Beauty brands all over the world have had to really step up in the last few years, sustainability and veganism is not a trend, it is not a fad. It is here to stay. And the beauty industry has had to catch up and find a way to genuinely cater to, and not just on the surface, a large portion of society who believe that their skincare and makeup should be animal product free and biodegradable. Not asking all that much right? Wrong.
While there are now a huge range of accessible vegan beauty and skincare brands in the UK that are easy on the purse strings and just as if not more effective than their non vegan counterparts, tackling how to recycle all that pretty packaging is not easy.
There are a few big names that have been leading the way for a little while now, and a couple new ones who have turned the industry on it’s head and are leading the pack. We’ve put together a few tips on shopping sustainable, and how to make sure you’re getting the best of the bunch.
1. Biodegradable wipes and cotton pads:
Biodegradable pads and wipes are the way future! Think of the copious amount of cotton pads and makeup-remover pads you use weekly, monthly, yearly. Now times that by the amount of women in your house, your street and town! The only way to reduce the waste from these daily essentials is make them biodegradable. Or, do one better and replace all your cotton pads with a single microfibre pad, Face Halo has designed one that is as simple as just add water and wipe away – it doesn’t get easier than that!
2. Biodegradable packaging
How do you feel about vegan skincare, that’s affordable and comes in a biodegradable tube that’s made of sugarcane? There are some brands that really are ticking all three boxes, brands like BYBI Babe Balm. Not only do vegan products have the benefit of 100% natural skin loving ingredients, they also don’t come at a cost to our planet.
3. Recycling packaging
A huge part of the equation is of course the actual products we buy, their ingredients and the like. But the other half is where we buy our beauty products from, the actual drugstores and corporations and how much they make recycling the products they sell their responsibility. Boots, one of the UK’s biggest beauty retailers, has announced plans to launch their own recyclable rewards programme that includes their own brand and ones they sell. This is a huge step in the right direction.
We can all play our part, different industries, companies big and small. But our individual decisions are what will collectively make the biggest impact and difference of all.