust what it says on the front of a package.

Green Maureen Organics reply on July 31, 2008:

LOL Mama! I don’t make the products, I just sell them :). Narelle Chenery is the brains behind the operation. She is a person of high ideals and integrity. And she started ONE Group by making her own products at home—just like you do. Maybe one day I’ll be selling your line in Australia?!

I love the idea of making my own stuff, but time is not my friend at the moment. This line is far and away the best I’ve used, which is why I carry it—and why I give it such rave reviews.

MamaTaney reply on July 31, 2008:

Ok, but you still rock Green Maureen!! I thought you were making all of them yourself!
Hmm, perhaps one day I will be glorious enough to start mass-selling. Or even be amazing enough to sell down at our Farmer’s Market.
Where are you in Australia?

Green Maureen Organics reply on July 31, 2008:

You never know, Mama! From little thing, big things grow

I’m on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula, about 50 minutes south of Melbourne. I grew up in NJ, and lived in Denver, CO for 10 years before moving here with my Aussie husband and our 2 littlies.

MamaTaney reply on August 1, 2008:

That’s so cool! How are you liking Australia? We thought about trying to move there after my husband graduated from college, but it didn’t work out. We probably were making it more difficult than necessary.
My husband and I are trying to open our own microbrewery here in a couple years. We’re hoping to open as green a brewery as possible, as well as growing as many of our own hops for it as we can (organically of course). It’s a big dream, but we’re trying to take it one step at a time to make sure we get there.

Green Maureen Organics reply on August 2, 2008:

I loooooove living here. Other than missing my family, I’ve not been the least bit homesick. My life here is nothing short of magical

Funnily enough though, one of the things I miss most about the US is good microbrews!!! Denver was full of them, but they are pretty much non-existant here. Where are you located? Maybe we should think about import/export when you’re up and running

MamaTaney reply on July 30, 2008:

BTW See, I think it is awesome you’re rockin’ the no-hair look!! I’ve always wanted to do that, but never had the balls. Well, that and I have a feeling I have a funky shaped head. But RIGHT ON & KUDOS to you!! AWESOME!!!

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See reply on July 31, 2008:

Thanks much. And thanks again for making sure that the products aren’t “natural.” I used to go to the Curve salon (the owners of this salon are also the creators of the Miss Jessie’s products) and they swore that the products are “natural.” They never said anything about organic…

Have a great day everyone! Stay focused like you are…

Good luck in finding those products Sam.

See

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Sam reply on August 1, 2008:

Thanks! Looks like I’m going to need it! haha

Sam reply on July 31, 2008:

Oh, no problem. Thanks for checking though! Maybe I should just get rid of my hair, it would be less time in the shower and low maintenance. lol.

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Sam Said,

July 31st, 2008 @2:54 am

That’s a good idea MamaT, I never thought about making my own. That would be fun. I’ll have to find some oils that are good for curly and frizzy hair. Thanks!

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MamaTaney reply on July 31, 2008:

We make shampoo bars, not the liquid stuff. It was really easy to make and actually not too hard to use either. I used some nettles, lavender, and rosemary in my shampoo bar. Nice and herby smelling! YUMMY!

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Sam reply on August 1, 2008:

Are those especially good for curly hair?

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MamaTaney reply on August 1, 2008:

No, they aren’t particularly for curly hair, though they wouldn’t be bad for curly hair either. The rosemary is good for fine hair, lavender for all types, and I can’t remember nettle’s specifics. We have fine & either straight or wavy hair.
I’ll look up in my book tonite and see if I can find some good herbs for curly hair. I’m assuming thick as well?

Sam reply on August 4, 2008:

Sorry MamaT, I didn’t see that you replied to my comment. Oh yes, very thick and frizzy. My curls have been quite limp and mishapen lately, I’m not sure if it’s something in my diet or my shampoo.

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