100% Pure Fruit-Pigmented Cosmetics

If you're looking for the most pure, organic, cruelty-free, chemical-free cosmetics on the planet, take a look at 100% Pure. I first learned about this company when I was given a body wash in Pure Lime by a friend. I checked the ingredients (you usually find sodium laureth-something in them, and while that does make things lather nicely, it's also a rather harsh chemical), and found nothing in that bottle that would have stopped me from actually drinking it instead of washing with it. The smell was heavenly, it cleaned just as well as harsher products, and as if that weren't enough, the packaging was made from recycled materials and the ink on the label was soy-based. Could you get any greener?

Founder Susie Wang says, on the 100% Pure website, that the company's mission is to "bring health food for the skin without any harsh, unsafe chemicals that can pollute our bodies or our planet." In the April 2006 issue of Women's Health Magazine, Dr. Nancy Lonsdrof, M.D., a physician in Iowa, stated "As much as 60% of topical skin-care products are absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream." I don't particularly want sodium laureth things, parabens, or petro-chemicals in my bloodstream or on my face, so I was excited when, about a year ago, 100% Pure added a line of cosmetics colored with fruit and vegetable pigments instead of synthetic dyes or minerals. To date, they are the only company that does.

The line includes everything you could want in cosmetics, from a tinted moisturizer to black tea mascara. The tinted moisturizer comes in 5 shades (creme, white peach, peach bisque, golden peach, and toffee), and has a natural, PABA-free sun protection of 20 SPF, blocking both UVA and UVB. I use it almost every day. In addition to the fruit and vegetable pigments (peach, apricot, pomegranate, and cucumber juice, to name just a few), the moisturizer includes white tea, acai oil, pomegranate oil, and vitamins to nourish your skin.

The 100% Pure Healthy Flawless Skin Foundation comes in the same five shades as the tinted moisturizer and includes a 15 SPF sun protection. The fruit and vegetable pigments are mixed with rice powder, grape seed powder, and in some shades, mica, to complete the formulation.

The company makes two kinds of cheek colors. The Luminescent Face Powder comes in 11 shades; good luck choosing just one, because they're all gorgeous. Like the foundation, the powder blush formulation includes rice powder and grape seed powder - all food for your skin. The other type is the Pot Rouge in 7 shades, a sheer swipe of color to blend on your cheeks, either over bare skin or a foundation. The avocado butter, rosehip oil, and various pigments makes these babies smell as good as they look. Most recently they've added a Cheek and Lip Tint that include fruit pigments, and in some shades, chocolate. Yum.

For your eyes, there are Powder Eyeshadows in 16 lovely shades. Because they use all natural pigments from fruits, vegetables, and chocolate, you won't find the deep or bright tones you see in cosmetics like MAC or Smashbox, but if you like a natural look and a natural cosmetic on your skin, you'll love these. They also make palettes of different shades from one pigment, like chocolate, plum, or island fruits. You'll find some of these on the website, but you may have to look to QVC (on-line or on TV) for some of them, and many are limited editions. Don't worry; soon another beautiful palette will make you forget you may have missed one! They also make fruit pigment Satin Eyeshadows for those who prefer a cream shadow to a powder.

Finish your face with Fruit Pigment Mascara in black tea, blueberry, blackberry, or dark chocolate. I love the Black Tea, but beware - it's not waterproof, but that helps make it very gentle and non-irritating. And don't forget your lips! There are seven shades of lip butter, from cranberry to watermelon, and these also come in palettes.

If you're ready to switch to a cosmetics company who finds pure ingredients and a clean environment as important as you do, then switch to 100% Pure. It's not just a name; it's a way of living.