Conscious Box (Classic) Unboxing and Review: April 2013

Conscious Box has three different subscription varieties: classic, vegan, and gluten-free. This is my review of the classic conscious box, which is also their most popular “flavor”.

About Conscious Box:
Focusing on strict tenets of organic, fair trade, and pure and natural products, for $19.95 a month Conscious Box will introduce you to healthy and honest alternatives for every aspect of your life and for every member of your family. Discover the best natural products, earn points for leaving feedback and reviews, and buy your favorites at incredible discounts!
If you would like to use my referral link, click here to subscribe to Conscious BoxThank you!

Current promotion: Use the code DISCOVERNATURAL for a 50% discount on your first box.


Safonique Lavender Sea Laundry Detergent
This is a very generous sample size which is enough for 2 full loads of laundry. I plan on using it to wash my sheets and hopefully to get them scented with the essential oil of lavender that it supposedly contains. The reviews are mostly positive, so I think I’m going to like it, too. It’s also very affordable, so even if I end up liking it, I can still purchase it at my local Walmart for under $6 per 50oz pack.

MRM 100% Natural Whey
I don’t think I’ve ever made a protein shake before, and I doubt I will start now, so this sample will be given away to someone who actually needs/wants it. Looks like this brand makes nice high quality products, so I’m sure this sample will be appreciated wherever it ends up. From what information I could find, this whey powder contains some essential amino acids that will benefit professional athletes, children and elderly alike.

EarthRise Nutritionals Spirulina Natural Supplement
So what exactly is this spirulina? Google says it’s actually a “dried biomass of the cyanobacterium Arthrospira”. Sounds gross, if you ask me, but apparently this concoction is quite healthy. These things grow in alcaline lakes with high pH, so they’re free from contamination by other algae. I think I’ll pass on this one, because I don’t quite feel adventurous enough to try it. Spirulina has 10x more calcium than milk, 20x more beta carotene than carrots, 50x more iron than spinach and 5x more protein then eggs.

Coromega Omega-3 + D Squeeze Tropical Orange
I usually take Omega-3 supplements daily so I wasn’t opposed to trying this one. It tasted alright, but a bit on the sour side. The gooey consistency felt a little gross, so I thought I should have used it in a smoothie instead.

Celestial Seasonings Antioxidant Max Green Tea Blackberry Pomegranate
I have actually tried this tea before, and it’s not my favorite. It’s supposed to be super healthy for you, but I always have to enhance the taste with a little bit of honey or some flavored agave syrup, which has become popular around here recently.

Sappo Hill All Vegetable Oil Almond Soap
This soap smells absolutely heavenly, and I love anything and everything almond! I haven’t used it yet because I plan on putting it in the guest bathroom when my mom comes to visit this summer, and I’m sure she will love it, too. All Sappo Hill products are free of animal products and are not tested on animals.

Organic Food Bar Chocolate Covered Active Greens
This bar looks like a regular chocolate-coated candy on the outside, but once you bite into it, it turns into something you would punish your children with. The dark green/brown/grainy substance looks and smells a lot like fertilizer. I’m sure it’s all crazy healthy, just not for me, because [as a wise MUTer once said] I don’t want my greens active!


Peter Rabbit Organics Pouch Banana & Apple
Peter Rabbit is totally adorable, and the way he’s just sitting and looking at you from the package is bound to attract toddlers and adults alike. These pouches are very convenient and mess-free, which I love! I used to buy GoGoSqueez before, but now I might pick up Peter Rabbit pouches in more flavors. From what I read on the website, they never dilute their fruit mixes with water, so all of it is pure fruit.

QSpeed CoQ10 Supplement, NurturMe Organic Baby Food Plump PeasSeventh Generation Mandarin Facial ClothsTotLogic Body Lotion
These four products are repeats from a previous box. Instead of copy/pasting my thoughts about each one of them I’ll just give you a brief summary. I love wet facial wipes and use them regularly, so I’m excited to try Seventh Generation mandarin scented sample. NurturMe baby food will be used in a smoothie for extra nutritional value. TotLogic body lotion seems like a nice product for super sensitive skin, since it’s safe for babies to use. CoQ10 will be given away to my dad who takes these supplements daily.

  • The best: Peter Rabbit fruit pouch, I’m glad to have discovered
  • The worst: Active greens!


The verdict: To put it mildly, I wasn’t a huge fan of this box. For me personally the value just wasn’t there, and you know that a certain subscription isn’t for you when you don’t even use half of the box, or more. But on the bright side, I would have never found out about Peter Rabbit Organics, and those pouches might have become my new pantry staples. Still, for me that’s not enough to justify the $20/mo price tag, so this is probably my first and last month with Conscious Box.

Are you a Conscious Box subscriber? What did you think of this month’s box?

Product Retail Value
NurturMe Organic Baby Food Plump Peas $1.24
QSpeed CoQ10 Supplement $1.24
TotLogic Body Lotion $0.54
Seventh Generation Mandarin Facial Cloths $0.19
Safonique Lavender Sea Laundry Detergent $0.47
MRM 100% Natural Whey $1.49
EarthRise Nutritionals Spirulina $0.73
Coromega Omega-3 + D Squeeze $0.38
Celestial Seasonings Antioxidant Max Green Tea $0.34
Sappo Hill All Vegetable Oil Almond Soap $0.70
Organic Food Bar Chocolate Covered Active Greens $1.20
Peter Rabbit Organics Pouch

$1.48

Box Retail Value $10.00

Disclosure: I bought this.

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8 Comments

  1. April 25, 2013 / 5:36 pm

    First, you had me laughing out loud when you commented about the chocolate covered greens thing being something to punish the kids with. Bwahaaaaah!

    I’m with you. I’d be pissed to get janky samples for $20.00. Earth mother/flowery words aside, I’d expect my money’s worth in product size, and in product usability.

    Also, it is just me, or do you have an issue with them packaging household goods/soaps with food products?

    • April 25, 2013 / 5:40 pm

      Yep, they just threw everything in the same box! Good thing nothing spilled, or I would have been totally outraged.

    • April 26, 2013 / 10:44 am

      Yep, definitely discovered a couple nice things, so I wasn’t 100% disappointed with Conscious Box. Still, this subscription is clearly not for me 🙂

  2. April 26, 2013 / 8:08 am

    I’m on the exact same page about this being my first and last month. Just a very disappointing experience. I had heard a lot of complaints about their recent boxes, over promotion of coupons, and poor customer service, but I just brushed it off in the way that you do when people whine about subscription boxes. However, not only did I only receive 2/3 of my boxes, I also had such a difficult time canceling my subscriptions via email. They really did hassle me and try to persuade me to stay, requiring me to email them two more times confirming my wish to cancel. Just a bizarre experience. I still want to thank you for sharing the $1 deal, though, because I am glad that I was able to have this rough experience with them for only $3 instead of $59. Something it’s nice to know what NOT to waste money on.

    • April 26, 2013 / 10:43 am

      I was having a hard time canceling, too, and I really think the company is going downhill after this disaster of a promotion. They tried to guilt trip me into staying, but that’s not going to work.

  3. May 11, 2013 / 10:29 am

    Interesting to read about this and the canceling process. I won a three-month subscription on another blog and am awaiting my first box. I won’t make any judgement on contents and all yet, but it’s good to have every bit of info possible. On the bright side, I didn’t have to give any credit card info, so at least that is a bonus!

    • May 12, 2013 / 10:22 am

      Since you didn’t have to give them your CC info you’re most likely safe. I had to send them 4 CS tickets to finally get my subscription canceled. They didn’t pick up their phone at all when I called, even though I was calling during their listed work hours. The whole canceling process took me about two weeks 🙁

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