All About Badger Balm: Why We're In Love With This Brand

Since 1995, Badger has been making high quality natural skincare products that have earned a solid fanbase around the world. The company uses organic and non-GMO ingredients to make products that are “custom formulated and produced with care.”

Apart from their bestselling balms in tins, Badger also makes aromatherapy products, bug repellents, nappy creams, lip balms, massage oils, natural mineral sunscreens, and other body care products for mums, dads, babies, and kiddos. They also have a face care range, a hair care range, and a line of muscle and joint care products.

Aside from the fact that their products are safe and nontoxic, what's really great about Badger is their commitment to ensuring the quality and integrity of everything they make. And as a company, Badger prides itself on being a family friendly workplace that values community and relationships over the financial “bottom line.”

About Badger Balm

Badger is a small, family owned business based in the woods of New Hampshire in the United States. Bill Whyte, a carpenter, made the very first Badger balm over two decades ago. During the freezing New Hampshire winters, Bill’s hands would become extremely dry and cracked. Eventually, using his knowledge of herbal medicine, Bill whipped up a powerful balm that healed his chapped hands. This was the Badger Healing Balm, Relief for Hardworking Hands.

From its humble beginnings, Badger now employs a staff of 60 and makes over 100 natural skincare and hair care products. Despite having grown exponentially, the company is still run by Bill (the CEO), his wife Katie (COO), and their daughters Rebecca (VP of Innovation and Sustainability) and Emily (VP of Sales and Marketing).

Why we love Badger Balm

Badger uses only the finest organic plant extracts, beeswax, oils, and minerals to create their amazing Badger balms and natural skincare products. The company never uses synthetic fragrances and dyes, GMOs, parabens, triclosan, and any of the other nasties we don’t want on our skin.

Badger supports sustainable organic agriculture through Earth conscious and socially conscious buying practices. One of the company’s core values is environmental stewardship. This is evident in their ingredient glossary, ingredient growing standards, and allowable ingredient processing standards. Each product undergoes rigorous testing for safety and efficacy before it is shared with the world.

But aside from all this, what makes Badger even more impressive is how the company operates. From sourcing the best ingredients to how its employers are treated, Badger strives to make the world a better place for everyone, one healing balm at a time.

Badger's ethics

The makers of Badger balm run their business based on a set of Mission and Principles that emphasise honesty, hard work, individual responsibility, integrity, respect, and generosity.

According to Badger, their Mission is:

“To create fabulously pure and effective products of the highest natural quality, based on simplicity and thoughtful preparation, with the intention to protect, soothe and heal;

To run a business that is fun, fair and profitable; where money is fuel, not a goal; and where our vision for a healthier world finds expression through the way we work and through the way we treat each other and the people we serve.”

Certifications

Almost the entire family of Badger products are 100% USDA Certified Organic. Also, the Leaping Bunny Program has certified all Badger products as cruelty free.

Some of Badger’s products are certified gluten free by the Gluten Free Certification Organisation. Lastly, the company's labels, packaging, mailers, and catalogues are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Badger is a B Corp

Badger became a certified B Corporation in 2011. B Corps businesses aim to make positive social, economic, and environmental changes for the good of  the planet and everyone on it. In 2016, Badger scored in the top 10% of all B Corps. Because of this, it received the awards for "Best for the World" and "Best for the Environment."

Employee benefits

Check out all the employee benefits the Badgers get. From free daily organic lunches and “Health Days” (where you can take time off even if you're not sick) to flexible scheduling and profit sharing, this sure sounds like a wonderful place to work!

Babies at Work program

Badger is family owned, family operated, and family friendly. Badger encourages employees to bring their babies to work until they are 6 months old or begin crawling. The company's Babies At Work program strengthens the parent-child bond. It's successfully included 15 babies to date.

Child care centre

In 2013, the company opened the Calendula Garden Child Care Centre. It is a full day, partially subsidised centre for the children of Badger employees and those from the community. Badger COO Katie designed the program offered by Calendula Garden with the help of a former Waldorf School colleague.

Charitable giving and environmental responsibility

Along with its company principles, Badger promotes personal and social healing through the organisations it supports. It also embodies environmental stewardship and takes numerous steps to make the Earth a healthier place.

Badger donates 10% of its profits (before taxes) to groups that work on causes such as children’s health and welfare. Here’s a list of the nonprofits the company supports.  And here’s Badger’s long list of environmental initiatives.

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Images: Badger