How I Research + Choose a Brand to the best option for Ethics, Personal health and Sustainability.
When I want to find a new item to bring into my home – How do I go about searching out the right company for me? This is my process:
So many of you have asked for this blog post, and I get it, itās an overwhelming venture to change the way we shop. The thing Iāll say up front as always is: it’s a journey, for me and for you. And to free you from the need to research to perfection… we will all get it “wrong”, or as I prefer to think of it, weāll get it an evolving kind of right. That’s the journey. After you read you’ll see why you always hear me repeat the same companies over and over again… I fall in love when I find a great ethical, conscious brand like ABLE, Beautycounter, Pela Vision + Pela Case, and Nudies! It’s why you see the same names over and over from me!
A FEW STARTING THOUGHTS
I donāt want to think of companies as āgoodā or ābadā – it makes the journey much harder and makes it harder to sort out what we personally need in the midst of other peopleās opinions. Instead Iām looking with each purchase for the best company for me at the moment when Iām looking for a product. Good and bad also changes, both ways, and itās why I prefer to just stay in relationship with where everything we buy is coming from and watch and learn.
With that said, I also put a company through a different set of criteria depending on what Iām buying from them. The amount I TRULY need (not want, or tell myself I need) the product or company changes my standards. A bit. In some areas. But I always make sure I’m really challenging myself on what Iām ok to just go without. If I canāt find a fair-trade chocolate out of plastic, I just wonāt buy chocolate. If I canāt get coffee paid for at a fair wage, organically grown then I just donāt need coffee enough to say I should still buy it. There are things that are always more important than me having the options I want. Sometimes itās about saying ānoā rather than even setting out to find the best.
In general when Iām bringing something into my home Iām thinking about itās impact on three things: my personal health, on other people, and on the planet.
TRUSTING MY GUT

I do use my gut. If I donāt feel Iām seeing enough about a company to shop them, Iāll steer clear. Sometimes everything looks right but I feel like something is missing and so if I donāt HAVE to buy a product Iāll just steer clear of the company or email and ask questions. On this DM screen shot I actually chose not to go with the company – on paper they had good looking answers but I felt I just couldnāt find the āheartā and āhumanityā of the company and the answer I got here was simply a link to a blog post that answered some of the questions, kind of. So I trusted my gut and the lack of real answer and moved on.
STARTING QUESTIONS:
- Who made this product?
- Where was it made?
- What is it made of?
- How were the people treated who produced it?
- What was the environmental impact of it being made?
- Whatās the company story and mission?
- What is the level of transparency and āstoryā shown?
- What is the company committing to? How is that being assessed?
- Is the company showing a journey towards any areas it wants to grown in?
- What does their āabout sectionā say about them?
- How do they talk about their ethics and care for people?
- How do they talk about the environment?
- How are they portraying their products or services? Who are they communicating they are for?
- Is there any way theyāre doing good beyond their company, is there a social mission or charitable element?
- Is there external verification or certification of the company, products or practices in any way?
- What is their plan for products after their useful life with me?
- Do they offer any kind of assurance or guarantee?
- Is there any kind of ongoing service?
- Where is the company based? Where will it ship from?
WHERE WE START:
When we think we need something new I start as I said above, by assessing if I really need it. This is so valuable. We can shop better, we can find better, ethical companies⦠and yes we NEED to shop better but also a lot of the time we need to shop LESS. So before jumping to better brands we stop and ask if we really even need the purchase. Can we use something else? Can we borrow? Can we buy used? Can we go without? And Iāll dig into my heart and ask: “What is making me feel like I need this?” Itās a good practice.
STARTING THE SEARCH
Then I think back to if Iāve seen anyone I trust recommend something similar or a friend who might have ideas. . I ask people for recommendations, and yes I turn to google! As a starting point – not ever something just to trust! āEthically made _______ā or āOrganic cotton _________ā and then I take what I find and start digging in myself.
RUNNING IT THROUGH ALL MY QUESTIONS
This is then when I run through that list of questions above as I
browse. The questions that are relevant depend on the type of product. I might look at the products and what theyāre made of, see if theyāre built to last, what theyāre made of or what the ingredients are. Iām usually looking for natural, organic materials, ones that wonāt end up in landfill, that can be mended well. Then within that initial look, I usually see some certifications, GOTS organic, USDA organic, maybe Fairtrade, maybe 1% for the planet, maybe GMO free, maybe compostable, being a B corporation, maybe many other things.
If I see a certification I donāt know Iāll look it up and dig in. I follow my curiosity and my gut, if I donāt know something or donāt see an answer I donāt assume itās good – I ask! And if something feels off or hidden or wrongly marketed – I ask!
FURTHER RESEARCH

There are a lot of other questions that follow on from those and those arenāt all make or break questions but thatās where Iām starting. Usually nowadays, if a company is doing something good, theyāll shout about it and conversely if theyāre not talking about an aspect of what Iām looking for⦠itās not there. But if a few things look right and itās something I need, Iāll ask the questions on the other things and not make assumptions. Often the email reply tells me a lot! When companies are really sourcing well, producing well etc they’re excited about it and happy to talk about it but when theyāre scraping to look good you can tell! So yes, it can take emailing, researching, digging in and getting on the phone⦠TIME before I know what I want to know about a company!
ON SAFER INGREDIENTS
From food to clothing to skincare and SPF I wanted the safest ingredients for our family. This is hardest when it comes to things with multiple ingredients like skincare or suncream. My top choice (for ease, and their transparency) is to shop brand who are very open about their parameters for formulation and values. Companies like Evolve, Beautycounter, and Cocokind.
When I don’t know I trust a brand fully, I use two helpful platforms for more information. They’re not perfect, but they help me be a more informed consumer in terms of safety.
SEEKING OUT MINORITY OWNED
This is another thing I love to do that has specifically led me to some of my favourite items that have solved some of the real gaps Iāve seen in the market. For example: Vitae watches. I searched for YEARS for ethically made watches for Jared, Nothing. At. All. As soon as I went down the track of black owned companies, I found the most stunning company we love.
- Reason 1: Minority owned companies donāt sometimes get the same airtime or publicity, so Iām missing out on such amazing things by not seeking them out specifically.
- Reason 2: I want to use my buying to champion people who have a much harder time in business for no good reason! Female and BIPOC led companies are less likely to get funding, loans etc, and I get to give them my support with my purchases – which is easy when most of the products I shop are led by female founders and members of the BIPOC community, and I LOVE that.
- Reason 3: These business leaders are often more likely to consider social good in their business practices!
KEEP SEARCHING!
Depending on what the purchase and need is Iāll be satisfied or keep searching, or just move on. Iāll go as far as listening to podcasts, reading articles for and against companies in some cases⦠so much. And if I do decide on a new company and make a purchase, I stay in relationship with the company – you can see once Iāve delved in that deep⦠I feel committed and in love with the options that I find and I fall deeply in love!