I received an invite a few weeks ago to have lunch in Malibu with Tom’s Of Maine. I was instantly curious because no details were supplied at all (other than time and place). “Hmmmm…” I don’t normally accept these kinds of invites (especially bang in the middle of a workday), but I do love Tom’s of Maine so decided to give it a whirl!
I arrived at the destination. A beautiful lunch table was all set out for myself and one other guest. The mystery continued…
I hung out on the deck until my lunch date arrived. It turned out to be actress and entrepreneur Nikki Reed, who is even more gorgeous in the flesh than on screen, and an absolute delight!
We sat down to begin our mystery lunch and were handed beautifully designed menus. As I honed on what I was going to order, I realized that this was no ordinary lunch. OMG – each dish was described in detail, BUT contained the very ingredients that I’ve been avoiding (and telling other people to avoid) for years! We’re talking cocktails with plastic microbeads, lobster rolls with Red Dye 33, cobbler with aspartame and the list went on. Nikki and I looked at each other — “What is going on?” Here we were hungry to eat a delicious meal, but politely declined everything on the menu.
Then the lovely people from Tom’s of Maine came out to explain it all. You wouldn’t want to eat these ingredients – so why do we accept them in some of personal care products we use? Before we tucked into the real lunch, which the chef was busy preparing, we all got to chat about the experience that Tom’s had created for us. Nikki is a mom (of a baby girl), and has become very green and eco-conscious over the past few years. She’s also as smart as a whip, and won’t let anything past that doesn’t fit into her healthy lifestyle for herself and her new family. As you know, I wrote about ingredients to avoid in my first book, Gorgeously Green, over 10 years ago, and so I am on the same page as Tom’s of Maine all the way!
This whole “social experiment” reminded me how many products are still wrapped up in a beautiful feel-good package, which doesn’t necessarily reflect the truth of what’s inside. Tom’s of Maine, since their humble beginnings in 1970, haven’t changed their stance on taking care of our health and the planet.
I love that Tom’s Of Maine makes natural personal care so accessible, affordable, and doable for almost everyone. They have a massive choice of products with something for everyone. My personal “can’t live withouts” are my Whole Care mouthwash, antiplaque floss, Antiplaque & Whitening Toothpaste gel, Lavender & Shea Natural Beauty Bar, and Creamy Coconut Body Wash.
My husband’s fav in the Unscented Original Care deodorant (he won’t use anything else!) And my daughter’s fave is the Lavender & Tea Tree Body Wash.
I know that Nikki is thrilled that there is such an extensive Baby Care line.
Thank you, Tom’s of Maine, for a thought-provoking lunch. And we did tuck into a wonderful quinoa salad, and cocktails without the plastic microbeads – what a relief!
