TERRACYCLE NEWS

ELIMINATING THE IDEA OF WASTE®

The Best Sustainable Beauty Products of 2020

TerraCycle Include USA Herbal Essences Beach Bottle
Once a footnote among fans of natural formulas, sustainable beauty gets its own seat at the table this year. We’re more aware of the harmful impact that beauty products can have on the earth, whether that’s in the form of excess and nonrecyclable packaging or endangered ingredients. New changes—such as using postconsumer recycled plastic for packaging, designing bottles that are easy to recycle, relying on biodegradable materials, and sourcing sustainable ingredients for which workers are paid a fair wage—are minimizing our incidental damage to nature while elevating our routines. Read on to find the Glamour Beauty Award–winning sustainable beauty products that are making a difference.      

The Best Cleanser

  This cleanser checks all the boxes: It removes every trace of makeup, doesn't strip my skin, looks pretty in my bathroom (the packaging is totally recyclable), and it's made using tulip bulbs that would otherwise be thrown away. What's not to love? —Bella Cacciatore, beauty associate    

The Best Serum

  I just love this line for how it source its products—wild-harvested botanicals—but also for how it performs. This serum was soothing but also had a brightening effect for me after a week of use. —Bee Shapiro, New York Times columnist and founder of Ellis Brooklyn    

The Best Moisturizer

  This new line is rooted in the magic of manuka honey (it has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties) that's sustainably sourced from New Zealand. What does that mean? Kiwi works with Maori tribe harvest ingredients, which are then manufactured in a facility with fair work standards. I love everything from the line, but this moisturizer is the real standout. It's superlight and has SPF 30, and you can get it at the drugstore. —Deanna Pai, beauty contributor    

The Best Face Mask

  As a Capricorn sun with Taurus rising, life for me is all about being practical and efficient. Enter Onekind's refining facial—you need only the one product to help reduce redness, detoxify, and brighten your skin. So easy. Plus, it makes me feel good knowing both the tube and the cap are made using postconsumer recycled plastic (that's still hard to find). —Anna Moeslein, senior editor    

The Best Deodorant

  I am proud to call myself a natural deodorant expert (I've tried just about every single one), even though I sweat once the temperature rises from chilly to merely nippy. (I consider myself the ultimate test.) And this deodorant passed with flying colors. Not only are there several scents to choose from, but the cute cartridge is refillable. —D.P.    

The Best Glitter

  I love glitter, and this one lets me pack it on without a guilty conscience. For the newly initiated: Most glitter is made with microplastics, which can have a detrimental effect on the environment. Bioglitz, on the other hand, uses a biodegradable film that is certified compostable. Each jar mixes fine and chunky glitter, and since it's not mixed into a base, it's super versatile. Some of my favorite drag queens swear by it—and if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me. —B.C.    

The Best Body Product

  I'm not only obsessed with this body wash—the scents are incredible and the formulas are hydrating but not too heavy—but I also love the mission behind the brand. In its first year, The Right to Shower's parent company (Unilever, the same behind Dove) donated 100% of its profits to organizations that offer mobile showers to people living on the streets. The packaging is also recyclable, while the ingredients are certified sustainable. It's a small gesture, but I feel better knowing my money is going toward helping others. Lindsay Schallon, senior beauty editor    

The Best Lip Balm

  Lip balm can be such a mundane beauty product—and then you fall in love with one that makes all other lip balms look straight-up bland in comparison. Saie offers just enough hydration with the over addictiveness of some balms. Bonus: The tube is made of postconsumer recycled plastic. —B.S.      

The Best Shampoo & Conditioner

  This Herbal Essences line brings an entirely new wave of hydration to my coarse, curly hair. The shampoo delivers a citrus-scented tingle to my scalp, making it feel clean and fresh, and the conditioner leaves my hair silky and hydrated. The best part? The brand partnered with TerraCycle to create bottles made entirely from trash on the beach—clearing out over three tons of waste in total. —Talia Gutierrez, beauty assistant    

The Best Fragrance

  We had one sample of Jake's House in the office that was meant for another editor to test, but the second I smelled it, I snatched it for myself. It's that good. It's the lightest musky neroli that smells like summer at my grandma's pool, stays all day without being overpowering, and is super unique. Oh, and its ingredients and packaging meet the world's most rigorous sustainability standards. In other words, it's perfect. —B.C.