Public Goods Review: One-Stop Shop for Everyday Essentials

It’s difficult to find one place that carries all the healthy, yet sustainable everyday essentials we need. That was until Public Goods hit the market.

For our initial Public Goods order we decided to try 5 different products. We wanted to compare these products to things we normally use in order to get a really objective feel.

Therefore, the following is how each product performed.

Public Goods Ramen Noodles

Ramen Variety Pack – 15 count ($27.00)

 We absolutely love Ramen, but are used to paying closer to $1 per pack. While the price point of the Ramen Variety Pack was almost double what we’re used to, the flavor spoke for itself. Every single Ramen flavor Public Goods offered was out of this world. We loved them so much that we ate the entire pack within a week.

The Ramen was easy to make (like all Ramen should be) and the flavor spoke to the higher quality ingredients in this product. This particular product label says they are made in Taiwan.

Overall, we absolutely loved it and will definitely be getting more of this.

Public Goods Vegetable Broth Concentrate

Vegetable Broth Concentrate 12 oz ($12.00)

We use vegetable broth for a lot of cooking, especially rice dishes and soups. And it can be difficult to find a good quality, organic vegetable broth. So we were excited to try the Public Goods Vegetable Broth Concentrate.

The ingredient list touted high-quality, organic ingredients. Which I absolutely loved! However, one ingredient was a flag to me; canola oil. This product is labeled as being made in Ohio, but over 90% of the canola oil grown in the United States is genetically modified.

And, in general, canola oil is a less nutrient-dense oil used in foods when companies don’t want to spend more money on a higher quality oil. So, this concerns me a bit with regard to quality and the transparency of the product sourcing.

The flavor was good, but nothing really noteworthy that made it stand out from other vegetable broths I’ve tried. The brand states that this 12-ounce container will make 18 cups of vegetable broth since it’s concentrated. That may be so, but for the much higher price tag, this probably isn’t one I’m going to order again.

Public Goods Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies 7 oz ($4.00)

It is really difficult to mess up a chocolate chip cookie, so we figured this would be a good one to try. The Public Goods Chocolate Chip Cookies come in a 7-ounce box with minimal packaging. According to the label, they are made in Georgia. I liked the smaller size of these cookies because they were easier to dip in my milk.

These cookies aren’t labeled as organic, but the majority of the ingredients on the box looked pretty decent. However, one flag I had was the “natural vanilla flavor.” 

This is used a lot instead of vanilla extract because it’s cheaper to make (less vanilla beans required). And, the FDA doesn’t regulate what’s used in the vanilla flavoring as much as they do a vanilla extract. Therefore, in a lot of cases castoreum is used as the flavoring agent, which comes from the anal glands of beavers. This doesn’t really sound too appetizing to me, to be honest!

And while the cookies were good, they weren’t anything out of the ordinary. So these probably won’t be on my high list to order again any time soon.

Public Goods Dish Soap

Dish Soap Refill 34 oz ($7.50)

Whether I like to do dishes or not, they just keep piling up. So, having a good dish soap on hand that cleans extremely efficiently and smells good is key. The Public Goods Dish Soap Refill comes with 34 ounces, so it should last me quite a while. This product says that it’s made in Massachusetts.

I love that this product doesn’t use any harmful ingredients and the smell was really nice. It cleaned well and worked above average.

This may be a product that I add into my regular rotation. Especially if I can start using it as a foaming dish soap instead, because that way I can stretch the product out much further, which saves me even more money.

Public Goods Dishwasher Detergent Pods

Dishwasher Detergent Pods 24 count ($6.95)

The Public Goods Dishwasher Pods was the product that I was most excited about. I’m sure that sounds silly, but my regular dishwashing detergent has just not been able to handle my smoothie cups effectively.

Therefore, when I ran the first load of dishes (including the aforementioned smoothie cup), the results blew me away.

The dishes came out sparkling clean. And we did multiple loads over subsequent days to see if there was any discrepancy in the results. There wasn’t. Which was surprisingly awesome! This product says it’s made in Illinois.

My only issue with this product was the lack of a proper ingredients list on the package. I noticed that both this product and the dish soap had a scent. But there was no scent listed on the ingredients list, at all.

While I realize that a lot of cleaning enzymes can be derived from plants, such as lime and lavender. Generally, there is not a scent associated with just the enzyme itself. So, I went back to the website and dug a little deeper. On the page for this specific product, the brand actually lists one more ingredient that isn’t listed on the actual package; lemon essential oil.

While I like lemon essential oil, my issue is with the discrepancy between what they say are in the product versus what really is. So, this concerns me a bit about their products. However, even with that, I have never had a dishwasher detergent clean the way this one does. So, it is definitely on my reorder list.

Public Goods was created to offer high-quality products to consumers at a lower cost by cutting out middlemen. Which is a fantastic platform. The brand claims that all of their products are free of the following traditional bad guys:

• Phthalates – linked to cancer, reproductive toxicity, and endocrine disruption
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) – a surfactant that strips the natural oils of the skin and weakens the barrier, making it easier for toxins to creep in.
• Parabens – endocrine disruptors
• Formaldehyde – linked to cancer and allergic skin reactions
• Synthetic Fragrances – linked to cancer, allergic reactions, and many contain neurotoxins

Ensuring the products don’t contain any of the aforementioned is extremely important for overall health and quality of a product. However, the brand does lack clear transparency regarding where and how they source the ingredients they do use.

They also don’t specify which labs they use, or where, or which certifications, if any, these labs have. Public Goods does label each product specifying where it’s made. But this can be as ambiguous as simply the USA.

The brand mentions that they select ethical vendors from across the globe, but that’s about all you’re going to get. Therefore, it makes it difficult to discern exactly how ethical their products are, if there is no more information offered.

This is extremely unfortunate for a company that is based on promoting high-quality, ethically sourced everyday essentials. I, personally, would expect more from Public Goods in order to back up the marketing claims. The hope is that they will add a lot more transparency if they want to put their money where their mouth is.

I do like that the ingredients are clearly listed on each product. And in a lot of cases they offer a more in-depth explanation of what each ingredient is for consumers who are unsure. This is helpful and a benefit that a lot of other companies don’t offer.

A good example of this is the dish soap we tried. Everything was clearly marked and identified, making it much easier for us to actually determine what the more obscure ingredients were.

To begin with, Public Goods prices are pretty darn cheap for what you get. Although some of the products may seem a bit higher priced than comparable products off the shelf, it’s really not the case. Take the Public Goods Dish Soap Refill for $7.50.

I have been purchasing a similar brand at my local big box store for $5.99. However, I just realized that the one I’ve been buying contains SLS, while the Public Goods product doesn’t. So, in all reality, they aren’t comparable products. And, I’m willing to pay a bit more for quality.

However, adding in the annual membership does increase the overall cost of each product purchased throughout the year. But, if you place a couple of big orders throughout the year to stock up on essentials, you’ll also forgo the shipping fees and the products will come right to your door. So, you’ll have to determine for yourself if you think it’s worth the money or not.

Public Goods does offer an initial discount of 10% off your first order when you sign up for their mailing list. They also offer free shipping on all orders over $45 within the United States. If you’re in Canada, all orders come with free shipping over $100.

Other than that, they don’t offer much in the way of discounts since their products are already offered at rock bottom prices.

For any consumer on the hunt for healthy and sustainable everyday essentials, Public Goods is a pretty good bet. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some regular questions that consumers have prior to purchasing. Here is where we answer the most common questions about Public Goods products to help consumers make a more educated decision.