Growing Belly Balm

This company promotes the empowerment of LGBTQIA+ individuals by providing safe employment opportunities and working conditions, promoting community programs and gender equity, or donating time or funds towards equity education and employment opportunities.

This brand is owned by a majority of women. This includes everything from a small one-woman shop to a larger company where more than 51% of women make up the ownership team.

Cruelty Free is a certification process through PETA that labels products that are not tested on animals. All companies that are included on PETA’s cruelty-free list have signed a statement verifying that they don’t use ingredients or create finished products that help conduct or pay for any tests on animals.

We support small businesses and craftspeople who create each of their products with care. Handmade products are generally produced on a small scale, without the use of large energy consuming factories and production facilities. Buying handmade helps support art, communities, and people’s livelihoods.

Organic materials and ingredients are grown without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers, promoting a healthier use of land and decreasing harmful agricultural runoff. By steering clear of toxic chemicals, farm workers experience less exposure to hazardous conditions, promoting social responsibility as well as environmental stewardship. Choosing organic materials eliminates the use of insecticides and other harmful chemicals, promotes efficient resource use, and results in a safer products and a cleaner planet!

Parabens are synthetic chemical preservatives, commonly used in beauty products like shampoo, lotion, and deodorants. Parabens can accumulate in your body, and have been linked to hormonal disruption and reproductive problems. In studies of breast cancer patients, parabens have been found in the tissue of cancerous tumors. If you want to avoid Parabens in your beauty products, keep an eye out for methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, and ethylparaben in the ingredients list.

Phthalates are found in toys, electronics, personal care products, plastic wraps, containers, and more. These petroleum based chemicals help soften plastics, and bind fragrances to perfumes, deodorants, creams, and other personal care products. Phthalates are are not chemically bound, meaning they can easily get released into the air, water, or your body, just by using the products as intended. Phthalates have been found to disrupt the endocrine system, which can cause reproductive damage, hormonal imbalances, infertility, mood changes, metabolism changes, and more.

No petroleum-based plastics are used in this product or its packaging. Plastic can be difficult to properly recycle, may never biodegrade, and is known to leech toxic chemicals into our bodies and environment. Single-use plastics also require extracting and processing of finite resources, so seeking out biodegradable, infinitely recyclable, or durable products and packaging is recommended whenever possible.

Sulfates are synthetic chemical ingredients commonly used in beauty products and household cleaners, like shampoos and dish soaps. You can usually identify sulfates in an ingredients list by looking out for the most common types: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLC) and Sodium Laureth Sulfates (SLES). These chemicals, often derived from petroleum, are used to help form the “lather” we’re used to seeing in our beauty and cleaning products. When used in the shower or sink, these chemicals can flow through the pipes and into our waterways. Synthetic sulfates have been linked to allergic reactions, eye and skin irritation, and hair loss, and some studies suggest they contain carcinogenic ingredients.