“Sustainable beauty” is a big “buzz phrase” in the beauty industry right now. What was once a fringe movement with just a few environmentally conscious brands has quickly become a significant market category.
More consumers understand the devastating impact of nonrecyclable packaging and harmful ingredients. Fortunately, many beauty brands are becoming more transparent about their efforts toward becoming more eco-friendly.
Perhaps one of your 2023 resolutions or intentions is to become more environmentally friendly. I want to share some of the top sustainable beauty products to help you discover your “new favorites”!
The Ugly Side of Beauty Products
Before we dive into some of the companies and products, and practices that seek to make a difference, let’s explore the ugly side of the beauty and cosmetic industries.
The ugly reality is that most personal care products on the market have some sort of harmful impact on the planet.
It starts with the packaging
The environmental problem starts long before you purchase your go-to beauty products. Most cosmetics and beauty products have plastic packaging. The beauty industry produces more than 120 billion units of packaging each year.
That’s a lot of plastic–but only about nine percent of all plastic is recycled. The rest is dumped in landfills or incinerated (a whole different ecological problem).
With the rise of single-use products like makeup wipes and masks, the problem of “beauty waste” is actually growing and becoming more complex.
Cosmetic ingredients that have tragic impacts
While there is a laundry list of harmful ingredients, some of the most common and unhealthy ingredients found in cosmetics include:
- BHA and BHT: These are synthetic antioxidants that many companies use as preservatives in lipsticks, moisturizers, and other cosmetics. While BHA and BHT are also commonly found as food preservatives, they harm marine ecosystems. They have been known to kill fish and aquatic mammals.
- Oxybenzone and Octinoxate: These are common ingredients in chemical-based sunscreens, but they’re deadly to coral reefs.
- Microbeads: Often found in face washes and toothpaste, these little beads are made from plastic and nearly impossible to remove from water once they wash down the drain. Fish and other aquatic life consume them with deadly consequences.
- P-phenylenediamine: Usually found in dyes and lipsticks, it has been shown to poison and kills many aquatic species if it seeps into water sources.
- Triclosan: This tricky ingredient appears in many kinds of toothpaste, hand soap, and antiperspirant deodorant. It has anti-bacterial properties, which means it’s toxic to algae and other aquatic life.
You might think, “We aren’t putting the products straight into the ocean or dirt!” It’s hard to imagine that small amount of BHA in your favorite moisturizer doing much damage. But try to imagine how much BHT is being released into the planet when you consider the millions of products being produced, sold, consumed, and discarded. It all adds up day after day, bottle after bottle, year after year.
“Natural” isn’t always “green”
Sadly, choosing beauty products that claim to use “natural” ingredients isn’t always safe either. Many larger companies source ingredients from other countries to keep costs low.
While these cheaper ingredients may be more “natural” than the chemical alternatives, they could be produced with more pesticides or harmful farming or harvesting practices.
We CAN Do Something!
While the picture so far might feel bleak and depressing, it’s not time to throw in the towel! We CAN do something–and it doesn’t require giving up our beloved beauty routines entirely. A few small, intentional changes can significantly impact the environment and even our own health!
Consume mindfully
We live in a culture that encourages mindless consumption. This leads to purchasing more than we need, which can result in excess and waste.
When was the last time you used up ALL of the eye shadow colors in that palette? One of the simplest ways to limit the environmental impact of our beauty routines is to consume mindfully. Purchase products you know you’ll use. Do your best to stick to the necessities.
Avoid small containers and excess packaging
Avoid buying samples, travel sizes, or small containers. Invest in high-quality, reusable travel containers if your lifestyle requires on-the-go options.
Choosing the large containers of your favorite products and refilling smaller containers as needed can significantly reduce packaging and plastic waste.
Consider choosing bar soap instead of liquid soap to significantly reduce packaging waste. There are even shampoo bars now!
Choose glass or metal containers when possible
Consider switching to products that come in glass or metal containers to guarantee they’ll be recycled or reused. Glass is infinitely recyclable. Steel and aluminum are also truly recyclable, unlike most plastics.
Grow in mindfulness about ingredients
Reading the labels can be an overwhelming and frustrating process. Remembering all the ingredients we’re “supposed to avoid” can feel like a monumental task when you add it to everything else life throws our way.
It’s ok to take it one step at a time. Start with new products you’re thinking of trying. Read those labels and look for the chemicals I mentioned above. Then slowly, as you feel ready, you can read the labels of your “go-to” products to consider whether there’s a safer, healthier option.
Some starting places could be to find a reef-safe, mineral-based sunscreen for the coming summer months. Next time you need to buy some toothpaste, choose an option without microbeads. When your deodorant runs out, find a product that doesn’t include triclosan.
Beauty Brands You Can Feel Good About
We all have a long way to go when it comes to being environmentally friendly. But we can join some of these beauty brands that are making a great effort to be gentle on the planet and provide top-notch products.
4 Zero Waste Brands
Here are four companies that offer high-quality, plastic-free products:!
Ethique: With Britney Spears and Ashton Kutcher counted in their loyal fan base, Ethique has been on a mission to eliminate plastics since 2014. They’re also on a mission to use more natural ingredients. This New Zealand-based company has over 40 products in its line. Ethique ships globally and is available on Amazon.
Human Essentials: This relatively new Canadian brand offers a 100% biodegradable and vegan deodorant that is truly zero-waste. The deodorant comes in fun scents like guava and coconut sea salt. They use a paper canister that peels off as you use the stick.
ATHR Beauty: Makeup has long been a major offender when it comes to plastic waste. ATHR Beauty seeks to change that. Founder Tiila was on the sustainability leadership council at Sephora and used her expertise in both beauty and sustainability to develop high-quality eyeshadow palettes, highlighters, lip products, and face palettes. To sweeten the deal, ATHR is vegan and cruelty-free.
Bite: It’s tough to imagine a way to cleanly get around toothpaste tubes. Bite is a zero-waste brand that sells plastic-free toothpaste, mouthwash, and other body-care products. They use sustainable packaging and plant-derived ingredients. Bite even offers subscription services, so you don’t even need to remember to order refills!
4 Clean Beauty Brands
Are you looking for beauty products with safe, natural, eco-friendly ingredients? Here are four to get you started!
Botanical Republic: This Korean-American-owned company offers luxury skincare products made from organic, natural, and wildcrafted plant ingredients. Because they use small-batch manufacturing processes, there’s no need for synthetic preservatives or dangerous chemicals.
Botanical Republic uses glass bottles and jars to sweeten the deal, and they plant a tree for every item sold through their website!
Lunalis: This luxury skincare company was born out of tragedy. Sisters Laila and Nana lost their mother to cancer. Health conditions, like cancer, can be triggered by toxic chemicals. So, the two sisters set out to find high-quality, safe ingredients. Laila and Nana discovered the rich botanicals in their native Morocco.
Lunalis sources ingredients from women-owned and powered organic farms in Morocco. All Lunalis products are free of parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, and artificial colors or dyes. They pay fair wages and ensure ethical working conditions as well.
These are beauty products that are truly beautiful from end to end–reinforcing the reality that making eco-friendly choices should also improve the daily lives of humans.
Elate Cosmetics: From packaging to ingredients, Elate strives to be sustainable at every level. The ingredients are about 75% organic and 100% vegan and cruelty-free. They use bamboo, glass, aluminum, and seed paper, making their packaging about 75% waste-free.
One unique feature of Elate is the focus on creating your “capsule collection.” Instead of trying to sell as many different products as possible, Elate encourages its customers to stick to the essentials. You can take their quick quiz to curate your own capsule or choose a pre-made capsule beauty kit.
Kjaer Weis: If you’re looking for runway-ready beauty products that are luxurious from packaging to ingredients, look no further than Kjaer Weis. The elegant metal and lacquered paper containers are refillable, significantly reducing waste.
All their ingredients are sustainably-sourced and certified organic by a leading European certification. Kjaer Weis also maintains an online glossary that lets you look up each ingredient in their products.
I’m very encouraged and excited by this progress toward sustainable beauty. Many other companies are creating new products that are healthy for our bodies and the planet, and many brands are making changes toward sustainability.
As I said, change doesn’t need to be dramatic. Consider making just one or two small changes to your beauty routine in the coming weeks. Your body and the environment will thank you!
