Small Business Spotlight: Pure Energy Apothecary, Williston, Vermont

This is the seventh post in my “Greenwashing Series” where I talk about the good and the bad in the beauty industry. Stay tuned for product reviews based on product trial periods of 30+ days—my skin type is acne-prone, sensitive, and dry.

I am SO excited to have recently discovered Pure Energy Apothecary based in Williston, Vermont! I met the mother-daughter business owner duo, Sarah and Dawn Lancaster at a Champlain College networking event. After chatting with them for a bit, they kindly offered to send some products my way! 😍 As many of you know, I’m very into 100% all-natural and non-toxic skincare. Pure Energy Apothecary has been handcrafting their all-natural skincare products in Williston, Vermont for a number of years and makes regular local deliveries to customers’ homes. Dawn and Sarah have brought high-quality natural products to market that are more affordable than brands like Lunaroma and Tata Harper. Don’t get me wrong…I do love both of those brands, but are quite expensive for that amount of product that you get). 💰

I’ve been using the following for 30+ days: Vanilla Natural All-Purpose Lotion, Lavender Sea Salt Scrub, Pure & Natural Unscented Whipped Body Butter, and Healing Earth (their newly acquired brand) Eczema Salve. Curious to know my honest thoughts about each? Read on for my honest thoughts. 👇😉

1. Vanilla Natural All-Purpose Lotion.

I’ve always wanted to find a scented hand/body lotion that is gentle on my sensitive eczema-prone skin. This is genuinely the best-scented lotion I have ever tried in my entire life! I remember back in the day when everyone (including myself) was obsessed with fragranced lotions from Bath & Body Works. These lotions are harmful at best and contain so many toxic ingredients like a cocktail of parabens including propylparaben, butylparaben, and methylparaben. While it’s nice to have fragranced products (in my opinion), it’s not worth slathering yourself in a bunch of toxic crap. This lotion from Pure Energy smells ✨SO FREAKING GOOD✨ like a vanilla cupcake. I honestly wish I could order a 64 oz. tub from them because I love it so much. It’s very moisturizing and is perfect for me to use in the winter when my skin is at its driest. I also love that it leaves a lingering scent on the skin. I’ve noticed that with many all-natural lotions and fragrances the scent only lasts maybe 30 minutes and then fades. This product lingers for hours which is amazing! This is a very solid 10/10 product for me! 🙏♥️

2. Lavender Sea Salt Scrub.

I really like to use this sea salt scrub before applying self-tanner. In the winter, when I am at my palest, I like to use self-tanner to maintain a “sun-kissed glow.” ☀️ It’s important to use a scrub beforehand to exfoliate off the dead skin and have a good base for the tan application. Now, I know that self-tanner isn’t the healthiest for the skin🙃, but it’s something that makes me feel beautiful and confident, so that’s important to me. Most pre-tan priming scrubs are filled with toxic ingredients, however, this scrub is all-natural and makes my self-tanning ritual a little bit better in terms of ingredients. A word of caution about this scrub–I did try to use it as an exfoliant for my face but it was too harsh and burned. I would stick to using this scrub exclusively on your body if you have sensitive skin!

3. Pure & Natural Unscented Whipped Body Butter.

I’ve been using this body butter on my legs after shaving lately. I’ve liked using it this winter because it has a cashmere-soft creamy consistency, feels luxurious, and is so hydrating. However, as someone who is sensitive and particular about smells, I noticed that this product does have a bit of an unappealing odor despite being unscented. This absolutely doesn’t deter me away from the brand though. I would be curious to try their fragranced body butters now that I know that their fragranced products work well on my skin!

4. Healing Earth Eczema Salve.

I’ve been using this salve regularly on my eczema and my hands look SO much better. It’s been an uphill battle to find a product that actually delivers results, but this product DID! I admit that I was a bit skeptical about trying this product at first because it has peppermint and tea tree essential oils in its formulation, but it’s not at all harsh on the skin. It’s gentle, moisturizing, and has a kind of minty and earthy scent. I use it on my hands after showering at night and the next morning I always notice a significant improvement. The redness is down, the itchiness is soothed, and the flakiness is GONE. I also feel like the tea tree oil in the product acted as a natural antiseptic to treat the open wounds on my hands. This product is a solid 10/10 for performance and delivering actual results for me.

Final Thoughts…

I really respect Pure Energy because there are so many brands that market themselves as “natural” and “clean” but just aren’t. I bet you that if you looked at the ingredients in your skincare right now that they include toxic ingredients like phenoxyethanol and ethlhexylglycerin which are actually irritants to the skin. I know they are product preservatives, but it still makes absolutely no sense to me why you’d include an irritant in skincare products. Pure Energy’s products are ACTUALLY natural and clean. They do not use either of these ingredients or any other toxic or irritating ingredients in their products.✨Plus✨they won’t break your bank and are readily accessible for purchase at Hannaford Supermarket, City Market, and Healthy Living.

Do you have a favorite product from Pure Energy Apothecary? Please let me know in the comments below and let me know what product or brand you’d like to see me review next! 😊