“I can’t afford to go cruelty-free and organic with my makeup,” commented one Twitter user. Unfortunately, the misconception that good-for-you equates to ‘bad for your wallet’ persists. No more. We’re here to bust the myth and prove that money-smart shoppers can spoil themselves with healthy, good-for-you beauty, too. 

Our savvy, Intelligent Beauty mystery shopper did some digging into two skin care products. She looked at prices in popular drug store chains, as well as Target and Sephora.

Anti-aging eye cream – You want bright, shining eyes without bags and wrinkles. Anti-aging is a big beauty buzzword at the moment and you’ll find no shortage of options to toss in your cart. In the stores we checked, prices for an eye cream ranged from over thirty-six dollars (for 1 fluid ounce) to more than a hundred dollars for the same amount. Size counts here ladies: At first we thought we found a bargain at $18 for a household name brand product, until we realized the tube was only a half-ounce! In fact, most of the products listed on the websites we checked were in the half-ounce size range, even the ones that cost triple digit dollars!

Your natural, organic alternative: Ecco Bella’s Natural Eye Nutrients Cream comes in a 1 fluid ounce bottle for $38.

Exfoliant & Blemish Control – We want to compare apples to apples for you, so let’s be clear what we’re talking about. We’re talking about a product that encourages rebirth of the skin without scrubbing. When we narrow it down to bottles and tubes that don’t include the words “scrub” in the name (or rough, sandy texture inside), we find options that start at $30 and work their way up to $75.

Your natural, organic alternative: Ecco Bella’s Natural Leave-on Invisible Exfoliant & Blemish Remedy will cost you just $31 to dry up blemishes in 24-48 hours, diminish fine lines and recharge your skin’s youthful vigor. (Plus it smells amazing!)

Bonus tip: Buying products that multi-task will save you money too. We’ve got some great tips and tricks to get the biggest bang for your buck out of double-duty products here: Embrace the Natural Goodness of Multitasking, Organic Beauty!

Extra-good bonus tip: Sign-up for loyalty programs to really get the most for your money! For example, EB Rewards gives you 10 points in rewards for every $1 you spend, that is a 10% ongoing discount on your orders!  Plus, if you sign-up for the program, you’ll also receive exclusive updates on special promotions and new collections.

Go ahead. Spoil yourself with some natural, good-for-you and your-wallet goodness. Register for our loyalty program and place your order. When the box arrives, snap a pic or video of your happy face while you unbox your goodies. We want to see what you got and how much you love it! Don’t forget to share it with us on Instagram. Use the hashtag #IntelligentBeauty! Be sure to tag us @eccobellabeauty.