Maintaining an 11-step low waste beauty routine can be hard. We tell you how to make it sustainable

This may be old information, but give me a second to reiterate—there are more than 25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean, with 40 million more tonnes of waste being generated each year. And now consider for a second the darts, the caps, the product bottles, the brushes, and so much more that the beauty industry doles out with every sale. 

But, before you think this is a lecture about cutting down on your beauty routine, hear me out. What I am trying to say is that being passionate about your make-up routine and being environmentally conscious don’t have to be two separate worlds. As more awareness is brought to global warming and climate change, more people are making small changes to their lifestyles to help conserve resources and be more eco-friendly. With these easy-to-follow tips, you too can start making an environmental choice with your beauty routine. 

For starters, shop sustainably! 

As more pressure is being put on the beauty industry to become more sustainable, some brands are taking strides in making their products more eco-friendly and safe for the planet. More than 70 per cent of customers are now looking for eco-friendly options and making conscious choices while shopping for products. Not to mention, most eco-friendly brands are also safer and gentler on the skin due to the reduced amounts of chemicals in their cosmetics. Before you buy something, make sure to read the labels and always opt for products with reusable/recycled packaging. 

We recommend you try Ras Luxury Oils for their sulphate- paraben- and silicone-free formulas for your skin, and Schwarzkopf for their green formulas for your tresses. Or perhaps Forest Essentials for their eco-friendly packaging. SoulTree offers formulas that are free of artificial colours and fragrances. 

 

 

Use reusable pads and wipes

Avoiding single-use products cuts back on a lot more waste than you’d imagine. So, instead of using a new make-up wipe every time you need to remove your makeup, try an eco-friendly version of a make-up wipe made from either cotton or terry cloth. Simply saturate one with a cleanser or toner and after you’re done cleansing your face, throw it in the wash for it to be as good as new. Effective and gentle on your skin, these pads will also help save money in the long run! A good choice to start out are the make-up remover pads by Earth Rhythm.

Recycle old jars and containers 

Recycling packaging is one of the best ways to reduce waste and your overall carbon footprint. Make sure to buy items which come in recyclable containers. For example, moisturisers and creams that come in glass jars which can be refilled later. Companies like L’Occitane and Kiehl's are creating efficient and sustainable refill packs. Even Zara's latest beauty collection has refillable lipsticks, blushes, eyeshadows, and more. Additionally, more products are being designed with packaging made from recycled materials, so make sure to opt for those to help reduce waste even further! And while you are on it, you might also want to check the CSR goals of the brands you use for sustainable initiatives. K18 has recently partnered with Plastic Bank and is now plastic neutral, and the brand, with their product technology, is also reducing the number of products you have to use on your hair, once again helping conserve resources. Now that is a win-win. 

 

 

Repurpose beauty products!

Some of us may have seen the latest trends on social media where people use lip tint as blush or eyeshadow—but that can be more than just a fad. Out of eyeshadow but don’t want to spend money on a new pack? Bronzer applied to eyelids like eyeshadow leave a wonderful shimmery effect. Are lipsticks you bought on an impulse collecting dust on the shelf? A popular trend is using a creamy lip tint and dabbing it on your cheeks to create a youthful, blushed look. This way, you won’t have to create more waste by buying more blush. And tips like these can come in handy even outside of just cosmetic purposes! A little bit of lip balm applied to soles of the feet does wonders for painful blisters. 

You can also use multipurpose beauty products that can serve as lipstick, glitter, or highlighter and save cluttering your make-up drawer in the process! We recommend you try Chanel's lip and cheek balm or Saie Sun's cream balm bronzer. A few fun ideas to get you started on your own could be mixing face oils with sugar to create an exfoliating scrub, and if you crush up expired eye shadow, you can mix it with a clear polish to create your own custom nail paints.