Reviewing my Skincare: Gift Green India’s Body Butter-Green or Greenwashed?

Interested in skincare?

Then I have a fact to share with you.

A few days ago, I came across this brand- Hibiscus Monkey. Their philosophy was interestingly impactful. Apparently, our face makes up just 5% of our skin.

Wow.

So, all this while the beauty industry has majorly focused on 5% of the largest organ on our body?

Of course not.

There are underarm whitening creams, moisturizes for your body, special creams for the soles of your feet, and more. Some experts will say that all these specialized products are useless and the same moisturizer can work everywhere. Others will say that skin is different in different parts of the body and is exposed to different levels of pollutants, UV rays, and cleansing, so of course the skincare will look different.

You pick which side of the fence you wish to be on. Being easily fatigued I choose multi-use products. Some might applaud this as a susty decision, but I would recommend listening to your dermatologist. Healthy, imperfect realistic sustainability over perfectionist burn out any day.

Yes, a doctor’s advice is an effective solution to the polarizing amount of information available on the internet. Especially being trying to create a sustainable skincare routine. And currently my doctor has me on a pretty simple skincare routine which includes a body butter for my skin. For the same, I use Gift Green India’s whipped body butter.

Now, if you know me, you know I love Gift Green India’s products. I have worked with them as a blogger simply because of how much I adore everything they stand for.

Just to give you an overview?

Their skincare products are handmade, packaged eco-friendly materials like tin, vegan, and made in small batches. They have a good Zoobop score as well, though it is below 4.

So, their whipped body butter.

Disclaimer first- I am no chemist or someone with an expert knowledge of ingredients. My doctor hasn’t seen the exact product or its formulation. She just recommended I moisturize regularly and said that a body butter does the job. I chose to try Gift Green’s whipped body butter because it seemed susty.

Let’s see how sustainable it actually is though and if I have any suggestions for the company.

Does the product work?

Gift Green India’s whipped body butter moisturizes my skin perfectly. The application is smooth and it gives me skin a good shine after using. Love the luster.

Body butter and moisturizer and body oils all have different formulations and thus are suitable for different skin types. Given that, this product is well suited to my skin. And the brand says all skin types. It melts with the body’s heat when used, which I love. A small amount of this goes a long way.

It helped reduced itchiness once applied but I do not think it has been dermatologically tested or is specifically marketed towards those with itchy skin. The use of jojoba oil and shea butter, do make it good for those with dry and inflammatory skin, far as I know. The product does not leave my skin feeling sticky either.

While, yes, it might look like wax when seen in the tin box, it has a delightful fragrance. Now, I know scent it isn’t the best thing in product but for me this worked because it wasn’t potent and likely comes from the rose essential oil used.

But we know essential oils aren’t the greenest kid on the block. Which makes me interested in the ingredients used in the product and whether they are sustainable and safe.

Ingredients Used in the “Sustainable” Body Butter: Green or Not?

All ingredients are eco-safe, non-toxic and vegan. The essential oils are lab-made making them greener than naturally procured ones. While the Shea Butter supplier claims to be ethical, there is nothing to support that but Gift Green has been overall honest. Other ingredients used in the whipped body butter do not carry a history of unethical supply chains according to Zoobop.

Zoobop says that this brand uses naturally derived ingredients most of which are non-toxic and eco-safe. Except the natural food colouring used apparently, the harmfulness of which I question. The founder Mansi Shah says this assessment of the products as natural, and safe for people and planet is mostly right. More on that at the end of this section.

Shea Butter

When this led to me asking about the sourcing of the Shea Butter, she provided the name of their supplier- Keynote International- which claims the product is ethically sourced. We have reached out to them asking for certifications. They claim to grow the product in small farms in India where the product is made ethically. While Shea Butter is usually sourced from Africa and making it in India can be challenging, it is not impossible. Is there a chance, this organization is greenwashing small green startups like Gift Green? Yes. With vague product descriptions and no sustainability page? It is likely.

But there is an equal chance they are legit. In a system where the government does not help green companies reach third-party certifications of authenticity, such complexities become far too frequent. Unfortunately, the responsibility ends up falling on the consumer, in this case Gift Green India, to make sure the supplier is legit.

All that aside, we appreciate the honesty on part of Gift Green India. Personally, I would encourage them to always share the names of their suppliers for ingredients, but I understand it could let out business secrets and be a hassle. Yet, sustainability demands transparency. If there are any business folk in the comments who have a way to navigate this, do let me know.

Everything said and done, I appreciate Mansi Shah giving me the name of their supplier, making it possible for me to look into things.

Almond Oil

Since the product is made in India, it is local to me. But we all know, even if it’s not in Cali, almond oil can have environmental impact such as excess water consumption. When asked, Mansi Shah, shared that she supports a local small business when buying her almond oil. While the vendor has no certifications, Mansi’s family been taking oil from them since the 1990s and thus have built a relationship of trust.

Transparency and Information

This sharing of imperfect sustainable sourcing coupled with the fact that all the ingredients for the body butter are listed on the website gives the brand points for honesty. The advantages of most of the products used are listed on the website alongside customer reviews which are an added bonus. As is the “ask a question” button which allows for customer to ask questions and is a definite sign the company is trying to share details where they can. We love honesty. It helps fight greenwashing.

So eco-safe ingredients that are good for humans, do not hurt marine life and are vegan. All of which are listed transparently on their website. Combined they point a huge no towards the greenwashing aisle. Another plus, is that the product does not have any micro or nano plastic in the form of beads or such, which contributes heavily towards combating plastic pollution in oceans.

Hence, we can say that the ingredients used in this body butter are sustainable barring the Shea Butter for now.

Except for one thing.

“Natural” Raw Materials and Essential Oils

All the products are supposedly “natural”. And as Shelby Orme and Cassandra Bankson have said, “natural” isn’t always more sustainable than lab-made. While it can be less harsh, farming causes deforestation, pollution, soil degradation, and harm our water systems with surface run-offs.

Which makes me question, why is an otherwise extremely green brand, choosing natural ingredients. I reached out to Mansi Shah with that question and here is the answer-

“Every time lab made items might not be sustainable…you need raw materials which also need to be obtained from nature in some way or the other. So, some ingredients I prefer lab made like witch hazel, essential oils so there we exploited nature little less. In other cases, non-lab-made ingredients are sustainable and may not be harmful in the long-run. This is based on my experience working in labs.”

Considering this product uses rose essential oils, I am grateful that they are lab-made. We all know how destructive and resource consuming essential oil framing is. Truth be told, that is why I avoid almost every product with essential oils in it. Clearly, this body butter is an exception.

But ingredients aren’t the only marker of sustainability. Let’s look at some of the others-

Packaging Used in Gift Green India’s Whipped Body Butter: Is it Sustainable?

Materials Used- Tin and Glass

The brand uses primarily glass or tin packaging to hold the body butter depending on the amount. They clearly state that they wish to contribute to a low-waste lifestyle and do not like requests for packaging which isn’t recyclable or green. I love this in a brand.

Are these materials green?

Yes.

While not made of recycled materials, the tins and containers are made in such a way that they can be used to store items in after the product runs out. Anything that is reusable and recyclable is arguably more sustainable than something that needs to be landfilled. I can see the beauty of this. Mansi has also said that most of their consumers reuse the glass jars, which I love, because glass while infinitely recyclable is very nuanced when we look at its impact.

The reduction of plastic in their packaging of this product, despite it being present in minimal amounts in other products, also goes a long to help India reduce its plastic waste, especially the one created by the beauty industry.

The brand uses reused cardboard packaging and paper tape when shipping the product, which is definitely sustainable as it reduces the need for new packaging and reuses something that already in circulation.

Does Gift Green Have Take-Back Programs?

They are working on it.

While there is no take-back or refilling program mentioned on the website, Mansi Shah says that if a person has more than two empty containers, they do take them back and that the brand is working on a proper take-back program. Here’s hoping the find a way to reuse the containers after sterilizing and cleaning them.

They used to have a refill program for their toothpaste powder but have since stopped due to logistical reasons. Well, I hope one day it can start again.

And this shows that the brand alongside promoting sustainability through their social media, webinars, and blogs, cares about the end of the product’s lifecycle. Truly low-waste.

But just been green and part of a circular economy isn’t enough to call something, especially a product like a whipped body butter sustainable. We need to see how it stands financially against the competition.

Is it ethical and financially viable?

Ethical Practises

The Shea Butter problem is making me question if there are other ingredients that are dubiously ethically. But the brand does not seem to be using other ingredients which have supply chain issues- far as I know at the moment. They do get their Kokum Butter from the same supplier though.

And apart from their beeswax wrap, their products are a 100% vegan, which I adore.

Since the product is handmade by the founder themselves in small batches, we know that a fair price has been paid in exchange of the services.

But that leaves one question to be answered- is the product financially viable to the everyday consumer.

Financial Viability of the Product

Despite what it may appear at first glance, the product is fairly priced for a whipped body butter.

For the 80gm of product that I have, you have to pay around Rs. 350 and shipping, which at first glance seemed pretty expensive to me but when I reached out to others and Google asking about prices for similar products, regardless of sustainability, I was told that for whipped body butters of good quality this was a good pricing. Usually, whipped body butters start at above Rs. 350 per 100gm at the least and this is pretty close to that. Given that this product is made sustainably, and whipped body butters can cost in the thousands, I was told I was getting a good deal.

Which makes me wonder how the product was made sustainably when the cost isn’t much higher than regular whipped body butters. It could help other green companies also price their products in a more competitive way. While I am sure giving out trade-secrets isn’t the best for business, and GG has been very forthcoming about almost everything, I am still curious. And I like this curiosity- it sparked a whole post on how sustainable brands can be transparent and still remain competitive.

Final Thoughts

What makes the product green-

At the end of the day, Gift Green India, uses their platforms and media presence to promote sustainability.

Their products are on the greener side using ingredients safe for people and planet that are ethically sourced to the best of their ability- as a business owner I know it is easy to trust a persuasive supplier’s claims of being ethical- and they take pains to make their product descriptions clear to avoid greenwashing.

The product is handmade in small batches with fair wages being paid.

The expiration date of the product is listed clearly, which helps me know how long I can use the product for and helps me avoid it going to waste.

Plus, Mansi Shah has said that the product can be used for the whole body which makes this a convenient and sustainable option for me.

Will I reuse the product?

If the Shea Butter conundrum is resolved, I would definitely think of getting another of the product. If not, I am going to look at other non-bar options Gift Green has for moisturizers or at Kamarkattu Eco-store’s whipped body butter. I might even try Daughter Earth’s body butter.

A Parting Note

While I am curious as to how Gift Green’s whipped body butter is so competitively priced, I do think they are going in the right direction. Many sustainability activists I know, love their products. I would encourage them to add a page that details their sustainability initiatives and impact in detail but their About Us page does a good job already.
As long as the sourcing of the Shea Butter become less ambiguous, I would continue buying their products.

At the end of the day, being a green business owner isn’t easy or especially profitable in a system not designed for eco-friendly and ethical living. I would like to take a moment to thank companies like Gift Green who are paving the path for others in India to turn to greener business precises. I wish them all the success and hope the Shea Butter conundrum gets solved.

Have you used any of their products? Or any other eco-friendly skincare or lifestyle products?

Let me know in the comments below!

Key Take Aways

Running a sustainable business is tough but Mansi Shah of Gift Green India is doing an incredible job.
The body butter does a good job of moisturizer the skin.
Gift Green India’s whipped body is vegan, eco-safe, non-toxic to humans or marine life.
The raw materials are mostly natural except for the essential oils which are lab-made to make it more sustainable.
The Shea Butter supplier’s ethical claims are dubious and should be looked into.
The Almond Oil is from a small, local vendor, whom the family has trued since the 1990s, but who- being a small vendor- doesn’t have certifications.
The coconut is from Satjeevan Organic. Which is a certified organic company.
Recyclable tin and glass packaging is used alongside reused carboard boxes and paper tape. But the tin and glass used to package things are not recycled.
More than two empties can be sent back and Gift Green India is working on a take-back program.
The brand is honest.
The product is handmade in small batches by the founder so we can assume fair wages are being paid.
The cost of the product is in the market range for whipped body butters.

Get Gift Green India’s vegan whipped body butter.

Disclaimer- The links for buying Kamarkattu Ecostore’s body butter and Gift Green India’s body butter from Brown Living India are affiliate links. You support my blog every time you make a purchase through these links or like, share, review, or pay what you will. Remember to shop slow, sustainable, and go for what adds value to your life. Want me to review more skincare? Let me know in the comments!

Updated- 07/01/2024