Baby le Bébé & a Sustainable Wellness Mission

In January 2025, Zen Wordsmith collaborated in production with Baby le Bébé, a brand known for its holistic, eco-friendly products all homemade high up in the Catskills. I was thrilled to contribute to their mission, being gifted the opportunity to aid in production. Baby le Bébé astounds its community with their quality and sustainability efforts, and they'll impress you too.

Baby le Bebe's 'Bébé Butter' eco-friendly reusable containers

Sustainable Wellness for Mother Earth

What is sustainability, and how do we apply it to organic skincare? Baby le Bébé proves it's feasible and that a luxury brand can (and should!) prioritize sustainability.

This means only making small batches - this batch on the left was created for a large market, NY Now, and made in sample-size tin dishes.

Another large part of the brand's sustainability mission includes NEVER using plastic - only glass and aluminum containers. Glass and aluminum are refillable and quality materials for the Earth and are the only containers Baby le Bebe uses. Isn't that impressive?

Their approach to sustainability is admirable and simple: make less, waste less. Each product is human-tested and dog-approved (the company being named after Baby, the founder's lovable French Dalmation) to be as organic as they come, creating a truly healing line of products without any of the synthetic stuff.

Inside the Production Process

Getting a backstage look at their process, I was immediately struck by the care and precision that goes into every Baby le Bébé product. Something is mesmerizing about watching simple, organic ingredients transform into something so luxurious—melted butters and oils being carefully blended, hand-poured into tins, and left to cool into the perfect balm for our skin or lips.

Baby le Bebe's Lip Balm production batch

Working with the team was engaging, fun, and also a learning experience like no other. As long as you have a few of the right things - like Argan oil, Rosehip oil, or bergamot extract - you can make your skin so happy. As someone who has always struggled with dry, irritated skin - and sensitive skin that dislikes any synthetic creams and oils I touch - Baby le Bébé has been a godsend. Not just for me, but for many others (and the planet... boycott your plastic and petroleum-ridden skincare!).

Any product with an imperfection is plucked from the batch and fixed or scrapped. Every step is intentional, reinforcing Baby le Bébé’s genuine vow to quality over quantity. They are well-known for being minimal in ingredients and high in efficacy.

Greenwashing, Why is it So Harmful?

It's something all of us as consumers search for, especially in skincare and wellness: a brand that isn't lying. Whether it's about their ingredients, their production process, or most importantly, their organic or holistic ingredients (or lack of synthetic or petroleum content), we as consumers need to know that we aren't being "greenlit", or "greenwashed".

Those terms were developed to refer to a business practice that focuses on positive attributes while hiding negative ones. In skincare, this term puts a microscope on companies that try to appear more eco-friendly than they truly are by greenwashing—using misleading claims to make their products seem more sustainable than they are. Others greenlight certain ingredients, making them sound safe and earth-friendly when, in reality, they might still be harmful to people or the planet around them. Of course, Baby le Bébé skincare combats this skillfully.

Glass bottles being filled with Baby le Bébé's face oil at their production site

Spotting and Avoiding Greenwashing

Some common greenwashing tactics we see in skincare include but certainly aren't limited to:

Highlighting One Ingredient While Ignoring the Rest

• A brand might emphasize a single organic ingredient (like aloe vera or coconut oil) while the rest of the formula contains synthetic fragrances, parabens, or petrochemicals. Baby le Bébé earnestly lists every single ingredient on their website, sample-, and full-sized containers and never hides an ingredient or fragrance like some luxury brands like to sneakily do.

• Brands may claim to use “recyclable” or “biodegradable” packaging, but if they still rely on single-use plastics or plastic-coated paper, the sustainability claims are questionable. Baby le Bébé truly uses glass, aluminum, or refillable packaging for all of their products, and plastic "sealing rings and padded mailers" are looking to be reworked into fully sustainable pieces. (“FAQ.” Baby Le Bébé)

  
  

  Cruelty-Free Confusion

• Just because a brand claims they don’t test on animals doesn’t mean their ingredient suppliers follow the same rule. Some skincare or wellness brands also sell in foreign countries, in which some animal testing may still be required by law. However, my favorite thing about the brand I'm collaborating with is how truly dedicated and local the amazing team of Baby le Bébé is. They can ship to you if you're not in the eye of the Catskills, of course, but ALL of their production is localized at their Catskills, New York site. Put your trust in Remy and Baby, the company's namesake, and they'll treat your skin well!

  
  
  

  

  Baby Le Bébé's founder, Remy, and Miss Baby by her side.

  
  
  
  
  
  

• H, Remy. Baby Le Bébé, babylebebe.com. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.

• H, Remy. “FAQ.” Baby Le Bébé, babylebebe.com/pages/faq?srsltid=AfmBOoo5xmCJPhMXEteiLEaY19IHcFcpj106rIJ9VvIpSxsKuap6EBN7. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

• Krant, Dr. Jessica. “Greenwashing and the Reality of Skin Care Labeling - Art of Dermatology: New York.” Art of Dermatology | New York, 6 Sept. 2023, artofdermatology.com/greenwashing-and-the-reality-of-skin-care-labeling/. Accessed 02 Feb. 2025.