It’s only natural that as you get older you start paying more attention to your health. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been adding clean eating, hydration, and wellness to my yearly vision boards, areas I strive to master, and learn more about. Vitamins have always been a foreign world to and I’ve been on a quest to finding the most ethical and sustainable vitamins out there.
Over the past year, I’ve been in-and-out of routines and searching for the right vitamins that would complement my lifestyle. Like pretty much every industry, it’s super saturated and there are so many brands claiming they are the best. With all the noise, it’s hard to differentiate which brands are legit and which ones are not. More and more consumers are reading labels and becoming smart about what they buy. This new era of meticulous label reading has led to an increase of certifications, including Non-GMO Project Verified, USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified, and other declarations of “clean label” sourcing and processing integrity. All practices aimed to help the consumer’s selection process.
Here are some of the aspects as consumers we need to be aware of.
– Who’s the extraction agent partner? Are they using a clean process to source the ingredients?
– Are the brand’s vitamins organic and free from pesticides?
– What’s the quality? Is it pure?
– What are the brand’s sustainable practices?
– Are they transparent and display all ingredients?
– Is each ingredient fully traceable?
Through my sustainability journey, I have encountered so many good resources that provide useful information. One of them is Rêve en Vert, an e-commerce site for luxury ethical and sustainable fashion. The platform has an incredible podcast, discussing thoughtful topics and featuring leaders in the sustainability space. There was one particular episode that really resonated with me and it was about BEAR, a luxury health, wellness, and lifestyle line. The owners share personal stories and their journey to starting the brand.
BEAR is based out of Australia and has a minimalist approach to beauty. It sources the highest quality ingredients from around the world and commits to ensuring its products are free from genetically modified ingredients (GMO), sulfates, parabens, synthetic fragrances and colors, glycols, silicones, and phthalates. All of its products are vegan and not tested on animals.
One of the aspects discussed in the podcast was that the BEAR is a Certified B Corporation, which is a certification granted to businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
There are more than 3,000 Certified B Corporations from over 120 industries and nearly 50 countries with 1 unifying goal—to redefine success in business. B Corporations are known for the motto of People Using Business as a Force for Good. To learn more about the B-Certification, I encourage you to read this article by EcoCult. It further explains the process of obtaining the certification, the big fashion brands holding the title, and discusses if it means that B-certified brands are trustworthy or not.
With just a quick glimpse at BEAR, I was immediately intrigued by it. I purchased the Explore daily vitamins, which has Vitamin C and Rhodiola for energy, immunity, and radiance. A bottle contains 60 tablets and it’s recommended to be taken one tablet a day with or without food. It’s worth noting that it’s made for adults.
I am typically nervous when introducing new supplements to my body. I’ve been taking these vitamins for almost three months now and I can say there are no side effects. The only aspect that changed is that on the days I took a tablet my urine was neon yellow. It makes sense as the tablet has a bright color to it.
So far I am enjoying my vitamins and I feel good after I take them. If you are also interested in learning more about ethical and sustainable vitamins, I rounded up additional B-Corp certified vitamin brands. Cheers to embarking on a wellness journey together.
Garden of Life is a Florida based brand, offering organic and non-GMO vitamins, probiotics, and protein powders.
Vermont-based New Chapter has a selection of multivitamins that are fermented with whole foods and beneficial probiotics. It has no added sugar or sweeteners, no synthetic binders or fillers, and no artificial colors or flavors.
Vital Plan is based in North Carolina and its supplements address the brain, digestive, heart, stress, and other health topics. Each ingredient that goes into its supplement line is hand-selected and they verify the absence of milk/dairy, fish, eggs, gluten, shellfish, and peanuts.
P.S. I will never presume to offer the final word on which brand is the best