Interested in creating a more sustainable beauty routine? Here’s how you can avoid over-consumption of beauty.
Several years ago, most of the skin-care products were not designed for a single-use but they could last you weeks or months. Today, all beauty companies are promoting the super-convenient way of using a product only once before discarding it. This way, we’re flooded with an abundance of sheet masks, cleansing wipes and zit stickers that come packaged in multiple layers of plastic.
Although we’re taught to recycle, most of the time we are not aware of the impact of the non-biodegradable, non-recyclable beauty products we use. These items are taking over, together with the single-use phenomenon.
New innovative products appear that promise clearer, younger, smoother skin, extra serums and masks designed to take care of different problematic issues, seasonal trends which are changing the face of the beauty industry. It’s hard to resist to this endless stream of trends and without our even realizing it, you’re driving up the environmental impact.
Because the most challenging hurdle of the beauty industry comes from packaging. Especially when luxury brands use an excessive amount of plastic for a single beauty product to make it feel luxurious.
Luckily, new innovative brands are making luxury synonymous with sustainability, reducing the impact of pollution with new refined packaging solutions and thoughtful strategies, investing in waterless beauty products and promoting ingredients’ transparency.
Invest in beauty products that are worthy of your money and time:
- Look for brands that commit to sustainability;
Zero packaging and waterless beauty are two pioneering movements in the beauty industry promoted by brands which committed to reduce the plastic pollution and water consumption per finished product by the end of the year. L’Oréal and Unilever, are two of the cosmetic giants that agreed to halve the water consumption necessary for the use of their products by 2020 (from a 2010 baseline). So, expect to find more dry sheet masks and cleansers on the market with a longer shelf life and fewer toxins. Because without water there is less risk of bacteria growth and no need for preservatives.
- Consider a mindful approach to your skin-care products usage;
Adopting a sustainable lifestyle means becoming more aware of your product usage habit and returning to a more minimalist approach. Consider using fewer but more effective items with higher concentrations or hybrid products that hydrate and tone in the same time. A highly- personalised approach for your skin-care routine can drive sustainable results.
- Focus more on your inner balance and its effects on external beauty;
More and more people became more aware of the importance of health and its positive impact on beauty. By adding wellness-driven beauty products in their routine and beauty edibles that work both internally and topically, they’re blurring boundaries between beauty and health, enhancing their overall well-being.
Plant-based supplements became very popular lately, especially collagen formulas that can increase the skin’s elasticity, fight signs of ageing and restore that youthful glow with the help of superfoods. Youth Fountain from ALLKME is a real buzz on the market since it can stimulate the collagen production, in a natural way, promoting cellular regeneration. As a matter of fact, all ALLKME formulas promote health as a way of enhancing the natural beauty with clean, pure, wild-crafted ingredients. This health & beauty brand encourages customers to adopt a healthy lifestyle and to focus more on their inner balance as a part of their beauty routine.
- Look for ingredient transparency;
Transparency is something we should all expect to see in the beauty products we use. We should become savvier about ingredients found in our products and refuse to accept brands that don’t value complete transparency. Being able to take informed decisions is empowering and forces beauty brands to adopt a clean label policy as well and to be honest about their formulation.
Natural brands should also adopt this style, listing all the ingredients in their formula, even if they’re plant-based. ALLKME for example, this natural beauty supplement brand fights for the consumer’s right for full ingredient disclosure, efficiency and sustainability.
- Go for skincare ampoules and capsules;
In addition to transparency, skin-care brands began to use ampoules that are usually made of glass to keep the nutrients fresh and to maintain their potency active. L’Oréal released last year, Hyaluronic Acid Ampoules and Estée Lauder helped popularize this trend releasing their Advanced Night Repair Intensive Recovery Ampoules made from organic, biodegradable material instead of glass. Elizabeth Arden also released its new Retinol Ceramide Capsules, which are sealed for potency & freshness in a plant-based material that is fully biodegradable.
- Fight pollution via the skin microbiome
A new trend in beauty care is getting familiar with the difference between good bacteria and bad bacteria. More and more skin-care products contain probiotics that can improve the immune functioning of the skin. Pollution can affect the health of your skin causing premature ageing, so you should try reduce the damage of free radicals with microbiota-balancing activities that can boost your natural skin defence barrier.
The demand for clean, natural beauty products increased and continues to be strong, as consumers focus more on the quality of the ingredients and their effect on health or the environment. New priorities like transparency and sustainability emerge and they gain power, as these movements accelerate.
Every action counts, so let’s use products that contain only responsibly sourced ingredients, less plastic and chemicals; products that won’t contribute to deforestation, destruction, ocean waste or harm the marine life or even ours.
Let’s support those companies that are making an effort in this direction and let’s commit to using zero-waste formulas with refillable containers. Let’s eliminate those travel-size plastic products and opt for more sustainable options. Look for packageless products, recycle whatever you can and avoid single-use products. Together we can make the right steps towards change.
