Sustainable beauty is all the rage right now. Major beauty brands like L’Oréal, Unilever, and Estée Lauder are leading the way in this field by setting various sustainability goals and committing to green initiatives. On a personal level, however, it’s no secret that we have our favourite products and brands that we tend to purchase over and over again, and it can even seem daunting to switch to sustainable beauty products and practices.
For many women, skincare and beauty routines provide comfort, relaxation, and an increase in self-confidence. Sustainable beauty does not mean changing everything; it can simply indicate a change in perspective or increasing awareness.
We have compiled six ideas that you can implement to be a little kinder to the planet.
Get Refillable Products
Refillable products mean less packaging waste. The concept of refillable products has been making its way into the beauty industry in recent years. Brands like The Body Shop, L’Occitane, and many others are creating products that can be conveniently refilled to significantly reduce packaging waste.
Some common options available in the market include refillable hand or body soaps, body lotions, and perfumes. Typically, the store or brand will require you to bring in your empty, or almost empty, containers to refill in-store, while some will allow you to send it to them via post, and they will send back a full container.
Leave the Sheet Masks Behind
The vast majority of sheet masks on the market are not composed of biodegradable materials, and neither is their packaging. To make your beauty routine a little more sustainable, we recommend that you try out a few environmentally conscious alternatives to the traditional face mask.
You can try out a DIY face mask using all fresh ingredients that can be found at your local grocer (here is a link to our blog on DIY face mask ideas). If you prefer to buy pre-made face masks, look for brands and products that promote sustainable packaging and the use of all-natural ingredients. For instance, Lush makes face masks using fresh ingredients stored in containers, and if you return five clean containers to the store, you can receive a free face mask!
Recycling is Your New Best Friend
It has become a new norm for beauty counters and shops to offer discounts when you bring in your used containers, bottles, and jars. If you participate in these great incentives, you do not only get a discount, but you’re also doing good for the environment by recycling your packages. It’s a win-win!
Try Out Reusable Cotton Rounds
Just like plastic straws, the plastic stems from cotton swabs, or Q-tips, make their way into our oceans. Many people flush them down the toilet after using them, which is how they end up in waterways. Reusable cotton rounds are an excellent alternative that does not have plastic or other harsh materials that can cause damage in an ecosystem. Reusable cotton rounds work just as well as standard cotton rounds when rubbing away the remnants of mascara applications or cleaning up any eyeliner mistakes, and they are easily cleaned with a bit of soapy water between uses.
Use a Bamboo Toothbrush
Can you believe that more than 110 million plastic toothbrushes are thrown out every year in Canada?! Well, it’s time to switch to a bamboo toothbrush. Bamboo toothbrushes are naturally biodegradable and last just as long as conventional plastic toothbrushes. It seems like a no-brainer to us!
Check if Your Products are Safe to Wash Off
Here at BeautyDel, we LOVE skincare. We constantly emphasize the importance of sunscreen and how it’s an all-year-round must. With that being said, it is also important to ensure that the products you use are water-resistant, biodegradable, and reef safe. I
f you’re not sure if your favourite sunscreen or other skincare products meet these criteria, there is an easy rule of thumb you can follow: avoid products with ingredients like oxybenzone and octinoxate. These two chemicals were banned in Hawaii for contributing to coral reef distress. Another alternative would be to look for mineral-based sunscreens that use non-nano zinc and titanium dioxide, both of which are reef-safe.
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