Morgans Subscription Box Review + Coupon – June 2016

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Morgans
Morgans

Morgans is a bi-monthly subscription box that saves you from running out of basic toiletry needs. The products are vegan and contain non-gmo ingredients packaged in a minimalist design. You can select what you need, adjust it each month, and skip when needed. The products are free of parabens, sls, 1-4 dioxane, phthalates, triclosan or anything made from formaldehyde.

First Peek
First Peek

I was excited to try out a whole product line. I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Morgans June 2016
Morgans June 2016

Here are the items for the June 2016 Morgans box. I am impressed with the variety of items in the box. Morgans truly means, “don’t run out.” I did check over the ingredients and decided not to try out the items myself due to an upcoming vacation for fear of allergic reactions. My sister and my teenage son volunteered to try out the items. My sister was especially enthusiastic about trying out an entire natural beauty product line.

A couple of notes:

I am not 100% sure if the line is vegan although it claims to be vegan on the website. There are ambiguous ingredients such as glycerin, stearic acid,  and cetyl alcohol which can be from vegan and non vegan sources. The products itself are not labeled as vegan. There is no statement of vegan love from the founder. The website is curiously devoid of information typically found on a vegan skincare website. This lack of information concerns me because of other issues that arose during my review. A minimalist approach on the website may not be the best way to capture a vegan crowd’s love.

The line claims to be non-gmo. I did not go through every item to check, but one ingredient did jump out at me. Citric acid is commonly from gmo sources. It can be from non-gmo sources but it is not noted as such in the ingredient list. The products itself are not labeled as being free of gmos.

Shampoo and Conditioner
Shampoo and Conditioner

My sister tried the Morgan Shampoo and Conditioner (8 ounces each, $8.00 each, $16.00 total) for a couple of days. It states on the website that it uses essential oils.

Our shampoo is a mild effective cleanser for the scalp and hair. We love it’s subtle natural fragrance made from a refreshing blend of essential oils including Orange, Geranium, Cinnamon, Mandarin, Nutmeg, Petitgrain, Rosewood, Celery Seed, Grapefruit, and Vetiver.

Shampoo Label
Shampoo Label

The label says fragrance/parfum. It is my experience from reviewing natural beauty boxes that companies label essential oils as essential oils on their label, not fragrance/parfum. Fragrance/parfum generally implies chemicals. Why not list the essential oils out for people who may have allergies?

The shampoo and conditioner smelled wonderful and had a unisex scent. My sister loved the shampoo and conditioner on the first day and felt it deep cleaned her hair. She did not like it on subsequent days and felt it stripped her hair of its oils. Her hair has yet to regain its shine. My teenage son tested the shampoo for a few days and had no problem.

Moisturizer
Moisturizer

The moisturizer (4 oz, $8.00) has a tiny bit of scent and rubs in easily. The pump makes it easy to control the amount used. My sister and son thought it was a decent moisturizer.

Lotion Ingredients
Lotion Ingredients

It states that it has fragrance/parfum in it although it says it is fragrance-free and does not have the essential oil blend in it. The lotion does not smell like the essential oil blend.

From their website:

This product is fragrance-free which means we haven’t added our natural essential oil blend. However, you may notice a hint of “oatmeal” which comes from the functional ingredients.

That explains the scent I smell. However, it does not explain the fragrance/parfum ingredient. Do I trust the website description or the ingredient list?

Deoderant
Deodorant

The deodorant (2.5 oz, $8.00) has the same scent as the shampoo and conditioner with the same essential oils listed on the website and fragrance/parfum listed on the label. T, age 17, said it smelled good.

Soap
Soap

The soap (5 oz, $6.00) irritated both my sister and my son’s skins which may be related to the pentasodium pentetate which can cause erythema (mild redness).   It does have natural fragrance listed instead of parfum/fragrance even though it uses the same essential oil blend as the shampoo and conditioner.

Soap
Soap Ingredients

It is clear that they used vegetable glycerin which is why I questioned the source of the glycerin in the lotion and other products. I am not sure what type of ingredient is “great moisturizer”.

Palm Oil, Coconut Oil, Water, Vegetable Glycerin, Greate Moisturizer, Natural Fragrance, Salt, Pentasodium Pentetate (Antioxidant)

I decided to check the website to clarify the soap ingredients. I was unable to find a description of  “Greate Moisturizer” when using Google. I did take the time to read every Facebook post and comment to see if there was an explanation for the soap ingredients and did not find one.

Toothbrush and toothpaste
Toothbrush and toothpaste

My sister loved the toothpaste and toothbrush. The two toothbrushes ($6.00) have soft bristles with a bamboo handle. The toothpaste (4.7 oz, $8.00) left her mouth feeling clean and minty.

Water, Glycerine, Sorbitol, Xylitol, Betain, Silica, Titanium Dioxide, Car Ageenan, Peppermint Flavor

I do believe that the website means “carrageenan” not “Car Ageenan”. The subscription box service has been in business since October 2015 which should have given the owner enough time to clean up typos. It is things like this that make me wonder whether the ingredients are vegan and non-gmo. It’s the lack of attention which can lead to a lack of trust in what is being advertised. What exactly is peppermint flavor? Is it an essential oil or is it synthetic? However, Peppermint Oil is listed as an ingredient in the shaving cream as you will see further in the review.

Razor
Razor Handle and Blades

The razor handle and blades ($12.00) has a nice weight to it. It is 2 ounces. The blades are a triple blade with lubricant strips on both sides. My 17 year old son felt that it did the job just fine. He liked it a lot and thought the handle looked stylish.

Shaving Cream
Shaving Cream

The shaving cream (6 oz, ???) is currently not available on the website. There is no explanation if there was something wrong with the product, discontinued or out of stock. Don’t men need shaving cream to shave? It is disingenuous to have no explanation because the subscription box is marketed towards men. Yes, it is the minimalist approach, but wouldn’t future subscribers turn away if there is no shaving cream?

Both my 17-year-old son and sister liked it. My sister used it on her legs. My older son used it to shave his face.  I am not surprised because the ingredients look great.

Shaving Cream Label
Shaving Cream Label

I noticed that the label lists Mentha Piperita, which is peppermint oil. Why is it in the shaving cream but not in the toothpaste? This label is my favorite because it has shea butter, sesame oil, and peppermint oil listed as ingredients. The lotion has a light peppermint scent.

Liquid Soap
Liquid Soap

The liquid soap and body wash (8 oz, $8.00) states it has the same essential oil blend as the shampoo and conditioner. The scent did not smell as strong to me as with the shampoo and conditioner.  Everyone liked the liquid soap.

The concept is excellent. Stick with one product line and buy what you need at the interval that you need it. There’s no wasting your time at the store and being overwhelmed with too many choices. Morgan states it is natural, vegan, and is free of gmos. The minimalist look is appealing. It all sounds great until you reach our experience and the execution.

Our experience was mixed.  I was surprised by the issues that my sister had with the hair products. Both my sister and teenage son had a reaction to the soap. My sister and son tend not to react to products. My sister loved the toothpaste and may order more. The shaving cream ingredients are more in line with what I expect from a natural box than some of the other ingredients. What bothers me the most is that I would have never know that this is a vegan, non-gmo product line by looking at the labels.

I think the execution could use more work. Simple things such as fixing the misspellings of common organic ingredients on the website and cleaning up the labels/descriptions i.e., soap and lotion. A FAQ addressing ingredients that could be animal or plant based, and the source of the citric acid would go a long way in clarifying concerns of whether the ingredients support the idea of being a natural, vegan, gmo-free product line. Labeling essential oils as fragrance/parfum is off-putting to me as a natural beauty user because it sounds more like synthetic chemicals than natural. It is unusual to see a vegan product line that does not have the words vegan or vegan-friendly labeled on the actual product itself.

My concerns may not be your concerns. Ultimately, it is easy to try a few products and see how your body reacts to it. Let me know if you tried the products, and what you think of it!

Visit Morgans to subscribe or find out more! 

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