Not so very long ago, the options for natural skincare and beauty were few and far between. I can remember the health food store my mom used to shop at when I was a kid, the aisles lined with things like carob chips and dried seaweed. The few body care products were always relegated to a couple lonely shelves amongst the vitamins and supplements, their labels ranging a scintillating spectrum from tan to beige, and their hippie scents bringing to mind my school librarian. While I’m sure those products were perfectly serviceable, there was nothing cool about them; and it’s no wonder I spent my adolescent years begging my mom to drive me to the drugstore for exciting items like Teen Spirit deodorant and Salon Selectives shampoo.
These days I’m less easily seduced by a flashy ad campaign, but I’m still just as drawn to beautifully designed packaging to grace my bathroom shelves. Thankfully the demand for natural skin, hair, and body care products has more than caught up with my discerning (read: snobbish) taste, making it possible to stock my medicine with lotions and potions that make both my shelves and my complexion look good. What’s more, stores like The Detox Market are gathering all the best products into one chic, convenient space for our stylish shopping pleasure. No more browsing for face wash between the flax meal and nutritional yeast!
The latest incarnation of The Detox Market takes things one step farther to drive home the connection between inner and outer wellbeing. Carved from a corner of Cafe Gratitude in Venice, this mini outpost of the brand serves up labels like One Love Organics, RMS Beauty, and W3LL People alongside the cafe’s famous (and delicious!) plant-based cuisine. Pick up an aromatherapy oil after you’ve enjoyed your breakfast quinoa bowl, or peruse the books on mindfulness while you wait for your almond latte. The coolness quotient here more than exceeds adolescent Anne’s standards—and grown-up Anne will definitely be begging mom for a trip here when next she’s in town!
Visit The Detox Market at Cafe Gratitude, 512 Rose Ave, Venice, CA 90291. And for more natural beauty scores, be sure to enter to win one of two Stowaway Cosmetics makeup kits!