Eco-friendly personal care products are already having a moment - which started in 2019. These items are no longer a binding division of the cosmetics industry. Higher numbers of consumers and brands are now embracing a cleaner, greener path to beauty. The breakthrough made sustainable cosmetics packaging initiatives even more important.
The skincare industry produces over 120 million units of cosmetics packaging according to data from Zero Waste Week 2018. Plastic packaging, according to National Geographic, is used 120 times more in cosmetics packaging than it was in 1960.
Many clean beauty brands, however, are unsure of how to choose the right packaging solution for their product. Matching functionality with eco-friendliness can be a tricky balancing act. Without further ado, here are the sustainable choices that you can make when using and purchasing cosmetics.
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Use shampoo and conditioner bars
Shampoo Bar
Try shampoo and conditioner bars instead of liquids in plastic containers. Your hair may look great when you first started doing this. But it would take about one or two weeks before your hair's luster returned. Shampoo and conditioner bars also last much longer than liquids, so you're saving money - kaching!
Search out more sustainable packaging
Eco-friendly package
Search for more sustainable packaging in your items, such as glass or recycled/recyclable cardboard or recyclable plastic. Aim for as little packaging as possible. Refillable options are growing more common, and they're handy for helping to tighten the purse strings.
Switch to bamboo toothbrushes
Bamboo toothbrush
Dentists do give bamboo toothbrushes their seal of approval. These eco-friendly toothbrushes have softer bristles and are better than the harder ones you usually get on plastic brushes. Snap off the head of the toothbrush every three months (since the bristles are not usually compostable), then pop the rest of it in your food recycling bin because they can compost.
Every last drop
Water drop
Use all of your make-up but individually. Please don't throw it away until you've finished it; otherwise it's a waste of money and that excess make-up will end up in landfills or the ocean.
Cut up the packaging (where possible) when it's running out, and you'll be surprised how much you have leftover.
I've also taken to putting my mascara in my cleavage when it's running low, to warm it up and melt it just enough so I can use it - my handy tip!
I also add a few drops of saline solution to my mascara when it's running low, so it's loose enough to use, and the saline doesn't irritate my eyes, because I use it for my contact lenses already.
Stop using wet wipes
Most make-up wipes, while they're 'convenient,' aren't biodegradable, since they contain a type of plastic called polyester.
An average of 14.1 wipes for every 100 meters of a shore was found during the Great British Beach Clean of 2016, according to the Marine Conservation Society.
A family member of mine used to work in wastewater treatment, and he was shocked at the number of wipes that have been flushed, causing severe blockages.