Picture it: it’s a rare Friday night in and my glass of cabernet is decanting wonderfully on the kitchen counter. I crack open my snack cabinet, but instead of reaching for my stand-by Cheez-Its, my hand makes a beeline toward a decidedly more grown-up and sophisticated bite: a box of vegan Sourdough Sea Salt Moonshot crackers. Founder Julia Collins is changing the healthy snacking game with her sustainable, Black woman-owned food brand one flavorful crunch at a time — and if you haven’t given it a taste test, it’s about time you do.

In one 100% recycled cardboard package, you’ll find about 45 organic crackers made from regeneratively grown ingredients ready to upgrade your snacking game. Lucky for me, I got the chance to try out all three flavors — Sourdough Sea Salt, Tomato Basil, and Rosemary Garlic — and see what a “climate-friendly cracker” actually tastes like. Below, read on to hear what makes these crackers taste better than my standby Cheez-its — and why Collins chose to fight climate change via delicious simple snacks.

Moonshot Snacks Variety Pack (3 Boxes) $18

What are Moonshot crackers?

These snacks officially launched under Moonshot’s parent company, Planet FWD, in December 2020. Since then, the brand has racked up 116 customer reviews and a near-perfect, 4.9 out of 5 stars, rating on its site. You can find some boxes sprinkled in grocery stores across the nation, or you can order online and even save a few bucks by securing a monthly subscription.

While the brand’s vibrant flavors are enough of a sell, the commitment to sustainability is also part of the appeal. “The ultimate goal at Moonshot is to build a climate-friendly food movement,” founder Julia Collins tells Refinery29. To throw some fancy stats out there, these crackers are plant-based, Non-GMO, carbon-neutral, made from regeneratively-grown heirloom wheat sourced from local farmers, and contain zero added sugar or preservatives. In other words, these snacks are as good for you as they are for the planet.

Moonshot Snacks Variey Pack (6 Boxes) $36

What do Moonshot crackers taste like?

The Sourdough Sea Salt genuinely tastes like Cheez-its to me, or any other cheese-infused cracker — except, there’s not an ounce of dairy. (My skin jumps for joy). They’re small and have a crisp crunch when you first bite down, but then slowly melt away as you chew rather than congeal against your teeth. The flavors are fresh. Tomato Basil, my second favorite, does not have a cheesy vibe at all but instead a lovely combo of spices. And the Rosemary Garlic tastes immaculate and herby with a slice of cheese.

It’s hard to wax poetic over these crackers because they taste exactly like their ingredients. As an avid snack indulger, I notice the only time a carb treat doesn’t taste like its description is when it’s doused in artificial flavors. The one mystery behind these otherwise transparent snacks is how they extracted so much flavor out of a few simple ingredients.

Who is the Moonshot founder?

The minute Julia Collins discovered she was pregnant, she thought about the future world her son would be living in. Rather than wallow in despair at our planet’s current climate crisis, she began her quest to produce climate-friendly snacks and create a platform, Planet FWD, to help other food brands adopt a more eco-conscious approach.

“Snacking accounts for 50% of all eating occasions and 94% of people say they snack at least once a day,” says Collins. “That’s a lot of snacking and people who snack deserve to eat food that is tasty, good for their bodies, and for good for the planet.”

On top of running a business, Collins recognizes the lack of Black representation in the modern environmentalism movement and wants to become an even bigger voice with her platforms.

“Black voices are often left out of the current narrative around climate change,” she says. “The worst of what is happening in the context of our rapidly warming planet disproportionately affects Black and Brown people. There is no social justice without climate justice. It’s vitally important that we make climate activism radically inclusive.”

At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.

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Natural Haircare: 2 Healthy Hair Butters – Cupuaçu and Tucuma

By Jacqueline Samaroo

Get in on two well-kept secrets in natural haircare – cupuaçu butter and tucuma butter! Healthy hair butters that work wonders for natural hair!

This is the third post in our Healthy Hair Butters series. Be sure to check out the first two installments:

3 Healthy Hair Butters for Natural Hair – Shea, Mango, and Murumuru

Is Butter Good for Hair? 3 Healthy Hair Butters for Natural Hair – Cocoa, Ucuuba, and Kokum

Many naturalistas relish the idea of making their own natural hair care products. You get to customize ingredients for your hair’s specific needs. And, you are able to select the best, most healthful ingredients to use.

It’s why hair butters and hair butter recipes are so popular among haircare DIYers.  Hair butters are chock-full of nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids, needed for healthy hair growth.

Keep reading to find out about two healthy hair butters to add to your natural haircare routine:

• Cupuaçu butter
• Tucuma butter

And, stay tuned! We’ll be covering other healthy hair butters in the coming weeks!

1.      Healthy Hair Butters –  Cupuaçu

What is cupuaçu butter?

Cupuaçu butter is made from the fruit of the cupuaçu tree, a close relative of the cocoa tree from which cocoa butter is made. Its products have long been used by peoples of the Amazon basin where the tree grows widely. It’s solid at room temperature and has a chocolatey scent.

Cupuaçu butter is rich in beneficial fatty acids, in particular stearic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, and arachidic acid. It is edible and can also be used to make soaps, lotions, and haircare products. It melts quickly and is very readily absorbed when applied to the skin.

Cupuaçu butter health benefits

Cupuaçu butter is a powerful emollient with the ability to moisturize and lubricate the skin, leaving it supple and with fewer signs of aging. Thanks to its antioxidants, cupuaçu butter also offers protection from environmental and free radical damage.

Cupuaçu butter for hair growth

Cupuaçu butter also readily penetrates the hair shaft where it hydrates the strand, resulting in hair that is softer and more elastic. It has also been shown to play a role in reducing protein loss and maintaining the protein-moisture balance of hair.

Two Cupuaçu Butter Products for Natural Hair Care

Oslove Pure Cupuacu butter

Oslove’s pure, 100%, unrefined cupuaçu butter provides hair with plenty of hydration and leaves no greasy residue on your curls. Oslove’s cupuaçu butter adds a rich and creamy texture to hair butter recipes so your hair feels truly pampered.

The Oslove brand is known for its selection of natural butters, including shea, cocoa, mango, kokum, tamanu, and illipe butters.

Klorane 3-in-1 Mask with Organic Cupuaçu Butter

This cupuaçu butter 3-in1 mask from Kloraine can be used as:

• A classic hair mask
• An overnight hair mask
• A leave-in conditioner

Klorane’s organic cupuaçu hair mask is vegan, contains coconut oil, and is specifically formulated for curly hair.

2.      Healthy Hair Butters –  Tucuma

What is tucuma butter?

Tucuma butter is made from the seed and fruit of the tucuma palm tree which is native to the Amazon Rainforest. It is edible and can be used as a skin conditioner, as well as in helping to grow strong, healthy hair. Tucuma is a fast-absorbing butter that will not leave a greasy or oily residue on your hair or skin.

Tucuma butter has several fatty acids that have been shown to have healthful effects. These include lauric acid, oleic acid, and myristic acid.

Tucuma butter health benefits

Tucuma butter gets plenty of attention in skincare and haircare because of its restructuring and healing actions. It is rich in antioxidants and so can help to fight the damaging and aging effects of both free radicals and environmental factors.

Tucuma butter for hair growth

Tucuma butter acts as a hydrating sealant for your strands. It coats each strand of hair in a manner very similar to the silicone found in a variety of haircare products. However, it is lightweight and will not clog your pores or have a drying effect on your hair.

Tucuma butter’s other hair benefits include:

• Adding slip for detangling.
• Nourishing your scalp and strands.
• Replacing natural oils, such as those found in sebum.
• Leaving hair with a healthy sheen.
• Moisturizing hair for added bounce.

Two Tucuma Butter Products for Natural Hair Care

3CayG Pure Tucuma Butter

Looking for raw, unrefined tucuma butter to add to your hair butter recipes? 3CayG offers this 100% pure tucuma butter as a way to get moisture for both your skin and hair, as well as to add elasticity to both. Apart from its line of natural butters, the brand’s other products include African black soap bars.

OBIA Naturals Twist Whip Butter

This creamy twist butter from OBIA Naturals contains shea, mango, and tucuma butters. It is vegan, pH-balanced, and offers lasting hydration to dry curls. Use it for hold and definition with twist-outs and other natural hairstyles.

Do you DIY any of your natural haircare products? Tell us about any hair butters you use!

For years, Jhay Cortez paid his bills by making music for other artists. He was one of the masterminds behind J Balvin’s record-breaking album Vibras in 2018, as well as hits like Natti Natasha and Ozuna’s “Criminal” and Zion & Lennox’s “Hola.” But in 2019, Cortez, whose real name is Jesús Nieves Cortez, grew tired of being behind the scenes. And much like Kanye West stepped out of the shadow of artists like Jay-Z, Cortez took his place in the pantheon of reggaetón giants taking the genre global with the release of his first album Famouz. “I had a good idea then of where I wanted to go,” Cortez tells Refinery29. 

Since then, the Puerto Rican artist has released hits like “Dákiti,” a chart-topping feature with Bad Bunny, and “Fiel,” one of TikTok’s most popular sounds of summer 2021. Earlier this year, he also performed at the Grammys alongside Bad Bunny, the first Latinxs to do so since Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” performance in 2018. Now, with the release of his sophomore album Timelezz (yes, the two zz’s are on purpose), the reggaetonero says he’s feeling much more like himself. “I feel more secure about myself and my mission with this album,” he says. 

Released earlier this month, Timelezz is a 17-track record that takes listeners on a trip from today’s popetón and Latin trap to house sounds and guitar-heavy ballads. Much like Famouz, the album is entirely co-written and co-produced by Cortez, who, despite stepping into the spotlight, insists on getting back to his studio days. Still, he says he’s enjoying being an artist more than a producer. “I always wanted to be an artist. Production was more for me to pay the bills,” he says. “But it also helped me make the jump to being an artist because I learned from others’ mistakes.”

Though he doesn’t name names, one can take a look at the long list of clients he’s worked with in the past: Natti Natasha, Ozuna, Tito El Bambino, J Balvin, and Zion & Lennox, to name a few. He started writing and producing at age 15; now at 28, Cortez says he’s had time to develop, not only his musical tastes, but his broader goal beyond club-ready perreo. 

A big part of that includes using his platform to bring forth relatively unknown artists, especially from his native Puerto Rico. In Timelezz, he collaborated with Puerto Rican indie band Buscabulla—composed of Raquel Berríos and Luis Alfredo del Valle. “They’re truly one of my favorite bands, and they sound so different from what we think of Puerto Rican music right now,” says Cortez, referring to the duo, who released their first album Regresa in 2020. Cortez first met Berríos and Del Valle after they had posted on their Instagram that they were fans of the reggaetónero, who had also long admired the twosome from afar. “Someone put me in contact with them, and I invited them to my house to tell them I wanted to collaborate for Timelezz,” he recalls. The result was a guitar-and-trap ballad, called “Eternamente,” that picks up on the album’s time motif. 

Timelezz also includes features with reggaetón giants like Arcángel, Kendo Kaponi, and Myke Towers, as well as Skrillex, a staple of the 2010s EDM scene, who he collaborated with in the house-reggaetón mix “En Mi Cuarto.” In many ways, the album’s assorted genre palette, he says, is representative of the way reggaetón artists have approached music in the past few years. 

Artists like Bad Bunny, Rauwl Alejandro, and Cortez have found a way to inject genres like rock, bachata, dembow, and dubstep into their reggaetón-heavy music, pushing the boundaries of what exactly gets defined as reggaetón. Although albums like Más Flow and Pa’l Mundo already played with genre-bending sounds, Cortez says that today’s artists are doing it on a much larger scale, thanks to the mainstream reach of reggaetón in 2021. “I think we’re very influenced by older songs,” he says, later referencing his single Christian Dior’s use of the classic Héctor El Father line “Tú quiere’ duro.” “But I think we’re much more open-minded, and that’s what’s made it so global.”

Today, reggaetón artists are headliners at festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza. Cortez himself has headlined festivals like Baja Beach Fest in Mexico. Now, he’s the only Latinx artist to perform at the Bacardí Art Motel inside the 2021 Life Is Beautiful festival in Las Vegas. (In case you’re curious, his favorite Bacardí drink is a classic rum and cranberry juice mix.) But Cortez says his mission is to have other Latinx artists join him on events like this. 

“For me, it’s great to fly my flag wherever I go,” he says. “But I think it’s all about showing that we are capable of being there.” 

Watch Cortez’s livestream performance at Life is Beautiful on September 17 at 8 p.m. PST. 

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