The lovely people at Ecofabulous just made us blush.  Read what they had to say about the Vivesana approach to sun care.  We think they’re doing great work, too!

And read on, to see what scores of other reviewers have had to say…

Vivesana announces its newest retail partner, the Hippocrates Health Institute of West Palm Beach.

Standing apart as one of the most prominent wellness centers in the country, the Institute embodies many of ideals Vivesana strives to meet. Live Healthy!

We’re blushing.  We’ve received scores – possibly hundreds – of reviews those with the most discerning eyes of all – the bloggers.

Here are just a few notable examples of the blogs and websites that have given their thoughts.

We’ll keep posting the reviews as we find ‘em.  Click on any of the links below to see what the experts have to say…

Ideal Bite, The Style Page, Livestrong, Beauty News NYC, The Greenists, Babble, Baby Gadget, Mamaista, Cool Mom Picks, Treehugger, Quiskaeya, Mogul Baby, Nonchalant Mom, Totsnob, Smorgasbite, Beauty Snob, Re-Nest, DKmommyspot, Green Blog, Sustainability Digest, This Full House, Green Goddess Dressing, FindBuzz.com

Webster’s dictionary defines “natural” as “being in accordance with or determined by nature.” Ok, pretty straightforward.

Of course, nothing’s ever simple. This is an oxymoronic world we live in, where the Environmental Protection Agency takes the side of corporations and sues states for protecting the environment, and coal calls itself clean. The trick to finding natural products is resisting natural self-descriptions, branding and marketing…even when they put trees and bushes in their logo.

The proof is in the pudding. Just look at the ingredients. Products must list ingredients in descending order by volume and must provide specific terminology. Exceptions include ingredients present in very small amounts and fragrances, which may be described as “fragrances”. Helpful. We simply don’t buy products that say “fragrances”, and opt for those that spell out what that means.

So, if you see octyl dodecanol or dimethicone silicone on there, we suggest that you put that product right back on the shelf. Instead, look for a products with labels that start and finish with ingredients like sunflower, green tea, and avocado. Ingredients you can pronounce. Ingredients you can cook with!

What’s it mean? In the skin care arena, it generally relates to the accumulation of certain substances in the body over time. In order for something to accumulate, of course, it has to stay in the body and not get flushed out. Many synthetics in skin care, unfortunately, do stick around. While companies get away with trace amounts of toxic synthetics in their products, those trace amounts can add up.

A 2004 EWG study looked at industrial chemicals in babies and umbilical cord blood. It found 287 industrial synthetics. The average baby in the study carried over 200 industrial chemicals. Many of those chemicals likely came from pesticides on the inorganic food we eat. Others came from skin care.

Of the 287 industrial synthetics, over 200 are potentially toxic, carcinogenic or may cause defects. Others have impacts we don’t yet know. We do know that things like low birth weight, type 2 diabetes, low sperm counts, breast cancer, and early onset of female puberty, among other related health issues, are on the rise.

Advice? Eat organic and local if you can. Filter your water, and stay away from fish high on the food chain. Use synthetic-free, organic personal products.

Is the FDA doing its job? Depends on your view of what its job is, we suppose. If you think it’s analyzing skin care products before they hit the shelves, getting out front on suspect ingredients, or setting up an enforceable system for accurate labeling of naturals, chemicals and organics, then no, they’re not doing their job. You can’t really blame them. IOHO, they’re under-funded and under-authorized.

phthalates and elements of packaging (e.g., BPA) that are widely used in the US that are banned in other industrialized countries. In fact, the Environmental Working Group has found that more than 750 personal care products would violate safety standards in other industrialized countries. There is no pre-approval for cosmetics or even over-the-counter drugs. There is gross non-compliance in the industry on labeling standards, and less than aggressive labeling requirements.

Where does that leave us? It means the consumer has to be particularly vigilant and informed. Fortunately, there are sites out there to help. Sana has taken upon itself to create products that would meet the standards we’d all like to see…standards that put health, safety and the environment above commercial concerns. We’ve also tried to provide as much information as we can about things to look for and things to avoid. Please let us know if you have questions or things to add…

The overwhelming majority of the industry chooses plastic from China for its packaging. Yes, study after study shows that dangerous synthetics (like BPA and phthalates) can leach from the plastics. Yes, Chinese safety regulations are virtually non-existent. Yes, their rivers run red with dyes simply dumped from the backs of factories. Yes, labor standards are unacceptable. Go figure. Then again, Chinese plastic is really cheap. And the consumer has no way of knowing where packaging comes from, so what’s the diff?

Sana chose aluminum produced in the US and Canada for a bunch of reasons. From a safety perspective, sourcing from local producers allowed us to ensure compliance with good manufacturing processes. Avoiding plastic means avoiding aforementioned synthetics. Importantly, the products do not sit in aluminum: our innovative tubes have a non-BPA liner.

Aluminum is also preferable from an environmental perspective. It’s one of the most plentiful substances on the earth’s crust. It is also the most recylable material in the marketplace. Unlike even the most recylable plastic (Polyethylene, or PET), which has only a couple generations before it degrades, aluminum never degrades and is infinitely recyclable. It’s also easy to recycle, requiring a relatively low level of energy. The amount of energy saved by recycling aluminum cans in 2003, for example, was equal to 15 million gallons of crude oil, or America’s entire gas consumption for one day. An aluminum container can be back on shelves 60 days after it’s sent to recycling. And buying local means less transportation, no dumping in rivers and no shortcuts.