Grove Collaborative fits my lifestyle... But is this online store for you?

In this Grove Collaborative review, I will share everything I love about the company, plus a few areas where they could improve.

I placed my first order with Grove Collaborative on June 1, 2016. I spent about $20 on cleaning products, plus I received free products valued around $20. Grove Collaborative always offers new customers a free gift with their first order of $30 or more, but the exact deal changes every month.

In the last 2 1/2 years, I've spent a little over $400 at Grove Collaborative. While I mostly just order household products, I've also splurged on multiple candles.

What is Grove Collaborative?

Grove Collaborative is a personalized auto-shipment service that delivers all-natural home, beauty, and personal care products directly to your door! Their aim is to make living a healthy lifestyle easy and accessible for all customers. Every product they sell is backed by the Grove standard.

What is the Grove Standard?

Simply put, Grove only sells products that are healthy, effective, eco-friendly, and affordable.

When Grove evaluates brands for partnership, they look at the following:

• Non-toxic
• Ingredient Transparency
• Plant-based Formulas
• 100% Cruelty Free
• Ethical supply chains
• Sustainable Materials
• Grove is a Certified B Corporation, and they look for the same values in other companies.

How Grove Collaborative Works

When you place your first order with Grove Collaborative, you automatically join their auto-replenishment service. This means Grove suggests new products for you each month by putting them in your shopping cart. A few days before your scheduled shipment, Grove sends you a reminder email to check over your scheduled order. You can edit your shopping cart, change the shipping date, or skip the month completely.

Not all customers like this auto-shipment program. If you've ever seen complaints of Grove being a scam, it's probably from someone who didn't pay attention to how the auto-shipment program works. I've only ever had two issues with my shipments, which I'll explain below. And those minor problems had nothing to do with editing scheduled shipments.

If you don't like scheduled shipments, you can switch to Grove's "Ship Now" program. This is what I did eventually. Although looking at my order history, I still place an order every 1-2 months anyway!

Grove Collaborative Order Minimums and Shipping Costs

For your very first order with Grove Collaborative, you need to spend at least $30. However, this also gets you a pretty awesome free gift, so spending $30 on great products is a small price to pay! Plus your first order includes a trial VIP membership, so shipping is FREE.

After your first Grove order, order minimums and shipping costs vary.

If you're a long-time Amazon customer, order minimums might seem odd. However, order minimums are really shipping minimums designed to reduce the environmental impact of shipping.

• $25 for recurring shipments
• $39 for "Ship Now" plans

Trust me, it is far too easy to come up with $25 worth of products that you want in every order!

VIP members always receive free shipping. Otherwise, any Grove order costs a flat $4.99 for shipping. Based on shipping costs alone, it's worth signing up as a VIP if you plan on placing at least 4 orders in a 12-month period.

VIP Program Review

I love being part of the Grove Collaborative VIP program. It's only $19.99 per year! Free shipping isn't the only perk.

VIP members also receive four free gifts each year. These are full-size products, not samples. My favorite gifts so far have been Grove's lip balm and Grove's hand cream.

Finally, VIP members receive early access to any new products. Popular scents sell out fast, so early access makes it more likely you can buy your favorite scent of dish soap, surface cleaner, body wash, and more!

Grove Collaborative VIP Program vs. Amazon Prime

I've been a member of Amazon Prime for more than five years, and I absolutely LOVE it. So why pay for Amazon Prime AND the Grove Collaborative VIP Program? Can't I just order all my favorite products from Amazon?

Yes... and no.

Some of my favorite products, like the glass hand soap dispensers and hand soap refills, are part of the Grove Collection. These are sold exclusively through Grove Collaborative.

Other products are available on Amazon. Over the last year, I've randomly price-checked a few products on both Grove and Amazon. Sometimes Grove has the better price; sometimes Amazon has the better price.

That said, sometimes the Amazon versions are only available in bundles. That's great if you want a 3-pack of hand soap... Not so great if you just want to buy one hand soap, or you want to buy the same products in different scents.

Even if Amazon does offer a better price on something, you're still in luck. If you're a VIP member with Grove, they will price match! Just add the product to your cart, and send Grove the link to where you see it. They will update the price before your next shipment!

Obviously Amazon Prime offers more than just free 2-day shipping on almost everything... I'm particularly fond of my free Kindle book every month, plus an extensive music library featuring Taylor Swift. But they don't quite have what I want to keep my house clean, so I'm also a VIP member with Grove.

What I Primarily Buy

Grove sells products in four general categories:

• Household
• Personal Care
• Baby & Kids
• Pet

Since Dan and I don't have any kids or pets, and I primarily use DERMA E skincare, I mostly buy household products from Grove.