When it comes to saving the planet, beauty and skin care brands are realizing that vanity and sanity aren’t mutually exclusive. Realizing that the beauty industry created 120 billion units of packaging in 2018 alone further hits home. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with loving the feeling of unboxing your latest cosmetic buy—peeling away the outer plastic and opening up the box to reveal a gorgeously-packaged bottle. That said, there are easy swaps that’ll make your beauty routine more earth-friendly.
Cut down the use of plastics: It may be difficult to go completely plastic free but it is important to start making a conscious effort towards it. You can start doing this by switching out your plastic-packaged Deodorant with a non-plastic refillable deodorant set, for example the Peach Not Plastic Refillable Deodorant Set. Another way to cut down on plastics is to replace your disposable razors with a stainless-steel razor. Other plastic products that are easy to replace include toothbrushes, dental floss, and bottled shampoo and body wash. Try a shampoo or cleansing bar—they’ve come a long way since the harsh, drying soap bars you might remember.
Avoid single use products: Products like makeup removing wipes and cotton pads come under this category. They generate a lot of wate and cause harm to the environment. Replace your makeup wipes with a makeup remover cloth. Not only is this eco-friendlier it is also more cost effective. If you use micellar water, you should swap out the single use cotton pads with reusable ones. Once you remove your makeup with these cotton pads you can throw them in the washing machine with your laundry and they are good as new again!
Reduce over-buying: 80% of skincare products bought aren’t actually regularly used! So, by reducing over buying, you are reducing waste and ensuring that the items you have bought are actually getting used up. Skincare specialists suggest that you actually only need 4-5 products for a well-rounded skincare routine.
Beware of products with Microplastics: Microplastics are the tiny beads in the face scrubs and toothpastes, these microplastics are known to be harmful to the environment and, unfortunately the beauty industry is a major producer. These beads end up in oceans and can be ingested by marine life. So, it is important to check the ingredient lists of the products you use and make sure they are free of Microplastics.
Repurpose packaging: You can repurpose facial oil jars to store other food or homemade hair oils, once they are rinsed, of course! There are loads of other ways to repurpose glass jars too.