If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what famous people add to their carts. Not the JAR brooch and Louis XV chair but the hairspray and the electric toothbrush. We asked Trinity Mouzon Wofford — the co-founder of wellness brand Golde — about the toothpaste, olive oil, and water filter she can’t live without.
After I decided to switch from Crest, I went on a toothpaste hunt and tried all of the natural toothpastes. This one is extremely natural and I really like the flavor. It has these different Ayurvedic herbs in it, so it’s very herbal — it tastes like you’ve been chewing on some herbs. Ayurvedic tradition is all about oral hygiene and mouth care, and if a brand is upholding that tradition, then I know I’m getting the right stuff for my mouth. Another thing I like is that the toothpaste is concentrated, so you don’t have to use a ton. My teeth feel so much cleaner and it whitens them without being harsh.
I don’t really wear any makeup to be honest. I probably put on tinted moisturizer six times a year. But I like lipstick because it gives you that little pop. I struggled for years to find a lipstick with that your-lips-but-better quality — just a little punch of pink. I finally found it with this one. If I just dab it on, it’s really sheer: It almost looks like I don’t have anything on, but I can layer it and build the color. And it doesn’t dry my lips out at all — it has a really hydrating formula. It feels like a little treat.
The Berkey Filter is the heart of my home. I have the Big Berkey (which is actually just a normal-sized one). I bit the bullet three years ago and it has been such a game-changer. It’s basically a Brita filter on steroids. There are two charcoal filters in the top portion that filter water — you can go on YouTube and watch videos of people filtering pond water through it. The thing makes water taste really great: It gets rid of that funky chlorine smell that a lot of tap water has. And it actually does save money in the long run because the filters last so long.
It’s extremely gentle, as the name suggests. I love it for daily cleansing. I have combination skin that’s prone to clogged pores and breakouts, so if I’m too harsh on it with really targeted acne products, I tend to make the situation worse. It’s really important to have a cleanser that is well-balanced and isn’t going to irritate my skin or cause issues. I’ll apply this on dry skin and add a little bit of water. It does a good job cleansing without stripping my skin in the slightest.
Sana Javeri Kadri, the founder of Diaspora Co., turned me onto this olive oil. She has all the plugs on the best food stuff, especially anything coming out of California. I trust her recommendations. My partner and I cook a lot and we go through olive oil really quickly. This one is really high quality. It has this beautiful green color and is super fragrant. The company is actually owned and operated by an indigenous tribe in Northern California that uses sustainable agriculture methods. I love knowing that I’m putting my dollars back into the hands of people of color who are using the right practices. But it’s also just the best olive oil, so it’s a win-win.
I have been using Esker for at least three years. I got connected with the founder back when both of us were just starting our businesses. We did a little product swap, as founders do, and I fell in love with this body oil. It has carrot-seed oil, which is one of my favorite oils. It’s not heavy or greasy, so I can use it year-round. And the smell is divine. I put it on after a shower and I feel like the person that I’ve always aspired to be. It’s really luxurious.
I’m from upstate New York and every so often I go back and forth between upstate and the city. I can really feel the difference in air quality between the two; even though there are lovely tree-lined streets in Bed-Stuy, the air quality just isn’t the finest, and I’ve read all the horrifying statistics about how the air indoors is often dirtier than outside. So I invested in one of these air filters — and I now own four. Part of that is because I moved into a house, so I needed to cover more square footage. But they also really, really work. They’re not bulky; I have them in white and they fit really nicely into any room. They’re quiet and you can just smell the freshness in the air. The filter has an automatic setting you can turn on and it will detect the air quality and turn the fan up if it needs to.
I’m a bar-soap person. I think people get turned off by bar soap because they’ve had bad experiences with stuff that is terrible. But I think bar soap is the best. After using this soap for maybe a year, I can really tell the difference in my skin. I’ll use it on my face, too, because it’s not too harsh and doesn’t burn my eyes.
I smelled it for the first time at Oroboro and totally fell in love. But it took me around a year to finally get it. I remember that the first time I wore it was in January of 2020. It was my birthday. This was pre-COVID so I had friends over and everyone was like, “Why do you smell so good?” I can’t wear a lot of fragrances because they turn really warm on me. If I put something woodsy on, I smell like a campfire, it does not work. So I tend to lean towards really, really green scents. Cowboy smells super, super green. It’s almost got a mossy, forest-y scent. I can’t get enough.
I don’t really shop. As a side effect of starting my own business, I became really broke and did not buy any clothes for years. At some point my partner Issey was like, “You need pants.” But I didn’t even know where to look. He suggested I check out Carhartt and he helped me pick out these pants. I wear them several times a week. I’m actually wearing them right now. They look like pants that I spent $400 on. I cannot bring myself to do that, but these make me look like I did. They have a nice relaxed fit. I have pretty narrow hips and thick thighs, which makes it very hard to find pants. These are one of the few pairs that I didn’t have to tailor.
I filter everything. This is essential for living in the city. When I moved back to Brooklyn after living upstate for awhile, my skin just erupted in crazy breakouts everywhere. I couldn’t figure out what was up until I realized that the water quality was having a pretty significant impact on my skin. So I did some research and ended up buying this filter and then noticed such a difference. It hooks right into a shower head and removes a lot of the mineral buildup that’s coming through my 100-plus-year-old pipes. My skin is less clogged up, less irritated, and not as dry.
Superwhisk is a USB-chargeable latte frother. We launched it in December 2020 as a fun add-on to our product lineup. We wanted it to be an accompaniment to our latte blends — a way to help our customers make the best, frothiest latte. But it has become our top-seller. We’re doing our best to keep it in stock. It’s really, really powerful. I’ll put some Golde Superfood Latte blend in my cup, add a little bit of hot water, and just Super Whisk it until it’s nice and frothy. Top that with a little water or milk and you have a cafe-quality latte at home.
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