For beauty and wellness gifts that transport you from a lockdown shower to a spa or a meadow of flowers, here are a few options that come close—at least for a few fleeting moments. In addition, many of these brands are cutting down on plastic waste, giving back to communities in need, and redefining what beauty really is all about—all good things to pass on as a gift. California beauty company All Good came out with a zero-plastic beauty kit that has all the essentials. In addition, they debuted this fall, a new line up lip and cheek tints in recyclable glass pots. The botanically derived ingredients are combined with clean mineral pigments and SPF 15 non-nano zinc–that is reef friendly–for a perfect blend of beauty and sustainability. A 100% plant-based formula and in recyclable cartons, these shampoo bars actually work. If you’ve tried washing your hair with a bar of soap, it can lead to mixed results. But a new lineup of companies such as Each & Every are producing a modern era of shampoo bars that are effective and eco-friendly. Made with no sulfates, parabens, phthalates, silicones, synthetic dyes or synthetic fragrance, each bar is sizable and will last longer than the average shampoo bottle (which is primarily water). Too many options overwhelm you at the drugstore? Are other brands too pricey? This new skincare company wants to marry vegan, clean beauty with affordability. All products are priced under $30. Founder Matthias Hug put them to the test, seeing how this simplified beauty regime would deal with adult acne. It worked — just as well as pricier options on the market. Made with vegan botanicals and free of potentially irritating ingredients like parabens, sulfates, and artificial fragrances, Fluer & Bee products are manufactured in a lab that runs on 100% wind energy and the company aims to be carbon neutral by 2021. In addition, they donate 1% of all sales to Days for Girls, a nonprofit women's empowerment organization that distributes menstrual hygiene products to girls in need who would otherwise miss school. A clean beauty brand for the makeup and skincare lover. The Sunset Kit has some of the Ilia’s best offerings in a curated selection — and ready for travel (in a post COVID world). Set includes two full-sized clean favorites and two minis; an idea way to dip into the world of clean beauty. Ilia already uses recycled aluminum, glass, and responsibly-sourced paper, and is pushing for better packaging materials for the beauty industry. As one of the early adopters of clean beauty, founder Sasha Plavsic has been on a decade-long journey, passionate about fusing skincare with modern-day cosmetics in an eco-friendly manner. For dry cold windy days, shea butter is a thick, emollient cream with an endless list of uses and cherished in West Africa where it stems from. This one, by Ten Thousand Villages, celebrates the shea butter’s native roots in Ghana where its hand-harvested from shea trees and thoughtfully packaged in a ceramic container, decorated with recycled glass beads made by local artisans. Tea tree and lemon-scented, this versatile cream can be applied to dry, flaky problems or rubbed into your legs and arms after a shower for smooth limbs all winter long. Kylie Antolini, proprietor and founder of Wildwood Candle Co., is an avid trail runner, Portland resident, and candle-obsessed connoisseur. She brings all three together with Wildwood Candle Co., named after the trails in Forest Park, a municipal park with over 70 miles of single track trails to explore, in Portland, Oregon. It is her goal to be able to give back by donating at least 5% of profits to the Forest Park Conservancy. The Forest Park Conservancy plays the most important role in maintaining the ecological health and soft surface trails of the park. Each scent represents the names of trails that connect to Wildwood, or are an attraction within the Forest Park acreage. If you cannot get outside this holiday season, you can at least take in the scents of the Pacific Northwest with its crisp winter air, and the smell of freshly fallen fir needles. If you have a friend that is a scent-lover and fragrance nut, send her this sampler kit by Zents featuring their entire range (and maybe a gift card so she can get a full-size bottle of her favorite?). Inspired by the his travels to India after a car accident that left him in pain and injured, Cord Coen learned ancient healing practices, which included the power of fragrance. Given Coen’s experience in India, Zents mixes beauty with service and is committed to paying it forward. The company curates seva (selfless service in Hindi) to support a host of organizations: to increase access to healthcare through Project C.U.R.E; to teach mindfulness through the David Lynch Foundation; to care for the environment through IDE; to support the arts through Playing for Change; to protect the animals through Animal Welfare Institute; and lastly, to integrate eastern healing techniques with western medicine, The Urban Zen Integrative Therapy (UZIT) Program by Urban Zen Foundation Instagram favorite brand Saie (pronounced as “say”) has brought together beauty industry executives to create a clean beauty brand that’s affordable. If you’re looking for stocking stuffers, their moisturizing balm is a favorite, leaving you with a universal pink tint that can polish off any natural look. Their packaging is made with recycled plastic, and is recyclable — yes, we know the challenges with recycling. So Saie has partnered with TerraCycle to get back empty tubes at their end of life: when you’re finished with the product, send them an email. They’ll mail you a shipping label to recycle the materials properly. And the company is working on improving this process further. Created by co-founder and CEO of Bluemercury Marla Beck, who looks after the growing network of Bluemercury stores around the country, which specialize in clean beauty and wellness, Lune+Aster is their in-house brand. With vitamin-infused, paraben-free formulas, the brand describes its collection as “minimal effort, maximum impact makeup.” The Golden Hour palette brings everyday nudes, pinks, and peachy tones together for a versatile set that will suit a variety of skin colors. Classic, long-lasting, and an elegant palette that any lady would love to add to her collection. It’s almost been a decade since founders Alexander Kummerow and Julia Wills started concocting natural skincare solutions in their Seattle kitchen and posting them on Etsy as a small business. As the years have progressed, their formulations have improved resulting in a crowd-favorite, the Pink Cloud Cleanser, which removes makeup, cleanses the skin, but is also low-foaming, non-stripping, and has a heavenly scent. It’s 30 seconds of luxury to start or end your day. Packed in a glass bottle, it’s a beautiful addition to your bathroom countertop as well. If you’re looking to clean up your nail care routine, Cote nail polishes are made without the five major nail polish toxins. They come in nuanced shades of nudes, pinks, corals, and reds. Until manicures at the local salon become a regular treat, these little nail polishes will keep you feeling feminine and refined. Pair with base and top coat to give them longer staying power. Cote also recycles all its used polish bottles, and 0ffers customers 10 percent off your next Cote polish purchase by bringing any used bottle of polish into the shop. Working in conjunction with an environmental services company that provides recycling management services specific to nail polish, Cote repurposes the polishes used in their retail locations. Thought a bit more on the pricey side, Organic Pharmacy is one of the UK’s most well-known clean beauty brands, started 18 years ago. This Hero Skin Care kit brings together all their best-selling products into a luxurious gift. This holiday season they’re also partnering with the Prince’s Trust, which has an initiative titled Women Supporting Women, in an effort to create a stronger community and better resources for vulnerable women in the UK. In 2020 and 2021, 10% of profits will go to this initiative. These artfully-designed clay stones will make you feel like you’re at a spa. Made to help with exfoliation and circulate blood flow, they’re a meditative way to spend a few extra minutes in the shower each week. If COVID has left you missing the occasional indulgence of a spa, these beautiful creations will transport you and leave you feeling smooth and refreshed. The skin-smoothing stones are artisan-made in the South of France and come in two sizes for face and body.