Spongelle is on a mission to make your shower time more sustainable, more effective, and more relaxing.
We’re all busy these days. But you don’t need to go to the spa or even fill the tub to give yourself the pampered glow up you most certainly deserve. In fact, you can turn those quick few shower time minutes into part of a nourishing wellness ritual that’s good for you and the planet.
Los Angeles-based body care brand Spongelle wants to help you make shower time the most rejuvenating me-time while also leaving the smallest impact on the planet. Here’s how they’re doing it.
Ditch the loofah
Fun fact (or, not so fun): loofah sponges may seem like the most sustainable option. They’re derived from natural tropical plants (gourds), after all. But the overly porous structure of loofah sponges make them bacteria traps. Ew.
Part of the problem is it takes hours for loofahs to thoroughly dry—and that’s sometimes not before your next shower. So bacteria can breed and grow, and even if you’re lathering up your loofah with a great soap, it can still spread unwanted bacteria.
The plastic pouf alternative comes with its own set of problems. Firstly, plastic. If you’re aiming to green your beauty routine, plastic isn’t going to be your first choice for a host of reasons, from its source material (petroleum) to its all-too-frequent destination: the oceans. Just like loofahs trap bacteria, the plastic pouf does, too. And while loofahs are biodegradable, plastic is most certainly not. And a bath pouf doesn’t get recycled, which means it ends either in landfills or the oceans leading to acidification that can reduce the ocean’s ability to sequester carbon. And all too often, that plastic winds up in the bellies of marine animals, too.
One of the simplest ways to avoid all of that is by using the eco-friendly Spongology Body Wash Infused Buffers from Spongelle. This isn’t a loofah or a plastic pouf. This is an all-natural alternative that delivers measured skincare ingredients without the risk of bacteria traps like in loofahs and poufs. Each Buffer is good for at least 20 washes, and because they’re quick-drying and naturally antibacterial, you’re not slathering on a bacteria trap every time you shower. According to the brand, the buffers are also more effective at removing germs than soap alone.
Condense your skincare products
Exfoliating scrubs, hydrating masks, peels, toners, soaps—oh my! Yes, we all love silky smooth skin, and will go to any length to get it, but do we need all of these products? All of them? Really?
Just look at the stats on our body wash use: According to the Simmons National Consumer Survey, more than 250 million Americans—about 70 percent of the population—use body wash every single day. On average, each person uses six bottles a year—that’s 1.5 billion bottles of body wash. Add to that all of the other bath car products and their respective bottles and jars, and it’s enough to make you want to skip shower time forever.
Again, Spongelle has a solution. The Spongology body wash infused buffers combine all the best scrubbing, exfoliating, cleansing, massaging, and nourishing your skin needs into one easy-to-use Body Buffer. No plastic required.
These reusable shower tools are pre-soaped and time-released, meaning they mete out the right amount of soap every time you wet them. This reduces all of the plastic bottles and jars in your shower and helps to reduce all that goes into those plastic bottles filled with liquid—from the excess water used to the fuel transporting them all over the planet.
The buffers are also ideal for travel, too. No messy bottles (ditch the minis!) weighing down your luggage and leaking all over the place. One buffer does it all.
Ditch the chemical nasties
Another problem lurking in your shower routine? Chemicals. Lots and lots of chemicals. From sulfates to parabens, synthetic chemicals are common in body washes and other bath products.
These ingredients are there to do a few things: they help stabilize and preserve liquids (hello, body wash), induce lathering, and they also prolong scents. But they can come with some pretty undesirable, and even dangerous, side effects like skin or eye irritation and more serious conditions like hormone disruption.
But the truth is, we don’t need all of these chemicals in our body care routines—especially if we aren’t using liquids. Anything that’s water-based is inherently more prone to bacterial growth and separation, thus the need for these additives.
And where there’s a long list of chemicals, there’s often a long list of animal tests the products underwent, too. All of Spongelle’s products are vegan and cruelty-free.
Natural ingredients are also gentler downstream, meaning you’re not pouring toxic synthetic chemicals down your drain and ultimately into waterways where they can poison wildlife (along with all of that plastic).
Ready to upgrade your bath routine?
Check out all of Spongelle’s Spongology products here.
