Sustainable beauty brands

Making a difference

Sadly notorious for its negative impact on the environment, the cosmetics industry contributes to pollution and drains natural resources in multiple ways – with our everyday actions as consumers exasperating the problem. However – and while there’s still a long way to go – change is afoot, with many brands and buyers of beauty making sustainable, eco-friendly moves that can make a big difference overall.

This Earth Day (and every day), try to shop brands and products that prioritize sustainability, ethically sourced materials, and environmental contributions. Here are a few brands that give back to the planet.  

The best sustainable beauty brands!

REN

One of my all time favourite brands! With clean to skin, clean to planet as its tagline you know they have their head in the sustainability game! They have pledged to become zero waste by 2021, in that all of their packaging will be 100% recycled, recyclable and reusable. And they are nearly there! 99% of their packaging is recyclable, with some of the packaging made with reclaimed ocean plastic. They team up with partners like Surfrider Foundation,   Surfers Against Sewage and Plastic Patrol .

Available at renskincare.com | lookfantastic.com (currently has 15% off ren) | marksandspencer.com | allbeauty.com | feelunique.com (UK) feelunique.com (US)

Tops Picks

Related: 3 ways to make your beauty routine more sustainable

Weleda

More than 75% of Weleda’s plant ingredients come from biodynamic or organic farming, or controlled wild collection. Its commitment to biodiversity, and ethical treatment of workers, has been recognised by the Union for Ethical BioTrade – it is one of only two beauty brands to carry the UEBT mark and was the first to earn a Look For The Zero badge, showing none of its products contains any form of plastic.

Available from lookfantastic.com | allbeauty.com | feelunique.com

Love Beauty and Planet

As the name suggests this brand is all about the planet and beauty. The drugstore sustinable option, The line includes hair care, bath and body products, all of which are made with ethically-sourced ingredients. While the brand’s bottles are made from entirely recycled materials, its caps and pumps are not, so it’s committed to using at least 50 percent recycled plastic for them by 2020. Plus it’s aiming to reduce its carbon footprint by 20 percent, and draw entirely from certified-sustainable sources. All the products were cruelty free, sulfate-free, paraben-free, silicone-free, dye-free, and formulated without phthalates. They also developed special “fast rinse” technology that can cut down on water use!

Available from: boots.com | feelunique.com (us) | feelunique.com (uk) |

and most pharmacies and drugstores.

Top Picks

Aveda

Aveda is a brand that uses mother nature to its advantage. Leading the way for holistic and environmentally responsible beauty Aveda, the brand’s list of selling points for us tree huggers is as long as my arm. Notably, 85% of their skincare and hair styling bottles are made using post-consumer recycled materials a.k.a. recycled milk bottles. They also use bioplastic which is derived from cane sugar, a renewable sustainable resource. Aveda is also the only beauty brand whose products are manufactured using 100% wind power.

Tata Harper

Tata Harper was one of the original leaders of the luxe green skincare movement, and her line remains one of the best options on the market. Try the popular Resurfacing Mask — the translucent, pink jelly is packed with pomegranate enzymes, pink clay, and white willow to promote cellular renewal and impart some serious glow. The company sources many of their ingredients from Tata’s Vermont farm (a facility considerably larger than it sounds), which runs on renewable energy. Most of Tata Harper’s packaging is made from easily recyclable glass (more than one ton of natural resources, like sand or limestone, is saved for every ton of glass recycled), and the plastic used for its tubes is derived from corn rather than petroleum.

I was lucky enough to have a Tata Harper facial last year and now I’m obsessed! Saving my pennys to treat myself to some of the below.

Available from : spacenk.com | contentbeautywellbeing.com | cultbeauty.com | sephora.com |

Top Picks

BYBI Beauty

Instagram hit BYBI Beauty proves that it’s possible to make a beautiful-looking, quality product without shafting the environment. The entire range is packaged in glass or bioplastic tubes derived from sugarcane, plus they’re sent in grass paper boxes, saving up to 4,800 tonnes of C0₂ emissions. Then products are often made from food industry byproducts (the juice pulp in the serums, for example).

Available from feelunique.com| asos.ie | boots.co.uk | contentbeautywellbeing.com

Ethique

This new (well to this side of the world) beauty brand is both ethical and sustainable, producing natural beauty bars that are free of plastic, cruelty-free and are entirely plant-based. Suitable for vegans, their product selection ranges from shampoo and conditioner bars to makeup cleansers. Best of all, their beauty range uses biodegradable ingredients as well as compostable packaging, so once you finish using your product, dispose of the packaging in a compost bin to reduce waste – simple!

Available from boots.com | hollandandbarrett.ie 

Top Picks

Have you tried any of these brands? With sustainability becoming more and more important, now is the time to push other brands to become more sustainable. Remember everytime you buy your casting your vote. As a consumer we have the power to make change.

ps. Some links may be affliate but the post is not affliate driven.