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Green Grab Bag offers subscribers a surprise box of six or more natural beauty samples each month for $15. You can share the love with gift subscriptions, which are available in three-, six- and 12-month increments. If you prefer to plan your shipment’s contents instead, the company’s Build-a-Box feature enables you to choose among three price points between $15 and $35 and handpick from full-sized items and sample products both small and large.

About the Company

The Green Grab Bag was the brainchild of White Apricot’s beauty editor, Bonny Osterhage, who wanted to give readers an opportunity to sample from the sea of natural beauty products before committing to full-sized items. She pitched to the site’s founder, marketing expert Carrie Pollare, and the green beauty box subscription service was born.

Pros

• Products selected are 100 percent cruelty-free and composed of at least 95 percent natural ingredients, many of which are vegan and/or organic
• Customers receive a free box for every five friends they refer

Cons

• Annual subscribers will not receive any type of refund in the event of a cancellation (you can, however, transfer the recipient and gift the remainder of your boxes to someone else)
• Currently, shipping is only available in the U.S. and customers from California and Texas must pay applicable sales tax

My Thoughts on What I Tried

Chill Pill Bath Bomb by Hydra Soap – a full-sized bath fizzy emits a tropical scent while tinting your bathwater a blue hue.

You can opt to drop the entire orb in your tub for maximum effect or use just half to stretch the softening bubbles into two bath time soaks. Although I had no adverse reaction to speak of when using this item, it contains dyes and fragrance, which are considered toxic beauty product ingredients to avoid, according to the Environmental Working Group.

Daily Cleansing and Makeup Remover Towelettes by Blum Naturals – the 10-pack of daily cleansing cloths are individually wrapped so you can pop them into your gym bag or travel case for on-the-go convenience. They’re indicated for combination and oily skin types yet leave your skin feeling toned and neutral, and not at all dried out. An infusion of organic tea tree oil provides a delicious fragrance while naturally fighting an oily complexion.

Leave-In Lemongrass Conditioner by Alikay Naturals – I spritzed this lightweight hydrating mist on my damp strands after lathering up with Bio Follicle’s Premium Sulfate-Free Lemongrass & Sage Aromatherapy Shampoo. Even though this brand’s brochure features African American and Latina models, this product is intended for all ages and ethnicities. You can shop by hair type on the company’s website to narrow the line down to your ideal items. I enjoyed its lemony smell and my fine-textured Caucasian waves weren’t weighed down but actually more amplified and defined.

Mineral Mud Mask by Alaska Glacial Mud Co. – the two single-use pouches I received in my box had a lavender scent, one mixed with peppermint and the other with lavender. The non-irritating paste was a scary shade of deep green that cooled on contact and visibly tightened my pores without leaving my skin parched.

Sisters of the Black Moon Essential Oil Blends by Naked Eye Beauty – as a person who’s ultra-sensitive to fragrance, I was pleasantly surprised by the subtle smells of the Ether and Moonshine samples I tried, the latter being my preference of the pair. I tend to steer clear of products made with patchouli, but like the shampoo bar from LUSH I was once again surprised – the Moonshine perfume was sensuous, not stinky.

Vegan Artisan Soap by Metropolis Soap Company – this travel-sized soap that’s handmade in Brooklyn provided a couple weeks worth of washes and packed a potent dose of lavender and tangerine fragrance from essential oils. Even sitting in a soap dish on your countertop, it’s got enough aromas to double as an air freshener.

The Bottom Line

Green Grab Bag offers the ultimate in flexibility, allowing you to customize your own box of products or receive a surprise lot pre-tested and curated by a team of beauty editors. Additional resources on the company’s website include tutorials for each item included in your box and added savings if you want to pick up full-sized products from a featured brand.

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Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.