What To Buy At Target

I always thought as a blogger my most asked questions would be something fun or exciting like, What’s the best natural mascara? or What product has done magic for your skin? But no. One of my most frequent questions from readers and friends alike is ‘OK, now what do I buy at Target?’ I totally get it though. Sometimes you just want safe products that are completely accessible! I usually shy away from directing people to Target since Greenwashing is abundant there and you really can’t trust that products labeled as natural really are natural. Their natural aisle is super shady! But times are changing and their selection is getting a little better. I want to be sure we’re all navigating the wilds of Target with open eyes though, so I’m going to give you some tools to keep in your pocket in addition to going through some safe brands so you can stay on track.

First up: Pinch Me. Acure Organics is now at Target! This brand is a staple at our house and we always have a few of their products on hand. This is one of my top recommended brands for people just starting out in the green world because Acure always performs and looks/smells/feels like conventional products, which makes it less intimidating. I was so exciting to see them sitting there in my Target that I had to buy something, so I got the Argan Oil Cleansing Towelettes which I’d been meaning to try anyways. And in other ‘Pinch Me’ news S.W. Basics is now being sold online at Target! Another brand I just love and I’m so excited they picked them up.

So let’s go through the safe list for personal care products. The list of entirely safe brands is rather short, but it’s good to know there are a few you can count on without scrutinizing the label. In addition to Acure Organics and S.W. Basics, you have:

Weleda (their Skin Food is wonderful)

Dr. Bronner’s

Honest Company

California Baby 

AND.. that concludes the list. However, there are some other safe products- we’re just going to get a little book learnin’ first. So if you haven’t visited Skin Deep yet, you need to ASAP. They have a comprehensive database of products and they rank them based on their safety from 0-10 (0 being harmless and 10 being very hazardous to your health). This site is so eye opening if you haven’t made the switch yet or if you’re in the process of changing over to non-toxic products. The even better news is that they have an app, so you can take their database shopping with you. Simply scan any given product with your phone and you can instantly get it’s rating and a description of any suspect ingredients. If you’re a non-tech person, I will post a list of no-no ingredients at the bottom of this post that you can print out and bring with you to the store. 

Ok, with that off my chest, let’s go through a few more safe products! I’m going to list some brands that have some great products, but also have some not so safe products in the mix, so be sure to check out the label or use your Skin Deep app when buying these.

Shea Moisture- Pretty safe. A few products are rated as 4 on Skin Deep which is above what I would consider acceptable.

Pacifica- Their lip tints are really great and safe, along with some of their other makeup. Stay away from their personal care products.

Avalon Organics- They have some solid products but they lose points on their baby products, some of which score pretty badly. 

Burt’s Bees- Where do I start? Stay away from their baby products and anything that doesn’t say Fragrance-Free. This brand is a mixed bag. 

Physician’s Formula Organic Wear- Great make-up at a great price. Just be sure you’re getting Organic Wear and not their regular products.

Yes To Carrots- This brand has a couple of safe products but most aren’t so use caution.

Tom’s of Maine- A few products rate poorly

Babyganics- They’ve made some changes and a lot of their products are safe but a couple could be safer. Use Skin Deep to be sure, especially since this is for the little people.

Speaking of little people- online and in store diaper choices are good. Honest, Seventh Generation, Earth’s Best, along with a solid selection of cloth diapers online and some other natural brands like Naty by Nature.

For cleaning products:

Seventh Generation- Probably your safest bet of all the brands but beware of added fragrance.

Bon Ami- A non-toxic scrub powder

White vinegar- you can buy it by the gallon for a couple bucks at Target and it cleans everything.

What to stay away from:

Organix (just don’t. Not even close to organic)

Method cleaning products

Mrs. Meyers (chock full of synthetic fragrance)

The list goes on and on.. If I didn’t mention a product or brand you’re wondering about don’t be shy about asking me or plugging it into Skin Deep.

The No-No list: I really like OrganicBeautyTalk.com‘s list so this is from their site.

Alcohol, Isopropyl (SD-40)

DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (Monoethanolamine) & TEA (triethanolamine)

DMDM Hydantion & Urea (Imidazolidinyl)

FD&C Color Pigments

Synthetic Fragrances

Mineral Oil

Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)

Propylene Glycol (PG) and Butylene Glycol

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) & Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)

Triclosan

Along with:

Aluminum
Pthalates
DEET
Dioxins
Formaldehyde
PABA
Para-Aminobenzoic Acid (PABA)
Parabens
Phenoxyethanol
Toluene
Camphor

Happy Shopping! xo