Beauty Brands Tackling Sustainability

26 January 2019


With our poor planet being at the forefront of many companies and people’s minds right now, it’s no wonder that the beauty industry has finally begun to take note and do their bit to help save the environment. 

The beauty industry is a huge contributor of single-use plastics. This makes it an industry which really needs to look at what effect and damage it is having on the planet. From endangering sea life to contaminating the food chain, the overuse of plastic is already having devastating effects on our planet and will continue to have if not acted upon now. 

Have a look around your bathroom, and it’s not even just the packaging, it was Microbeads within exfoliators too. It's one of those products that we just didn't know the negative effect that it would have until it was way too late. Microbeads have now officially been banned, and some other companies are leading the way to change their ways to benefit the environment. 

Lush is a classic one, with its ‘zero waste’ ethos and solid beauty bars which come with no packaging. It is one the most well-regarded brands on the high street for its environmentally friendly policies. If Lush is to need packaging, they encourage their customers to bring back their black pots when they are finished. These are then sent to be recycled and recreated into new black pots. 

Photo Source

Head & Shoulders
are another brand who has been recognised for contributing to raising awareness about plastic pollution. They have been awarded a United Nations Momentum for Change Award because of this and were responsible for the world’s first recyclable shampoo bottle made with 25% recycled beach plastic. 

Other brands such as Sana Jardin use sustainable and waste-reducing techniques, in this case, to create its scents; Soaper Duper uses a combination of recycled and recyclable plastic to create its statement bottles, and Beauty Kitchen has designed a 100% natural wet wipes that are fully compostable.

Many companies, if they have not managed to find a way to create their products in an environmentally friendly way, they are offering initiatives to encourage people to recycle. 

For example, Guerlain offered customers who returned their finished bronzers to select John Lewis stores for recycling, £10 off any new Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder. While Mac has a program that if you collect and return six finished Mac products to one of the brand's stores you get to select a free lipstick of your choice. 

Others such as Spectrum have found a way to do both. Spectrum have reduced their plastic packaging by 50% and also donate 1% of their revenue to protecting the environment while Neal's Yard's blue glass is recyclable and the plastic bottles used are 100% recycled too, they also provide free water refill stations in selected stores in a bid to reduce the trend for single-use plastic bottles.

This shows that brands can produce environmentally friendly products while still maintaining a corporate brand. At one time people put these kinds of products in categories with hippies and activists but thankfully this is no longer the case. Multinational corporations are waking up to the damage done and taking responsibility for it.

What is your favourite sustainable beauty brand? Let me know in the comments!


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