From Blissful Babe to Beauty Gone Green

“Back in the day people didn’t know that smoking was bad, that the sun was bad. This is the next wave,” says Kirstie Lauren, founder of Beauty Gone Green.

This “next wave” is the revealing and research of harmful ingredients found in our daily skin and hair care products, and how these additives can negatively impact our health. While Beauty Gone Green is a bi-monthly “safe, non-toxic beauty discovery box,” her green goals extend well beyond makeup.

We jumped at the opportunity to interview the brains behind the box, Kirstie herself, on her inspirations, successes, and goals for the future of beauty, and the green movement in general.

“Why would you rub that on your body?”

Parabens, talc, lead, tocopheryl acetate, and formaldehyde are just a few of the chemicals you may find in your deodorant, shampoo, foundation, mascara, and even lipstick. How on earth did lead, a chemical removed from wall paint due to toxicity find its way into the products consumers apply to their bodies and faces daily?

Clever advertising and quite a bit of masking, insinuates Kirstie Lauren. Because the FDA does not currently mandate that cosmetics companies conduct safety tests for their products, they mask harmful ingredients under harmless monikers such as Kirstie’s personal least favorite: fragrance. “The main thing, first thing, number one huge important thing is fragrance. A lot of people assume that fragrance is something that just makes your products smell good, but what they don’t realize is that there are a thousand chemicals that can be hidden under ‘fragrance.’”

Kirstie, raised and inspired by her very health-conscious mother, realized that if companies were using weird chemicals and not testing their effects, their products had no business on her body. Once she decided to ditch those brands and products altogether, opting instead for brands which care about their ingredients and consumers’ wellbeing, she knew she had to tell the world that there was a better, healthier way.

A True Social Entrepreneur

With a passion for natural beauty, healthcare, and skincare products in conjunction with a passion for social media, Kirstie started The Goofy Mermaid, an Instagram account and now, website. “I point out fun facts because people’s attention can be small scrolling through a bunch of things. I also try to keep it positive because I feel like it creates a healthy community, which is kind of the opposite of what social media can be known for,” explains Kirstie.

It is Kirstie’s social media presence that led her to exclusive brand partnerships, and eventually entrepreneurship with her Beauty Gone Green subscription box. It all began with a powerful social media presence, and a passion for non-toxic beauty products. Kirstie started reaching out to brands that made some of her favorite products, and began reviewing and advocating for them across social media. Her viewership grew and grew, and she now has over 65,000 followers on Instagram alone.

It became apparent that people cared about her message, advocating for healthier options, but Kirstie noticed one rather pressing problem: good products with quality ingredients come with a higher price tag. “Nobody wants to spend all that money without trying something first. Beauty Gone Green allows people to try at a much lower price, and then get additional savings through the brands after sampling to purchase the full-size,” she explains.

Subscription Boxes, Redefined

Kirstie realizes that there are plenty of other monthly subscription beauty boxes on the market, which is why her company does things a little differently. “This is a bi-monthly subscription because if you’re getting face cream every month, you’re not going to need it.” Anyone who has subscribed to a monthly box of any sort can relate to the fact that product begins to stockpile, including Kirstie’s fiancé with his monthly sock subscription box.