June 22, 2020 – By Ella Wingfield
When curating an ethical beauty routine, knowing where to start is sometimes the hardest part. With a saturated market and thousands upon thousands of choices, choosing the best way to incorporate sustainability into your routine can be daunting. That’s why we’ve listed six easy changes to make your beauty regime that little bit more sustainable.
1. Make Up Removal
Removing our makeup can generate a massive amount of waste. So, here are three great sustainable alternatives to some of the biggest culprits.
Throwaway wipes are an often forgotten contributor to the beauty industry’s huge environmental impact. Although seemingly quick and convenient, the sheer volume of disposable wipes alone is incredibly harmful to our planet. An estimated 1.3 billion wipes are thrown away everyday, not to mention other contributing issues regarding plastic packaging. However, they’re are plenty of reusable options that are kind to both our skin and the planet.
Another hugely wasteful product – cotton pads. A staple in so many of our beauty routines, from removing makeup to applying toner. So why not make the easy change to reusable cotton pads? These 100% Organic Cotton Pads are plastic free, unbleached and extra thick, meaning one pad can be used to both cleanse and tone. Guaranteed to last a year when cared for and biodegradable mean these wipes are a kinder to our planet from start to finish.
2. Vegan and Cruelty Free Products
Luckily, we’ve recently seen a rise in cruelty free policies and vegan formulas in both new and existing brands. However, with transparency issues and so many options to choose from, it can be overwhelming. Here we list three of our favourite ethical beauty brands if you’re looking to expand your skincare collection.
Next up is Aurelia, Probiotic Skincare. Made in Britain with BioOrganic ingredients, Aurelia’s products are full of sustainably sourced, cruelty free ingredients to benefit both your skin and our planet. Promising to provide glowing skin, Aurelia’s collection ranges from cleansers, moisturisers and serums to body oils and botanical cream deodorants.
Finally, we have Grown Alchemist. Grown Alchemist uses a ‘holistic scientific approach’, producing scientifically-innovative formulas to influence how our skin is regenerated. Providing an abundance of natural products pledging to slow, and, in many cases, reverse the ageing of our skin, this wonderfully ethical brand is both organic and cruelty free . Detox Toner, Age-Repair Serum, Hydra-Mist+ and Matte Balancing Moisturiser are just a few examples of Grown Alchemist’s extensive product range.
If you’re looking to begin your ethical skincare collection, take a look at Our Favourite Natural Beauty Essentials. From cleansing water to toners and moisturisers, this selection is ideal if you’re looking for the perfect natural products to both start and complete your beauty routine.
3. Reuse and Recycle
Opting for brands using eco-friendly/ reusable packing is a great way to improve the sustainability of your beauty regime. With an increased focus on sustainability within the beauty industry our choices are only increasing with brands often using recycled plastics and environmentally friendly materials. Meow Meow Tweet’s shampoo and conditioner bars are great plastic free alternatives to bottled hair products, whereas brands such as Dr Jackson’s encourage the reuse of your empty jars and packaging.
Refill your bottles, jars etc. when you can and try and get creative when you can’t. Make-up brush pots, vases and candle holders are just a few sustainable uses for empty packaging!
4. Saving Water
Simply turning off the water while you brush your teeth can save up to three to four gallons of water per person, per day. So much water can be unnecessarily wasted throughout cleansing, exfoliating or leaving on our conditioner for a few extra minutes in the shower. A very easy change that can make a world of difference.
Also on the subject of water, a cooler water temperature while showering is actually better for our skin, hair and planet. Overly hot water can damage the keratin cells in our skin causing it to become dry and certain skin conditions to worsen. Showering in a cooler temperature saves energy, and your hair and skin being stripped of their natural oils.
5. Don’t Binge Buy
Perhaps it’s watching countless skin care tutorials on YouTube or browsing the pages of persuasive and aesthetically pleasing beauty brands, but we all get the urge to buy bottles upon bottles of new skincare every once in a while.
Sometimes our skincare routine just isn’t working for us, making us crave a beauty reboot. However, it’s always best to slowly replace your products as opposed to bulk buying. By gradually introducing new products to your beauty regime, it’s much easier to see what’s really working for you, saving you from a cupboard full of wasted products.
This is particularly true if you’re recently developing a more carefully curated skincare routine, discovering new brands and your own ethical priorities. With so many brands to choose from it’s important to ensure your choosing the right products for your skin – what works wonders for one skin type, may actually be detrimental to your own.
6. Less is More
Products such as 2 in 1 lip and eye moisturisers and SPF serums are great staples when developing your beauty routine to avoid irritating your skin with excessive product use. Curating the perfect routine takes time, you don’t want to overwhelm your skin in the process.
We love researching new ways to take care of our skin, without the surplus of unnecessary products. Anne Millois gives insight into the importance of learning about our skin in our piece on the The Saho Ritual, highlighting the value of building the routine that’s right for us with minimal waste products. Not only is Anne’s skincare products as natural as possible, but her Konjac exfoliating sponge is also 100% natural and biodegradable.
For more advice on developing a minimalist beauty regime, take a look at our piece on Desavery. Desavery favour a minimalist routine, consisting of only three elements, benefitting both your skin and your mood.
The best thing we can do is our research. Taking the time to learn about our skin’s needs, the companies we chose to buy from and the ingredients in our products is hugely beneficial when increasing our sustainability. Sometimes the smallest changes can have the biggest impacts.
Ella Wingfield
Ella is a Fashion Promotion graduate pursuing her passion for ethical clothing and fashion journalism at KeiSei. You can find more of her work at ellawingfieldfashion.com.
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