Why Beautycounter? My journey

I was planning my dream trip to Central America: surfing in Costa Rica, scuba diving in Honduras with nothing but the ocean and my Merman in sight.

The number one item on my packing list was sunscreen. It can be tricky to find good sunscreen when you’re traveling abroad -- most high quality sunblock is unavailable, and when you do stumble upon a bottle, it's often double or triple the price of home.

I was going to be in the sun every single day, and I needed sun protection that was going to stay put through waves, dives and boat rides.

I also needed sunscreen that was safe for the environment.

You see, Hawaii had just outlawed the sale of sunscreen with oxybenzone and octinoxate, the active ingredients in the majority of sunscreens. They are harming coral reefs. If you take a look at the ingredients in your screen right now, chances are these chemicals are in them.

Ethically, I didn't want to wear these sunscreens scuba diving, and I also had some qualms about what they may be doing to my own body. I recalled the summer I taught surfing in North Carolina and slathered my entire body with SPF every single morning. I wanted my sunscreen to be safe.

My friend had shown me some products from Beautycounter, a certified b-corp that makes safer products void of the potentially dubious chemicals found in the vastly unregulated personal care industry in the United States.

I figured that Beautycounter might have safe sun products, so I contacted her.

What she told me was heartening: all of Beautycounter’s sunscreens were mineral based, and none had coral-reef harming chemicals

And so I ordered my first product from Beautycounter -- an SPF sun stick to swipe on my face, chest and neck. It was water-resistant, smelled nice and was small enough to fit in my pocket. I was impressed. I packed my bags and was off.

When I arrived to Costa Rica it was hot. And sunny. I booked a surf lesson that involved a lengthy paddle out, so I wouldn’t be paddling back to shore to reapply sunscreen.

I rubbed my face with the Beauycounter protect stick, crossed my fingers and hoped that it would stay put. Then I padded out for a long, scorching surf session.

When I got back to shore, I wasn’t sunburned.

This was short of a miracle. I had NEVER been out on the exposed ocean so long without getting red. The sunscreen had stayed put through the blazing sun and multiple dunks under the ocean.

This was the most effective sunscreen I had ever put on body.

I wanted to know more. I started perusing Beautycounter's skincare, body care and makeup, and discovered ALL of their products undergo rigorous testing to ensure they're safe. Then I discovered this:

Beautycounter advocates in Washington to make ALL products safer.

In my career, my favorite gigs have always been for mission-driven companies that are bigger than just their products -- organizations that are improving the world around them. As part of my work in wellness, I believed that what they were up to was good stuff -- and I wanted to share it with my community.

All of their products can be purchased online through a consultant (that’s me). Simply go to my website at http://beautycounter.com/lmccabe or pick me as consultant.

Below, I have a few of my top picks for safe, effective cosmetics.

You can shop with me here: http://beautycounter.com/lmccabe

Mermaid's picks for safeR body, face and lips

For your face: Dew Skin SPF 20

I wear SPF every. single. day. Yes, it helps prevent wrinkles and sunspots, but it also defends your skin from cancer-causing rays. It uses zinc to deflect the sun rather than oxybenzone which absorbs the sun and is killing coral reefs. This light-coverage moisturizer protects me from the sun, balances color tone on my face, and makes me look fresh. My top pick.