STEP
IN
T HE
RIGHT
DIRECTION
IN 1947, DR. JULES MONTENIER, an American cosmetic
chemist, created Stopette, a liquid deodorant in a squeeze bottle
made of polyethylene, the same plastic used today to make
grocery bags and children’s toys. Stopette was a wild success, its
popularity bolstered by the airtime it received as the sponsor for
What’s My Line?, the American game show that featured
celebrity guests like Lucille Ball and Fred Astaire.
Before long, Montenier’s delivery system became the
preferred packaging for other beauty products, from shampoo
and conditioner to shaving cream and sunscreen, replacing glass
and ceramic containers as the vessel of choice for the cosmetics
industry. Although fans originally touted the plastic squeeze
bottle for its durability, by the mid-1950s they were celebrating its
disposability, writes Jeffrey Meikle in American Plastic: A Cultural
History. “In the words of one commentator, plastic’s future was ‘in
the garbage can’.”
That future is now. An estimated 120 billion units of packaging
are produced every year by the global cosmetics industry, most
of which are not recyclable. Scientists suggest that by 2050,
about 12,000 metric tons of plastic waste will be in landfills or the
natural environment. As a result, many of us are taking a closer
look at what’s inside our makeup bags and Marie Kondo-ing our
beauty routines. In fact, market-intelligence agency Mintel has
declared “sub-zero waste” one of the biggest trends for 2019 in
cosmetics and personal care, as consumers look for ways to
reduce waste in all aspects of their lives. These headlines are alsoTHE BEAUT Y
INDUSTRY’S PLASTIC
USE ISN’T AN
ELEPHANT IN THE
ROOM: EVERYONE’S
TALKING ABOUT IT,
INCLUDING BRANDS.
ELLE DISCOVERS THE
INNOVATIVE WAYS
COMPANIES BIG
AND SMALL
ARE MAKING
MEANINGFUL
CHANGESchanging how we define green beauty: until now, the category
has mainly focused on organic formulas and clean-ingredient
lists free of sulphates, silicones and phthalates, but the
conversation is shifting to the way these products are produced
and packaged and what impact they have on the environment,
from reef-safe sunscreen to reducing our carbon footprints.
Many green beauty brands already use environmentally-friendly
practices. “If you source a plant-based ingredient, it’s [likely]
to have a more sustainable footprint than a petrochemical
ingredient,” says Mia Davis, director of mission at Credo Beauty,
a US green-beauty retailer that vets the life cycle of its products,
from formulation to shelf. “Sustainability initiatives and clean
initiatives have a ton of overlap.” Take brands like Vapour
Organic Beauty, which manufactures its products in a facility
designed to harness solar energy via skylights. Or Juice Beauty,
which uses grapes that would otherwise become waste as they
aren’t attractive enough to be sold in stores. And Kjaer Weis’s
metal compacts can be refilled with the line’s organic makeup.
This awareness that our beauty rituals affect mother nature
isn’t limited to the indie category. Brands big and small, prestige
and mainstream, have been listening and finding different ways
to reduce waste. When Dior relaunched its Hydra Life line last
year, it removed excess packaging, like the leaflet, corrugated
card and cellophane wrapping, while Ren is nearing its goal of
sending zero waste to landfills by 2021. Kevin.Murphy recently
announced it will be the first beauty brand to convert to 100 per
cent recycled ocean waste plastic packaging for its square-
shaped bottles, and Sukin has been producing fully recyclable,
carbon-neutral products since 2008. Even luxury stalwart
Chanel is on board after launching the first-to-market 3D printed
mascara, Le Volume Révolution de Chanel, in 2018, doing
away with the need for wasteful plastic manufacturing moulds in
favour of digital design. And it appears Chanel’s dedication to
sustainability is far from a flash in the makeup pan, with the brand
investing in a Finnish start-up that develops sustainable packaging
with a trademarked biodegradable, microplastic-free material.