Beauty lovers are becoming increasingly more aware of the impact that their favourite everyday beauty products may have on the environment. Whilst makeup isn’t exactly essential, it’s getting harder for people to justify causing longer lasting harm to the environment because they want to look better.
With this growing awareness, the number of brands and products that are offering eco-friendly beauty products is on the rise. By only using pure and earth-friendly ingredients and not testing on animals, these products are on the increase and are becoming more common to find in supermarkets and beauty shops. With that in mind, here are 5 of the best eco-friendly beauty products you can find on your next shopping trip.
Origins GinZing Energy Boosting Cream
One of the most popular beauty products, moisturiser often comes in plastic tubs and packaging. To cut down on the waste generated by the product, a lot of brands are working to reduce the plastic waste and creating more environmentally friendly practices during the manufacturing process.
Origins, for example, are using wind and solar power to produce their products and are working with factories that send zero waste to landfills or produce styrofoam peanuts or leaflets for use during shipping. Their GinZing Energy Boosting Cream is oil-free and includes natural skin boosters such as panax ginseng and coffee beans.
Buy on: Amazon | Amazon India
Axiology Natural Organic Lipstick
Lipstick is typically available only in solid plastic packaging and is often made with palm oil to help maintain the colour and prevent from melting, making it very un-environmentally friendly. If you’re a lipstick lover and want to have a clear conscience as well as colourful lips, look at the Axiology collection.
Their lipstick lines are completely natural and the packaging is from a women-led recycling centre in Bali, which helps to prevent paper waste from ending up across the island’s beaches whilst also giving women employment opportunities. All of their products are palm-oil free and they donate a percentage of their annual profits to Orangutan Foundation International and PETA.
Buy on: Amazon
Wish Upon A Sparkle Biodegradable Glitter
With festival season well and truly upon us, plenty of women and men are likely to be stocking up on all things glittery. The problem with glitter is that it poses a very serious threat to the environment. As part of the microplastic family, it ends up in our waterways, oceans and inevitably in the food chain.
You don’t need to sacrifice your festival glitter this summer, as thankfully there are biodegradable alternatives for you to use. Wish Upon A Sparkle have a wide range of biodegradable glitter available and their glitter is made from cellulose, which is found in the cell walls of plants. They also use non-toxic ingredients to coat the cellulose, which makes it the glitter we all know and love, just without the environmental risk. Glitter made from cellulose is completely compostable and breaks down naturally.
The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Face Wipes
As well as being bad for your skin (they strip the skin’s natural oils and don’t thoroughly remove makeup), makeup and facial wipes are also seriously bad for the environment.
As part of a campaign to reduce waste and protect the environment, the UK Government recently introduced a ban on single-use products that are damaging to the environment. This includes cosmetic facial wipes due to the impact they have on landfill sites and the pollution they cause to water supplies. Wet wipes typically include ingredients such as polyester, which is non-biodegradable, and take up to 100 years to break down.
The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Oil Face Wipes are made with Community Trade tea tree oil from Mount Kenya and are 100% biodegradable and are also 100% vegan and suitable for use on all skin types. The Body Shop are 100% vegetarian, so you know all of their products are free from animal testing.
Buy on: Amazon
PHB Ethical Beauty Mascara
Surprisingly, there are many harmful chemicals in your trust tube of mascara. As well as the packaging being made from almost 100% single-use plastic, the chemicals in mascara are slowly making their way into water systems and ecosystems every time you wash your face.
Luckily, eco-friendly mascara is becoming more and more readily available. PHB are a family run business that sells a range of ethical and vegan beauty and cosmetic products made from only 100% naturally sourced ingredients. They are strictly against the use of palm oil and use recycled packaging which can also be recycled again after you finish using the product. They also donate 20% of their annual net profit to charity and help to fund schools and day care centres for the workers of their naturally sourced materials.
Their All in One mascara has won the affection of numerous beauty and fashion magazines around the world and has also won the award for the “Best Natural Mascara”.
