Marie Claire UK - 11.2019

129

Beauty

WORDS BY FIONA EMBLETON. STILL LIFES BY PIXELEYES

SKIN SOS

Waste not

Seekingout sustainably sourced ingredients is only part of the eco story. From refillable

packaging to minimising waste, these are the new ways beauty brands are going green

Thewriting’s on the wall:we need to lessen our impact on

the environment product-wise. Thankfully, greening up

your regime is becoming easier, and even premium beauty

buyers are purring with delight at the effective formulas and

appealing packaging of the latest eco-friendly offerings. But

some facts are worth repeating: last year, Zero Waste Week

reported that over 120 billion units of packaging are

produced every year by the cosmetics industry, much of

which is not recyclable. Of the product packaging wecan

recycle, four in ten of us don’t, so aerosol cans and the

cardboard boxes your face cream come in end up in landfill.

Apart from scanning labels for sustainable ingredients, what

other small changes can we make? ‘Invest in a bathroom

recycling bin for starters, and choose both glass and

aluminium over plastic packaging,’ says Rachelle Strauss,

founder of Zero Waste Week. ‘Both can be recycled over and

over again, without loss of quality [allowing them to be

reused in the same form repeatedly].’ They also stand

a better chance of actually being recycled. ‘Seventy five per

cent of aluminium ever made is still in circulation, thanks

to it being the most cost effective material to recycle, and

60 per cent of our glass bottles and jars are also currently

recycled,’ she adds. Eco-friendly soap-style shampoo bars

are a burgeoning trend, too. Many are free of chemicals like

SLS (sodium laurel sulphate) that make liquid shampoos

lather up, and a lack of packaging – most are simply wrapped

in paper – also means less waste. With experts estimating

that by 2050 the amount of plastic in the ocean will outweigh

the number of fish, a few small changes will add up to quite

a lot. Above are our top planet-saving beauty swaps...

SWAP:PLASTIC BOTTLES

For: Summer Fridays Overtime Mask, £39

Not only does this tick an eco box for being

packaged in an aluminium tube but it also makes

dull skin sing with vitamin-rich pumpkin, apricot

seed powder, oat kernel protein and vitamin E.

SWAP: LIQUID SHAMPOO

For: Ethique Mintasy Shampoo Bar, £13

The equivalent of three bottles of liquid shampoo

in one solid bar, this pairs coconut oil and

cocoa butter with peppermint to cleanse

your scalp and smooth strands.

SWAP: PLASTIC LABELS

For: Tata Harper

Concentrated Brightening

Essence, £187

As well as no laminated

labels, Harper also uses soy-

based ink on her cardboard

presentation boxes. With its

low petrochemical content,

it’s easy to remove, ready for

the paper to be recycled.

SWAP: CELLULOSE SHEET MASKS

For: The Body Shop Drops Of

Youth Concentrate Sheet Mask, £5

Plump, juicy skin in just 15 minutes? Hell, yeah.

But the benefits don’t stop there, as afterwards

you can just place the mask in your compost

bin where it will degrade within a month.

SWAP: METAL

PUMPS

For: Ren Clean

Skincare Atlantic

Kelp And

Magnesium

Anti-Fatigue

Body Wash, £22

The spiral pump

(and bottle) is made

of 100 per cent

recycled plastic,

so you no longer

need a nutcracker

to get the metal

spring out when

you sort through

your recycling.

SWAP: SINGLE-USE PLASTIC

For: Rituals The Ritual Of Karma

Body Cream Refill, £15.50

It’s the same soothing scent of holy

lotus and organic white tea, but in

a refill that’s healthier for the planet

(and your budget), as it saves

70 per cent in CO 2 emissions and

uses45 per cent less water. Simply

slot it inside the original pot.

SWAP:SHOWER GEL

For:Aveda Rosemary

Mint Bath Bar, £14

Good-for-skin soap that also exfoliates,

thanks to rosemary and peppermint

leaf powders, and is sold in plastic-free

packaging. What’s not to love?