Ways to Make Our Beauty Routines More Sustainable

Earth Day is an annual reminder to us all that this is the only planet we’ve got – and we need to look after it! But how can we, as beauty enthusiasts and consumers, help to manage the environmental impact that we have? Well, there are a tonne of easy ways we can do our bit.  

Say goodbye to single use makeup remover wipes 

There are so many great reusable alternatives to remove your makeup there really is no excuse for anyone to be using single use wipes. 

Have you ever heard of a fatberg? No, it’s not the term I use to describe myself on a Thursday night eating Hot Cheeto’s and watching old Office episodes. They’re basically giant rocks in sewers formed when things like baby wipes combine with water, oils, fats and grease. Not only does that sound NASTY it is nasty on the environment too.  

Face Halo changed the game when they released their washable makeup remover pads that can be used for up to half a year. The company encourages you to return your old Face Halo’s to the company so they can upcycle them into things like merchandise. 

My Face Halo is firm enough to be able to remove makeup with just water only, but if you needed to the Face Halo is a great applicator for oils and micellar water. Aside from Face Halo, there are SO many other brands offering similar products.

Look for refillable products

By offering perfume refill stations in stores around the world, Mugler saves 1.5 million bottles and 380 tonnes of glass annually. For those who can’t experience this instore, they have developed refill bottles that cut down about half the waste of buying a new bottle. 

As far as skincare goes, Fenty Skin has their Hydra Vizor Moisturizer (which is a staple in my personal collection) which aside from smelling amazing, is refillable.

Another personal staple of mine is the Dior Forever Matte Powder Foundation – another refillable product. Not only does it minimise the amount of waste involved, but it’s also a bit friendlier on the ol’ wallet. Likewise, although I’m not a big user of cushion foundations (I swear they only last me, like, a week), I do love that they are often refillable.

Find products with dissolvable packaging

We’ve all been burnt before by packaging that promises to be biodegradable only, upon reading the fine print, to realise it is only biodegradable using industrial machines and not in our own backyard. 

That is why companies like Plus are so refreshing! Their body wash comes packaged in “dissolvable sachets, made of wood pulp from responsibly managed FSC forests.”  Even the ink is bio-renewable! And as if Plus couldn’t get more incredible and dedicated to the environment, 1% of every purchase goes to a non-profit of YOUR choice. AMAZING.

Minimise your carbon footprint with locally made products

Look for locally produced products – the closer the production the less carbon footprint involved in transporting products. 

If you’re based in the UK, the iconic Denman brushes are still made in their original home of Northern Ireland. If you’re in the US, our friends Vapour Beauty produce their products stateside – they also have an in house recycling program where they encourage their customers to return empty packaging. They are also wary of carbon footprints so encourage customers to only send back their empties once they have four or more.  

Give yaself a little google and you’re sure to find a bunch of locally produced products, you may be surprised what you find! 

Shop smarter by buying multi-use products

There are SO many products that can be used in multiple ways. One of the most enjoyable things about makeup is playing with products in creative ways. 

If you don’t already follow us on Instagam, you may have missed our story the other day where we did a full face using Glossier’s Cloud Paint in Spark on our cheeks, lips AND eyes. Although there are SO many products, like Cloud Paint, that were designed to be multi-use, even regular lipsticks can double as a lovely cream blush. 

Contour and highlighting products can double as great neutral eyeshadow colours – after all, the point of a neutral eyeshadow is to add dimension to the eye. I regularly use my KVD Beauty Shade + Light palette for simple eye looks. 

We are also OBSESSED with the Alleyoop Pen Pal 4-in-1 Touch Up Pen. Inspired by our favourite retractable pens from high school, this products comes with a highlighter, brow pencil, eye liner and lip liner that you can click down and use as you will.  

Wear ocean friendly sunscreens

As the Northern Hemisphere gets ready for summer, it is important to remember how important picking an ocean safe sunscreen is. 

Did you know that our coral reefs are exposed to approximately 5,000 tonnes of sunscreen EVERY YEAR? This is scary because reefs are extremely fragile ecosystems. Common sunscreen ingredients octinoxate and oxybenzone can “disrupt coral reproduction and growth, ultimately resulting in bleaching.” So, it goes without saying that one easy way to help our oceans is to simply switch sunscreens.

The best sunscreens to protect our coral reefs are ones where the active ingredients are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These sunscreens are usually called 'physical sunscreens,' though it is important to confirm in the ingredient list or packaging information that it is indeed ocean safe. 

There are more and more reef safe sunscreens becoming available on the market, so you’ll be able to pick one that finds your Nemo - though one of our favourites is the Uber-Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 40 by Earth Mama (although originally designed for kids, it is a great sunscreen for those of us with sensitive skin).

There are so many amazing products around that can help us minimize our footprint on our great blue planet, and we hope that we’ve been able to guide you in towards a cleaner and more sustainable future!