For conservative consumers, the decision to stop supporting certain brands is rarely simple. It can mean giving up a beloved product, a cherished ritual, or even a piece of personal history. In a recent essay for The Daily Wire, one writer walks through five brands she has decided to drop — some for politics, some for health — and the alternatives she’s found along the way.
The list is personal, and it begins with a painful one: Catbird Jewelry, a Brooklyn-based company that the writer had shopped at for nearly a decade, including rings, permanent bracelets, and gifts for family and friends. What she didn’t know when she made her first purchase was that Catbird had been donating a portion of its sales to Planned Parenthood since its early days.
Catbird founder Rony Vardi has said the company’s “giving back ethos” was “baked in from day one.” By 2017, the brand was publicly participating in the fashion industry’s campaign supporting Planned Parenthood. It also launched a transgender-themed collection with “Transparent” creator Jill Soloway, donating 50% of sales to the National Center for Transgender Equality. In 2023, a collaboration with musician Phoebe Bridgers included a $25,000 donation to the same organization.
For the writer, the discovery that a brand she loved was supporting causes she opposes was a wake-up call — one she says many conservatives in liberal cities can relate to.
Her alternative: local jewelers, who she says are often more personal and better priced. Her own engagement ring was designed and made by a close friend, and she now sees it not just as a symbol of her marriage but of the community she belongs to.
Ben & Jerry’s: ‘Always political’
Another obvious target for conservatives is Ben & Jerry’s, which has never hidden its political leanings. The company’s activism dates back to 1988, when co-founder Ben Cohen launched “1% for Peace.” In 2005, it delivered a 900-pound “Baked Alaska” to the White House to protest Arctic drilling. In 2009, it renamed Chubby Hubby “Hubby Hubby” to celebrate same-sex marriage in Vermont. In 2018, it released “Pecan Resist,” an explicitly anti-Trump flavor supporting progressive groups like the Women’s March.
In 2020, following George Floyd’s death, the company called on Americans to “dismantle white supremacy.” Then, in 2021, Ben & Jerry’s announced it would stop selling its ice cream in what it called the “Occupied Palestinian Territory.” As the company itself has said: “At Ben & Jerry’s, we have always been political.”
The writer says her husband now calls it “terrorist ice cream.” But she’s also found a replacement that she says has changed the way she thinks about ice cream and health: Ice Cream for Bears, founded in 2020 by Tim Berg. The product uses a base of dairy, raw honey, and eggs, with grass-fed milk from regeneratively managed farms. No cane sugar, corn syrup, or stabilizers — just simple ingredients, like grandma used to make.
Mrs. Meyer’s and the fertility question
Before getting married, the writer went deep into what she describes as “fertility-maxing,” which included researching the products she used in her home. That’s when she decided to give up Mrs. Meyer’s cleaning products — despite loving the “Rain Water” scent that reminded her of childhood.
Her concern: Mrs. Meyer’s does not disclose every chemical in its proprietary fragrance mixtures, and some products contain preservatives like methylisothiazolinone and benzisothiazolinone, which are known skin sensitizers. More broadly, fragranced products can be a source of exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals like phthalates, which have been linked in human studies to altered reproductive hormones and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
She acknowledges the evidence isn’t proof that Mrs. Meyer’s causes infertility, but she decided the risk wasn’t worth taking — particularly with laundry products that leave fragrance on clothes and bedding. She notes that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends fragrance-free products during pregnancy. Her alternatives: Branch Basics and Koala Eco, which she says makes her New York City apartment feel like a spa.
Tampons and hidden metals
One of the most unsettling findings in her research involved a product she’d used since age 12: Tampax tampons. A 2024 UC Berkeley study tested 30 tampons from 14 brands and found measurable amounts of all 16 metals it tested for, including lead and arsenic. The researchers noted that vaginal tissue is highly permeable compared with ordinary skin, meaning chemicals can enter the bloodstream without the “first-pass” metabolism that occurs when substances are swallowed.
The study didn’t prove that metals leach from tampons during use or cause health problems, but the writer says the discovery was enough to make her switch. She now uses organic cotton brands like Cora, Lola, and Daye.
Single-serve coffee pods
Finally, she’s giving up single-serve coffee pods from Nespresso and Keurig. Her decision was influenced by a friend who was diagnosed with heavy metal toxicity, which her doctor traced to years of coffee brewed from pods. The writer points to studies that have found plasticizers and other endocrine-active chemicals in coffee brewed from capsules, as compounds can migrate from plastic into hot water during brewing.
Her alternative: buying beans from a local shop and grinding them herself, using a Breville espresso machine with milk from Maple Hill or raw milk. For those without a local shop, she recommends Purity Coffee and Kion Coffee, which she says are mold-free and high in antioxidants.
The essay is a reminder that for some consumers, the decision to drop a brand isn’t just about politics — it’s also about health, safety, and peace of mind. And as she puts it, once you start looking, it’s hard to unsee what’s in the products you use every day.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/five-brands-i-no-longer-use-as-a-conservative