Working in the eco-world, I know a lot about the good and bad chemicals that show up in all kinds of beauty products. It seems there is a new one every week! How are everyday consumers (like you, my dear readers) supposed to keep up?

One woman in Brooklyn is about to make your life a lot easier. Her name is Spirit Demerson and she started Spirit Beauty Lounge. All of the tireless research has been done for you. Anything you buy from Spirit Beauty Lounge is truly clean and green!

On top of their exceptional eco-products (including brands like Jurlique, Ctonics, Nvey Eco, Tsi-la, and Mad Imports), Spirit Beauty Lounge operates on green principles. Annually, the company donates 1% of its profits to 1% for the Planet and makes an additional donation to Carbonfund.org. Their facilities are also 100% powered by hydro and wind energy.

I had the immense pleasure of talking to the enterprising Spirit recently. Read on to find out how Spirit Beauty Lounge got started, how they pick their products, difficulties being green, Spirit’s favorite cosmetics, and the cost of eco-beauty. Make sure not to miss the EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT as well!

Victoria Everman: When did the idea for Spirit Beauty Lounge come to you?

Spirit Demerson: I had always wished there was a one-stop shop for all of my favorite organic luxury brands so I created one!  Over the last three years I had actually been working on opening a green organic spa and boutique or “beauty lounge”, here in New York but as we were starting to see a downturn in the economy I put the spa on hold and decided to create the same concept in the virtual world!

How is Spirit Beauty Lounge different from other online eco-beauty stores?

My goal was to start a green business first, a beauty business second. All of our facilities and services are powered by 100% wind, hydro & solar energy.  All of our shipping materials are recycled or biodegradable.  We donate 1% of sales to 1% for the Planet and another 5% of profits to other charities. We purchase carbon offsets for all of  our incoming shipping from vendors, our travel, etc, and offer easy carbon offsetting for the shipping of your purchase at checkout.

I also wanted to specialize in luxury brands, which I think is still the smallest and most hard to find branch of the organic beauty market.  To me, luxury is not entirely superficial.  It means higher potency, often rare, precious ingredients with superior performance.  It also means packaging pretty enough to leave out on your dresser or your bathroom sink.  Girls will be girls and we want a pretty package!  Because I set out specifically to “convert” conventional beauty buyers, presentation was probably a higher priority for me than for eco-beauty stores whose target customer is someone who is already familiar with green beauty and organics.

Lastly, I wanted the site to feel more like walking around a spa boutique or apothecary, less like a drugstore.  I selected jewelry, handbags, books, candles and other really chic, green, fun items that complement the experience.

What selection process do you use when choosing new brands or goods for your webshop?

I call our product analyzation system the Three Ps:

performance – is our first priority. A product should do what it promises and do it well, period.
potency/purity – We demand the highest possible percentage of organic or biodynamic, active ingredients.
packaging – must be beautiful and biodegradable or recyclable.

All products from any line must score high on all three “Ps”.  We are also “Dirty Dozen” and “Dirty Thirty” free and try to ensure all ingredients are ethically sourced and cruelty-free.

The number one reason a product line gets rejected is performance.  There is a fast growing number of organic products available but many of them don’t quite perform as well as their conventional counterparts.  I’m not going to turn anyone green by asking them to use an organic eye cream that doesn’t do anything, just because it’s organic.

Have you been living a sustainable lifestyle for long?

Yes. My parents were California hippies (hence the name).  My sister and I were raised with a strong sense of social & environmental responsibility.

What is your least favorite part about being a “greenie”?

It’s just not convenient.  Every once in a while you just wish you didn’t have to think so much.  Honestly, reading labels can add an extra 15 minutes at the supermarket, the drugstore, a department store … I’ll be the first to admit that it takes the fun out of clothing shopping with friends, especially knowing that H&Ms and Forever 21s are not even an option. If I’m on vacation and I forgot my moisturizer, I want to be able to run into a drugstore and grab something that’s not full of  toxic chemicals.  This has actually happened and I ended up in there for 20 minutes trying to figure out which one was the least scary!  Putting parabens on your skin for a week isn’t going to kill you but once you have the knowledge, you can’t go back. It expands to the point where you know you are limited to specific stores or brands.  For someone who loves fashion and beauty and shopping in general, green is sometimes very limiting.

I noticed that you are a beauty school dropout – how did that happen?

Beauty is my passion.  I have always loved painting, fashion and design.  I went to cosmetology school because I loved doing make-up and hair styling and had been managing  a retail beauty supply store.  I loved the theory part of cosmetology – the chemistry, the history of aesthetics…but when I finally got close to graduating, I realized that I hated cutting hair!  I ended up dropping out  and eventually moving to New York to model/waitress and study painting.

Which sustainable products are on your current list of favorites?

In addition to all of our Staff Favorites on the site, I love nvey eco mascara.  It gives you that soft, feathery, clump-free look that can almost be mistaken for no mascara at all.

I’m addicted to All the Better to Kiss You With’s new Pomegranate Lip Balm!  It smells so pretty.

My skin care routine is all Organic Apoteke right now and I’m seeing fabulous results especially with the Rasayana Rejuvenating Serum.

A long day deserves a long bath and mine are usually with Ila bath salts or a tub tea from Agoodnightkiss.

I’ve also been rocking the Offhand Designs Tia clutch in Licorice and getting a lot of compliments on it but my favorite thing about it is actually the hot pink lining!

Does green beauty have to be expensive?

Not necessarily but I think for too long we have been looking for quantity as consumers rather than quality and that goes for everything from food to fashion.  What we have saved in money, we have paid for in our health, the environment and our humanity.  Instead of saying “What I can’t afford, I won’t buy,” we say, “How can I get it cheaper?” and you end up with sweatshop labor or cheap chemical fillers … I am sensitive to limited incomes, especially in this economy.

It may not be possible for everyone who wants to buy green to spend $50 on moisturizer. With organics, you a product with higher potency, purity and effectiveness does cost more but there are some great cheap alternatives.  When I’m on a tight budget, I’ll use olive oil, sugar, apples and other simple cheap ingredients to whip up my own skin care and I wouldn’t discourage anyone from doing that!  It’s fun and it’s a great way to get by without resorting to using poor quality store bought products.

I just think it’s important to understand the true value of green beauty is not just the difference between synthetic, natural or organic ingredients it’s the price you don’t pay in other hard to define but very real costs down the line.

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I hope you enjoyed my interview with Spirit – she is spectacular! Now, here is the extra content you have been waiting for … the EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT!

Simply enter VICEV20 during checkout at Spirit Beauty Lounge and you will get 20% OFF your order. Let me know what you pick out – I’m always eager to hear what my readers enjoy.