over the past few years i’ve transitioned to using mostly natural skincare and beauty products, and while it was a struggle to find product with minimal ingredients at first, i’m so grateful for the amazing brands that have become staples in my routine! one of my favorite places to experiment with new products is etsy (for just about anything). although you need to always read your labels and check your sources when you buy from anywhere, at least you can know that etsy is a place that many small businesses and ethical companies thrive. one of my all time favorite shops is queen bee trading co from here in the US.
i first became hooked on this shop when i bought a lip balm on a whim a couple years ago. i honestly can’t really go back to regular ol’ chapstick after that, even burts bees etc. it’s so soft and not sticky at all and it was the best flavor ever. for christmas i was able to snag a few more items, so i did a little shoot with them the other day. there’s a lotion bar, maple sugar lip balm (which is indeed as amazing as it sounds), and whipped cocoa shea butter. i’ve also gotten oils from this shop before too.
if you’re looking for bath and beauty products, i couldn’t recommend her more! she’s clearly had great success on etsy. i don’t have allergies or sensitivities so i can’t say much about that, but i’ve loved everything i’ve purchased. i’ve tried a few other etsy shops and even though i liked some of them, i’d notice that they products would come in tons of plastic or not disclose ingredients well. i don’t see the point in going natural if you’re not also going earth-friendly. it just makes sense! luckily with queen bee i don’t feel like i’m being wasteful or excessive. if you stop by this shop, make sure to check the shop announcement for sales, one of which is going on now.
i’m hoping to post more features on etsy purchases soon!
This post was inspiring to me Angela! I tried for a while to just have ‘soap’ in my shop but just before the holidays I realized the value of having a few complementary things… that would then create gift sets, which is what I’ve been trying to do all along… gifts! 🙂 So I’ve been quietly thinking about things I already love, that I could make in small batches.
Packaging is always a challenge, because it seems like there is always plastic *somewhere* even when we try really hard to be eco friendly.
For my sanity, a few years ago I decided to wrap half my soaps in paper, the higher end bars… and the others are in plastic bags with ribbon… though they are made from recycled materials, so that’s cool I guess. 🙂
Glass bottles are a pinch too. They are heavy (more weight to ship) they can break, and they are more expensive as a cost, so more expensive on the selling end too… but it does offer a higher end product.
Gosh I could talk in circles about packaging all day long! It’s so much fun to put together, but it’s really hard to do pretty things without branching off of paper. :p I figure we are all doing our best.
Happy Monday sweetie. It rained like crazy here this weekend, but today it’s 55 and sunny and I feel so much energy today, it’s wonderful!
xoxo
oh so glad you found it inspiring. i agree, packaging is a huge challenge, i can see how it is much more so with products like soap bars etc. i’ve actually had a post in draft mode for literally two years about making packaging more eco friendly. because it’s hard to say anything other than “paper and recycled materials”! especially since recycled or alternative materials are generally more expensive. but packaging got along up until about 40-50 years ago, so i know it’s possible!
i’ve always loved your photos of soaps with the paper labels! i’m not sure how she wraps hers, because the closest thing to soap i’ve gotten was the lotion bar in a tin. glass would be super heavy! i think another idea would be including a note about how to recycle some of the plastic containers people use.
i agree, it’s a really intriguing topic to me. i can see how your products would be MUCH harder to go without plastic than say all those paper products i see in cellophane sleeves. i guess i’m going to have to finally write the post after all 🙂
have a wonderful week!! our weather is similar, except ten degrees warmer of course, haha.
Hi Angela! Heather here, owner of Queen Bee Apothecary, LLC (affliliate brands Queen Bee Trading Co., 1898 Bathery & Co. and Small Town Southern Brand, LLC). We thank you so much for taking the time to write this lovely article on our products. We’re over the moon every time we hear brags on our products.
It’s very much a challenge to make a fabulous, cost contained, eco-friendly product. We try to make soaps in a round puck form so we can use brown paper coffee filters to wrap them, they look appealing to the eye as well as are eco friendly. I personally do not like the cellophane wraps, I understand that they have a use and I have used them before….not to mention we have about a million in our shop, they just don’t suit my branding line well.
QBA strives in all areas to recycle and decrease waste, but unfortunately plastics/foams are a must for us at times. Packing our products safely is of the upmost importance to us and after many years of trial and error, we have found that the more “eco friendly” packing materials don’t always stand up against the postal system machines and sometimes heavy hand. Nothing is more disappointing to a customer than opening a smashed up box with damaged, leaky products.
We are very proud to say that we recycle all of our own supply packing and use it to re-pack customer products (peanuts/bubble wrap, etc). We donate our large freight boxes and many are used in organic gardening and are constantly looking for ways to recycle our waste.
Again, thank you so much for your article, praises, and continued patronage. We are honored to say the least. Also, many thanks for allowing us to comment about our strive to be green.
Hey Heather!
Thanks for taking the time to respond about the packaging! It’s great to be able to get a behind the scenes glimpse into any brand and their practices, let alone one so successful on Etsy (& beyond)!
such pretty photos!