How to make your beauty routine more sustainable and eco-friendly
Plus the brands that are doing their bit for the planet
It’s been a long time coming, but people are finally realising that it’s cool to give a crap about the planet we live on. From ethical fashion brands to upping our recycling, most of us are being a bit more conscious about our lifestyle choices and wastage. ‘As consumers, I think we’d all like to […]
The post How to make your beauty routine more sustainable and eco-friendly appeared first on Marie Claire.
Plus the brands that are doing their bit for the planet
It’s been a long time coming, but people are finally realising that it’s cool to give a crap about the planet we live on. From ethical fashion brands to upping our recycling, most of us are being a bit more conscious about our lifestyle choices and wastage.
‘As consumers, I think we’d all like to feel as though we’re helping make a change for the better; but sometimes it’s hard to know how to do that, and understand what impact a small change can really make,’ says Jo Chidley, founder of Beauty Kitchen.
‘For me, sustainability is a combination of things. It’s how we consciously develop and formulate products to the long term environmental impact they have.
‘We carefully consider the ethical sourcing, the packaging and the production and how we operate as a fully rounded sustainable business. Consumers want to know that as a sustainable business you truly care about them and the environment.’
With that in mind, keep reading to find out how you can gradually upgrade your skincare to be more planet-friendly.
Eco-friendly beauty routine: Easy first steps
Shop with a brand that follows environmentally friendly practices
From thoughtful packaging to sustainable ingredients, make sure they’ve covered the bases so all you have to do is decide on what products to try.
‘Consumers used to think that natural meant compromising on quality, smell, texture or all three,’ says Jo. But today, our products stand up against their synthetic counterparts and really do perform – proving that effective, natural and sustainable is possible.’
Ensure the brand is cruelty-free and against animal testing
‘The leaping bunny is a guarantee that none of the products will have been tested on animals. If you can’t find it on the products, research!’ says Jo. ‘You’ll find brands are very good at telling you about all the work they’re doing to become more sustainable and eco-friendly, so if you still can’t find the answers you’re looking for, ask the brand directly.
‘We love to hear from our customers and will always answer questions and help arm them with the info they want whenever we can.’
Start with one product and take your time
If you’re used to a certain routine it’s best to swap things out gradually to make your transition into a more sustainable routine all the more smooth. Start by buying just one sustainable product to incorporate into your routine, then gradually build it up.
What easy sustainable ingredient swaps can you make?
‘Understanding that we do not have an infinite resource of ingredients is an important part of the journey,’ Jo explains. ‘Look at Argan Oil – what was once a niche ingredient from Morocco is now a thriving industry. But how long can small communities work to meet demand? Trees and ingredients take time to grow and for us, it’s important to take our time and do things the right way.
‘Swapping from Argan Oil to Abyssinian Oil and using products that have marine extracts and algae in them is a great start. When these ingredients grow they turn carbon dioxide into oxygen and are truly effective on your skin.
‘You’ll get the same enjoyment from the products, but you’ll also be helping to ensure that those ingredients stick around for a lot longer as they’ll become more sustainable – and the cycle then becomes a totally renewable one.’
Beauty Kitchen Abyssinian Oil Concentrate, £9.30, Feelunique
‘Here at Beauty Kitchen, we work tirelessly to ensure we’re doing things as well as we can – from the efficacy of our products, to the way we source ingredients right down to the packaging we use for each and every one of our products,’ Jo continues.
‘Being the most sustainable beauty company in the world is what I’m working towards.’
Other brands doing their green bit
As well as the brilliant Beauty Kitchen, there are other brands below who are working to reduce their ecological footprint, whether through recycling initiatives or using less harmful ingredients. Read more about them below.
It tightens, brightens, and smooths the appearance of skin around your eyes and helps to strengthen your skin's moisture barrier – especially great during winter 
#givegreen #greenyourbeautyroutineREN has pledged to be a zero-waste brand by 2021, working towards 100% recyclable packaging, reusing ocean plastic and offering refillable services. They’ve also teamed up with Surfrider to clean up the world’s beaches, currently touring the UK.
Tata Harper‘s packaging is almost entirely reusable and recyclable glass, and everything is made on their 1,200 acre farm in Vermont, USA.
L’Occitane’s Teracycle Initiative will accept your used beauty products to be recycled (not just L’Occitane ones!). Simply take them to your nearest store and they’ll do the rest – as well as giving you 10% off your next shop.
WE ARE PARADOXX use no plastic in their packaging, instead opting for aluminium which, unlike plastic, can be recycled an infinite number of times. Using recycled aluminium requires only 8% of the energy used to make new aluminium.
Origins recycle their empties at counters, meaning consumers can take their empty Origins containers and the brand will ensure they are recycled. They also never use Styrofoam packaging or PVCs and avoid using cartons where possible, but any that are used are FSC certified, post-consumer recycled fibre and made using wind and and hydro power. Cosmetic bags are made from 100% recycled materials, while shopping bags are 100% craft paper that is itself recyclable. Not bad, eh?
bareMinerals products are all free from chemical sunscreen, coal tar, formaldehyde, mineral oil, palm oil, parabens, peanuts, propylene glycol, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, triclocarban, and triclosan.
Great stuff!
For more tips and tricks head to our Hair & Beauty section
The post How to make your beauty routine more sustainable and eco-friendly appeared first on Marie Claire.