Teal N Bronze

Whether Valentine’s Day fills your heart with joy or dread, it remains an opportunity to cherish the beautiful bonds in your life with your partner, your galantines, and yourself (self-love = the most important kind of love!). As importantly, the decisions we make on Valentine’s Day, and every other day, have the power to promote peace and love for marginalized workers globally, innocent, sentient animals, and our planet. In the spirit of love, we’ve created a guide with four simple steps on how to celebrate Valentine’s Day the ethical way.

1. Indulge in Only the Best Fair-Trade, Vegan Chocolate

Experience love at first bite with iChoc’s vegan chocolate bars. This chocolate is smooth, creamy, and tastes practically identical to traditional milk chocolate without causing the same degree of environmental damage.

Unlike many mainstream chocolate bars, iChoc is made with cocoa from the organic cultivations of farming cooperatives in the Dominican Republic, all of whom receive a fair wage. These decadent bars also have the stamp of approval from the Food Empowerment Project and all 6 flavours are adorned in compostable packaging.

Where to buy: Healthy Planet (in-store & online), Goodness Me (in-store & online), vegansupply.ca, well.ca

2. Ignite Your Passion with a Soy Massage Candle

What better day to add a little spice into your life than Valentine’s Day? Massage Candles offer a multi-stage experience of relaxation and the potential to ignite fire and romance. Natura Soy thoughtfully crafts their Massage Candles with soy wax, which naturally burns at a lower temperature and can be applied directly onto the skin. Begin by lighting the candle, letting it burn as the wax pool forms, and then massage the comforting, warm wax onto your skin (or your partner’s skin for a spa-like pampering experience).

Natura Soy Massage Candles are available in 4 aromatic scents and contain Shea, Hemp, Vitamin E, and Pure Essential Oils, which nourish and heal dry skin. Ethically, the candles are a safe choice as they are created with only plant-based ingredients. Distinct from paraffin candles made from petroleum oil, these soy wax candles are toxin-free, carbon-neutral, and emit no known carcinogens, enabling you to embrace your love for yourself, your partner, and the planet!

3. Purify with Our Cruelty-Free Face Mask

Fall in love with your skin upon using our Purifying Masque. Simply mix 1 teaspoon of the mask with 1 teaspoon of water (or rosewater if you’re in the spirit of love and romance) and apply to your face. Let the mask dry while you soak in the tub and then rinse to reveal purified skin.

Our Purifying Masque cleanses pores, removes excess oil and, in turn, prevents acne while simultaneously promoting an all-over improvement to your skin health as purified skin absorbs skin nutrients from face oils, serums and moisturizers more effectively. Most importantly, our mask and all of our products are cruelty-free, never tested on animals and only on consenting adults. By opting for Teal N Bronze products this Valentine's Day, you'll not only give your skin the love it needs but save animals' lives too

4. Seduce Your Senses with our Toxin-Free Salt Soak

Treat your Valentine or yourself (self-love reminder: you can be your own Valentine) to a relaxing salt bath that will seduce your senses as our Dead Sea Salts are infused with bergamot, lavender, frankincense and myrrh essential oils. Begin by filling your bathtub with steamy, hot water. Then, add our Restoration Salt Soak immediately before you step into the tub, soak for 20 minutes and step out refreshed.

Our Restoration Salt Soak restores moisture in the skin, detoxifies and reduces inflammation. Beyond the skincare, healing, and aromatherapy benefits, our products, all of which are toxin-free, have considerable environmental benefits since they are free from the “Dirty Dozen” (i.e. 12 specific toxic pollutants known to degrade the environment causing irreversible harm). In fact, the David Suzuki Foundations surveyed Canadians and shockingly found that 80% of the conventional beauty products purchased contained at least one of the “Dirty Dozen.” However, when you use our skin and body products, you can say goodbye to toxins and feel confident about your love for the planet!

5. Smooth Your Skin with our Plant-Based Body Butter

Java Jazz is the gift that will melt their heart with its irresistible aroma and into their skin with its delectable, whipped texture. Lock in moisture and feel re-energized after bathing by applying this caffeine powerhouse onto your skin.

Our Java Jazz Body Butter provides intense moisturization, an organic glow, chemical-free SPF 29, and softens the skin to the degree that it will be your partner’s (or your own) new obsession. The luxuriously whipped texture of this 5-star favourite is achieved by using only premium plant-based USDA-certified ingredients. By opting for ethical ingredients, we stand against the exploitation of all individuals, including bees (farmers often cut off queen bee’s wings to restrain her) and nature’s ecosystems (honey, which is produced by and for bees, is replaced with a sugar substitute that lacks the nutrition of honey).

We hope you’ll choose to love all bee-ings this Valentine’s Day and remember, nothing says I love you more than fair-trade, cruelty-free, toxin-free and plant-based products.