Meika Hollender, whose obsession with clean ingredients is practically a birthright (her father, Jeffrey Hollender, is the co-founder and CEO of Seventh Generation), was perplexed: Day after day, she saw the very same women who pored over the labels of their food and cleaning product give hardly a thought to the items they used between the sheets.
Her confusion turned into a light bulb moment, and Sustain—a company she co-founded with her dad that cuts out the carcinogenic chemicals you’d find in typical condom brands—was born. As it turns out, those very same women actually were eager to clean up their (sex) act, and Sustain has since grown to include all-natural organic lubricants and “post play” wipes now sold everywhere.
“I’m probably more intensely into labels than the average person,” she admits. “I actually co-authored a book when I was graduating from high school that taught people how to find natural and clean alternatives to traditional products.”
Needless to say, Hollender’s just as much a stickler when it comes to her beauty routine. In her own words, here are her five beauty faves with ingredient labels you won’t have to examine too closely. —Jamie McKillop
1. Tata Harper Rejuvenating Serum ($150)I’ve been obsessed with Tata Harper products since I met Tata four years ago. Her products are light and easy, all made in Vermont—my home state—and she was really the first to put high-end, eco-friendly skin care on the map. The rejuvenating serum is something I cannot live without. I wasn’t particularly focused on an anti-aging regimen, but I wanted to start somewhere and Tata’s serum is definitely the best place to begin.
2. RMS Beauty Living Luminizer ($38)My half-Persian roots have landed me with some not-so-subtle dark circles around my eyes. For years I tried to find a solution, and then I found RMS’s Living Luminizer. This product, lightly applied over your under-eye concealer and on your eyelids, brightens your whole face.
3. Beautycounter Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer ($42)All-natural moisturizer with SPF is harder to find than a Mansur Gavriel bag in the fall of 2015. Last year Beautycounter launched its first tinted moisturizer with SPF, and to say I was excited would be an understatement. I’d never used tinted moisturizer in the past—I was stuck in the three-step process of moisturizer, SPF, and bronzer—and this product changed everything. It’s light, easy to apply, and as I said before, it’s an all-natural SPF in a moisturizer. Enough said!
4. Sustain Post Play Wipes ($11)I don’t know about you, but my “post play” routine was never something I looked forward to. Sustain’s Post Play Wipes are all-natural, free of glycerin (which is common in baby wipes), and they’re made from 100 percent cotton, so they’re softer than most other wipes that are made from paper pulp—not so nice on your bathing suit parts. Oh, and the best part? They can also double as a post-workout wipe.
5. Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator ($32)These days I’m always on the go, and my travel schedule was doing a number on my skin. My friend Tara Foley, who owns a healthy skin-care store called Follain, told me that the recirculated air in a plane cabin actually draws moisture away from your skin. She turned me onto this hydrating spray from Josh Rosebrook and I’m now obsessed. One spritz and I’m instantly refreshed and glow-y again.
More Reading: Two new (healthier!) condom brands that you won’t hate
Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter
Get all the latest in wellness, trends, food, fitness, beauty, and more delivered right to your inbox.
Got it, you've been added to our email list.
