The Whole Foods 2015 Summer Survival bag is a curated collection of supplies for active summer living selected from offerings available in Whole Foods Market stores. This was a one-time purchase, but they did a beauty bag in March, so I hope it will become a regular thing.
My Subscription Addiction paid for this bag. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Box: Whole Foods Summer Survival Bag
The Cost: $12
The Products: Deluxe samples of summer essentials like sunscreen, aloe, and shake mixes.
Ships to: In-store only purchase at US Whole Foods Market locations starting at 10 AM on June 27, 2015. While supplies last.
Check out the Beauty Subscription Box Directory for more great natural beauty deals!
The bag came with an information card listing the items from the bag.
RIJIgreen Large Jute Makeup Bag – Value $11.99
RIJIgreen is a company that produces eco-friendly fair trade bags and t-shirts. They partner with businesses and non-profits that hire survivors of human trafficking and they donate a portion of their profits to anti-human-trafficking causes. The jute makeup bags aren’t available on their site so I’ve linked to a cotton one in the same size.
Aubrey Pure Aloe Vera (4 oz.; FULL SIZE!) – Value $7.95
Aloe is great for sunburn and this one contains 99% organic ingredients. I am pale and avoid the sun, but aloe is also good to put on regular burns so I am going to keep this in the kitchen where it will likely be needed before too long…
Tom’s of Maine Long Lasting Deodorant (2.25 oz.; FULL SIZE!) – Value $4.99
I am generally not a fan of natural deodorant as I have had some bad experiences with it in the past. However, I tried this last night. I like the stick form and it seems to have worked (at least overnight), plus it didn’t cause a rash like some competing products have. I will continue to use this!
Boiron Arnicare Gel (0.5 oz.) – Value $1.89
Sorry about the glare here, I think my lighting was a bit out of whack. I’m not a believer in homeopathic remedies (I have a PhD in biochemistry and the science just isn’t there to support homeopathy, generally speaking), but next time I have sore muscles I will try this, just for the heck of it.
Nuun Active Natural Electrolyte Enhanced Drink Tabs (10 tabs) – Value $3.37
I love that these replenish electrolytes without added sugar (only 8 calories per tab). Too many products like this are loaded with sugar so I’m happy to see this alternative.
Goddess Garden Organics Natural Sunscreen SPF 30 (1 oz.) – Value $4.41
This is a mineral sunscreen that’s supposed to go on sheer. I have about 7 open sunscreens right now so I am forcing myself to use up a few of those before I open anything new. But I am wear sunscreen every day. I prefer mineral sunscreens and this will definitely get used. (If you’re watching ingredients, it’s non-GMO, vegan, cruelty free, alcohol free, free of parabens and phthalates, and gluten free!)
Spectrum Essentials Savory Blend Hemp & Flaxseed Dietary Supplement (0.7 oz) – Value $0.51
Sorry, more glare victims…Anyway, I am so glad I looked at this a second time before dumping it in a smoothie – it contains rosemary, parsley, and garlic. I like to add seeds to homemade bread for a nutrient boost and I think the herbs and spices in this will work well there, too. I’ve tried a lot of other products from Spectrum Essentials and I’ve been pretty happy with them.
Spectrum Essentials Tropical Fruit Blend Flaxseed and Camu Camu Powder (0.5 oz) – Value $0.56
Now this one can go in a smoothie! Camu camu powder is really high in vitamin C. I’ve seen it more and more in food products and cosmetics lately. (I have a whole package of camu camu powder at home and seeing this product is finally giving me some ideas of what to do with it.)
Amazing Meal Vanilla Chai (0.88 oz) – Value $3
I’ve had this before. It is plant-based and doesn’t mix quite as well with liquid as whey does (so this product is better in a smoothie than mixed straight into liquid). However, I’m always happy to get samples for the greens and probiotics they include – no more buying multiple products.
Garden of Life Perfect Food Raw Organic Green Super Food (0.34 oz) – Value $0.91
Green superfood products tend to be expensive so I am always glad to see them – I don’t eat enough greens and yet I know how many nutrients are in supplements like this. (I mixed this into a smoothie because I’m moving soon so I’m trying to clear out the frozen fruit from my freezer. It worked very well there.)
The bag also came with a couple of in-store coupons. I am not counting these towards the overall value because I don’t know the prices of these items at Whole Foods stores.
Verdict: The 2015 Whole Foods Summer Survival Bag had an overall value of about $39.58 if you count the samples (but not the values of the coupons). That’s outstanding for the $12 cost, although it doesn’t deliver on the promised $50 value. (The $50 value may be based on Whole Foods prices, though, and since they don’t have a web store, some of the products linked to above may be cheaper online from merchants like Amazon) I think the personal care products, in particular, were well curated around the “Ready for Action” summer theme. I think, though, that rather than having the protein powders, superfoods, etc., in packets in this bag, I’d like to see a fitness and nutrition collection from Whole Foods at some point in the future.
I don’t know if these are still available. When I showed up at 10AM, my normal store hadn’t even put them out yet. I went to another Whole Foods later in the afternoon and they had tons on the shelf. It probably wouldn’t hurt to call and ask, if you’re interested.
What did you think of the Whole Foods Summer Survival Bag? Were you able to get one?
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