Beauty And Sustainability: 7 Simple Ways You Can Reduce Your Impact
We can’t leave it completely up to the industry if we want to make a difference.
You may have noticed that more and more industry leaders are leaning into the severity of the climate crisis and adjusting their line up accordingly. With GMC working towards exclusively offering electric vehicles by 2035, every industry has begun to reevaluate how they operate and what their place in history will be.
The beauty industry is no exception. Boasting a $532 billion valuation, you can bet there’s an environmental impact. In fact, according to Zero Waste Europe, the beauty industry produces 120 billion units of packaging every year. Cosmetic packaging is often made of plastic or utilizes non-recyclable components such as plastic pumps or mirrors.
Many companies are taking huge steps to correct their contribution to the climate crisis but it’s up to consumers to support these changes in order to redirect the industry in the right direction.
1. Refillable beauty
One of the most exciting offerings I’ve seen brands produce is refillable beauty. Usually, the original packaging is so luxurious that of course you don't want to dispose of it and you’ll never have to. Kjaer Weis’ lineup is almost exclusively refillable and touts a “clean” and effective formulation. Hourglass and Charlotte Tilbury are also known for their beautiful packaging and have a few refillable options such as Hourglass’ refillable lipstick, which can also double as a weapon and Charlotte Tilbury’s seemingly neverending bronzer.
Additionally, you can shop in person at bulk stores or co-ops where they often offer bulk haircare and basic skincare sometimes even from local brands. This is a great option and perhaps has double the impact since the shipping industry contributes to 1 billion tons of CO2 per year.
2. Recycle Packaging
Recycling can be intimidating with how confusing it sometimes is. However, that is no excuse. Several brands offer guides for how to recycle their products such as Kjaer Weis as well as Versed, who offers a comprehensive and easy to understand general recycling guide on their website.
Sephora, Lilah B., and Credo beauty all have recycling programs as well. While Sephora and Credo are limited to certain locations, Lilah B. will give you a free shipping label upon request for you to mail them your cleaned out empties.
3. Project Pan
By completely using up products from your existing collection, you’ll have an easier time recycling the component while really get your money’s worth. Also, I can’t think of anything more satisfying than hitting pan on my products or scraping the sides of tubes to get every last drop.
4. Shop Your Stash
If you’re a beauty junkie who constantly refreshes Trendmood and the New at Sephora tab, you know that the market is saturated. It can be so tempting to try that new gloss in that shade that’s slightly warmer than the one you have and you just HAVE to have it in your collection. The sad truth is unless these products are limited edition, you most likely don’t need that gloss.
reTake a page out of the YouTube book and shop your stash. Most of us use the same 5 products every day and probably have 5 products for each category of makeup. Use one of each for a week and then rotate. It’ll give you time to really see the performance of the products in your existing collection.
5. Try to make products work for you.
I sometimes have a horrible habit of trying a product based on overwhelming recommendations and sometimes, no recommendation is needed. Sometimes, I just want this little tube in my collection. One product that I was heavily influenced to purchase was the Kosas Revealer Concealer. Only every time I used it, my makeup looked horrible. Products that were otherwise reliable looked absolutely unflattering in combination with this concealer. I put it aside for months before it occurred to me that the problem may not have been the concealer, it might have been the formulas of the various products mixed together.
Revealer is an oil-based product and almost all of my base makeup is water-based. Basic science, and basic beauty mistake. I used the product completely on its own, just touching up a few acne scars and under-eye darkness, and my opinion was completely turned around. Then I used it in combination with a powder foundation and I was floored. My skin had never looked better and I received compliments from the unlikeliest of sources, i.e. my brother who wouldn’t be able to accurately describe anything about me in the event of my kidnapping.
6. Shop Responsibly
Support brands that have a clear initiative and are making a real effort. Native deodorants used to exclusively come in plastic packaging. Deodorant is something we use pretty much every day so when you think about the impact, you almost want to stretch it as much as possible. Thankfully, Native has begun incorporating cardboard packaging with several of their best selling scent offerings. L’Oreal has also made significant strides by setting the bold goal of having 100% of their product packaging be reusable, refillable, or compostable by 2025.
Most companies participating in these shifts are blasting it on their websites or social media. Supporting these efforts will encourage them to fortify current initiatives or bring about newer and stronger ones.
7. Demand Change
If there’s anything I’ve learned from the last four years, it’s that solutions don’t just show up. You have to seek them out and share them. If you see a brand sending a ridiculously wasteful P.R. package to an influencer, leave the influencer alone and write to the brand. Leave a comment on their Instagram posts if you want a quick little flame that will inevitably turn into a wildfire of supportive comments from like-minded users.
If that’s not your jam, write a thoughtful, polite, well-researched letter with actionable suggestions. Get people on your side to do the same; there’s strength in numbers.
If you’re not that confrontational and just want to do your part, change your spending habits accordingly. You can demand change with your dollars. Redirect your cash flow to brands that align with your values and with the best interest of the planet.
Keeping these simple habits in mind will undoubtedly alleviate some climate change anxiety and most likely save you money as well. It’s worth looking into every significant chunk of where your money goes and making similar changes accordingly. With consumers becoming increasingly conscious, a lot of companies are having to reckon with that and adapt to not only what you need, but what the planet needs.
