Where I live, we have to sort recycling, food waste and non-recyclable waste. My family has been recycling (and reusing) since I can remember so it’s been a lifelong habit for me. Despite this, recently I have noticed that I accumulate more waste than I want to. The fact that it can be recycled doesn’t make it less irritating. I would prefer that my bins didn’t fill so quickly in the first place.
Although supermarkets are taking small steps to address this, there is still much to do. The beauty industry however, is very far behind when it comes to reducing waste.
My preference for things I use regularly is for them to come in re-useable containers that can be refilled. That means the product needs to be available at conveniently placed refill stations which seems to be the problem. Such a tiny minority of brands offer this and it’s simply not good enough.
My next preference is for minimal packaging and packaging that can be recycled. I really don’t like when items comes unnecessarily wrapped in film or in polystyrene. If it is necessary to protect my health that’s one thing but if it’s there for the sake of it, that’s not cool.
I don’t want this post to end up being a huge complaint. Instead, I will highlight the good things some brands are doing.
The Conscious Beauty Co
I discovered the UK-based Conscious Beauty Co at Stylist Live Luxe this year. It launched on 15 November 2019 so it is literally brand new! It addresses many of my concerns and it is clear that reduction of waste, reuse and recycling was top of the agenda. I haven’t tried any of the products, and I am scared to experiment with my hair and sensitive scalp but in addition to the shampoo and hair slick, there is a hand wash and body wash which I would try.
The products come in pouches and you decant the products into reuseable aluminium bottles. You can order optional pumps but much as I like the convenience of pumps, I don’t like the way they are not readily recycled so I personally wouldn’t add them to my basket. They are designed to be reused. Once the pouch is empty, you can send it back to the Conscious Beauty Co so that it can be split into its constituent components and recycled by a specialist. The kits are packaged in a cardboard box which is widely recycled. The fact that none of the products will end up in my bathroom bin and only one item goes in my recycling bin makes me want to dance with delight!
I look forward to seeing more beauty companies follow this example.
Victoria Beckham Beauty
Another brand which has seriously considered the environment is Victoria Beckham Beauty. It still has some improvements to make (for me – shipping from the USA doesn’t make sense when there is a Victoria Beckham store in London and I’m hoping the palettes will be refillable one day) but it has made a valiant start. My recycling bin ended up quite full but I understand there has to be a balance between minimal waste and making sure the product reaches its destination in one piece.
The products came packaged in recycled cardboard boxes and then each product was in its own cardboard box (made from post-consumer waste). The information leaflets were matte so no plastic to make it shiny. I love a gloss finish but that was a thoughtful touch. There was non-GMO biodegradable cornstarch padding which is compostable and dissolvable. I dissolved mine which was an interesting experience! The makeup was also wrapped in reuseable cotton and ribbon pouches which keeps up the luxury aspect. I have used cotton pouches from various brands to transport things other than makeup such as delicate clothing so I was pleased to receive those.
The eye lustres came in glass jars although I’m not sure what the lid was made of. The pencil sharpener for the eyeliners is optional which is great because I have accumulated far too many sharpeners and that’s a lot of plastic. The eye shadows are encased in metal which is both luxurious and hopefully recyclable.
I look forward to seeing what else Victoria Beckham Beauty comes up with.
Miller Harris
Miller Harris fragrances used to come in rigid boxes with little foam inserts to keep the bottles snug and secure. Some of those boxes still exist but they are being phased out in favour of cardboard boxes without the foam which can be flattened. At first I thought I would be disappointed but I prefer it – I don’t store all of my perfumes in the boxes because that would take up far too much space. When ordering online, the outer boxes are uncoated cardboard and the perfumes are secured in unbranded silver tissue paper. I don’t think you can recycle tissue paper but it’s of a good quality so I’ve been using it to wrap gifts. Reusing even once it better than throwing it straight in the bin. I now have lost my enthusiasm for branded tissue paper because it’s not really reuseable without potentially causing disappointment!
In this case, for me it’s the small things that count.
Of course there are many more companies out there who are considering their environmental impact but these have stuck in my mind. If you know of any, please highlight your favourites in the comments below.