At this time of year, many beauty retailers are focused on enticing consumers with festive gift sets: sumptuous samplers with a selection of bottles, jars and tubes, packed in cases that are often glittery, golden or shiny.   This holiday season, however, stores and brands have an additional and growing concern: the vast environmental footprint that these indulgent kits inevitably occupy.   Some companies have improved their packaging’s ecological stamp by, for example, opting for ink made from soy instead of petroleum.   But creating appeal that also is environmentally responsible can be a challenge, and there is little room for error in this vital season, which last year generated almost $6 billion in sales of prestige beauty products in the United States alone, according to the NPD Group, a market research organization. The fourth quarter is especially crucial for prestige fragrances, constituting almost 45 percent of annual sales. “The biggest tension is the tension between what drives sales in this industry and what is good for the environment,” said Tom Szaky, chief executive of TerraCycle, a recycling company that says it works with hundreds of brands in 21 countries. “Many times, those are not copacetic.”         Some brands have designed Holiday 2019 packaging that is comparatively earth-friendly but that still looks and feels indulgent.   L’Occitane en Provence, for example, quietly made most of its seasonal sets with corrugated cardboard, a move that saved 22 tons of paper in comparison with the more solid version sold last year, according to Corinne Fugier-Garrel, the brand’s director of packaging conception development.   The external size of some sets is smaller than last year’s versions, although they still hold a similar selection of similarly sized products — which saved nine more tons of paper, she said. And gold detailing, which can make recycling impossible, was laminated with a thin layer of aluminum to allow recycling.   Like many brands, L’Occitane has had success over the last few years with its beauty Advent calendar, the traditional German countdown to Christmas adapted to hide small products behind dated doors.   The complex structure of most beauty brands’ calendars and the packaging of their contents typically are not very environmentally sound. This year L’Occitane made the interior compartments of one of its two Advents ($64) from recycled PET — or polyethylene terephthalate; the sections of the more lavish version ($99) are made of recycled paper. Both materials are recyclable.   ASOS, the British online retailer, has changed the environmental footprint of its men’s and women’s Advent calendars, which are stocked with items from multiple beauty brands. This year the products come in compostable paper boxes, printed with soy ink in spunky patterns like animal prints and polka dots, and arranged in a sturdy, sustainably sourced cork box. That box is recyclable, but it has a nonholiday feel well suited for storing things year-round.       Kiehl’s, the American heritage line now owned by L’Oréal, also produced an Advent calendar exclusively for Selfridges that seems destined for reuse: a heavy, long piece of organic cotton with 12 pocket-like compartments that might in the future hold socks rather than minis of the company’s Ultra Facial Cream and Amino Acid Shampoo. (The large bag it comes in, however, is intended for disposal: It is made of a mix of recycled paper and wild flower seeds that can be planted in soil.) Priced at 125 pounds ($161), the store’s initial stock briskly sold out. The brand is also offering a conventional Advent ($90) with wider distribution; its paper can be recycled.   Liberty London’s multibrand Advent calendar looks more traditional, printed with a version of the brand’s William Morris Strawberry Thief pattern.   This year’s iteration of the popular item — 15 percent of the stock, each one priced at £215, was sold in the first five minutes it became available — is fully recyclable, with internal drawers made of recycled cardboard, except for a magnet closure that can be snipped off.   Still, exterior packaging is only one element of gift sets. In multibrand samplers, only some of the lotions, creams and makeup items use environmentally minded ingredients.   And then there are the sample-size bottles and tubes that are a mainstay of holiday beauty sets. Although many brands claim that even their smallest containers are recyclable — and, strictly speaking, some are — Mr. Szaky says containers smaller than the average stick of deodorant are typically passed over by recyclers as less profitable to process.       “Many times, companies are communicating technical recyclability versus practical recyclability,” Mr. Szaky said.   “I don’t think it’s mal intent,” he added. “People aren’t trying to lie to you — they just don’t know the facts, and that could create false statements without the malice.”   Additionally, commonplace components in beauty packaging — like black plastic and colored glass — generally cannot be recycled, Mr. Szaky said.   Even well-intentioned retailers can find it a challenge to compile environmentally responsible brands for holiday beauty kits.   “Where we can, we always will try to be as sustainable as possible,” said Emily Bell, who oversees beauty buying at Liberty London. “However, some of the brands that are in there aren’t quite there yet in terms of being able to say that they’re 100 percent recyclable.”   Some of this season’s sets have a less flashy look than might be expected for the holidays. Three multibrand gift sets from Credo Beauty, which calls itself “the largest clean beauty store on the planet,” are packaged in a muted pastel box that is more restrained than jolly. And Floral Street, a London-based fragrance line, is offering 10-milliliter bottles of its scents in a gem-shaped paper package that resembles a tree ornament; it is colorful, but without the shine and brightness of conventional coated paper and petroleum-based ink.     “People will get used to that,” said Michelle Feeney, Floral Street’s founder. “The new generation now, for them trendy is thrift shopping and mixing it with something else. I’m feeling like there’s a whole generation that doesn’t want the shininess. I think brands will be forced to change by the consumer if they don’t try to lead the way themselves.”   Shoppers’ tendencies, are, of course, in part driving these shifts. “There’s definitely interest in the ingredients, in the products themselves being green, and along with that comes the concept of sustainability,” said Lauren Goodsitt, global beauty analyst at Mintel, a London-based marketing research company.   Ms. Goodsitt predicted that, although sustainable goods can cost more to make, more brands will offer them over the next five to 10 years.   “It’s a real commitment,” she said. “When you’re going to make that move for recyclable materials, if you’re switching out the types of plastics that you’re using, it’s definitely an investment for the brands. As consumers start to demand that this change is made, I think that we’ll see more and more brands making that shift.”

A few weeks ago, I decided to dish on my low-waste beauty products in a ‘get ready with me’ style IGTV video.   I was heading to UC Berkeley to guest lecture, and I always wear a bit more makeup when it comes to being on stage with lights. I thought it was the perfect time to go through my makeup capsule collection and I got a TON of questions and requests for a full blog post! As many of you know, I have struggled a lot with skin problems. I have tried numerous zero-waste skincare routines. A lot of the “zero waste” skincare products I was using were still low waste. Yes, they come in a glass bottle, but they almost always have different plastic parts.   After years of searching, I think I’ve finally found a few items that are really working for my skin thanks to the recommendation of my esthetician, but they do come in plastic.   I’ve decided to stop sweating it. I figure if I’m able to reduce 99% of packaging waste but finally found a few green products (that are working!) then that’s fine by me.   I send my makeup and skincare empties back to TerraCycle so I know that they’re in good hands. Many places like Credo and L’Occitane have programs where you can drop your beauty products off and they’ll send them back to TerraCycle for you.  

one-in; one-out rule:

  I don’t know how or why I used to accumulate so many beauty products. I’m not sure if they bred at night, but man, I wound up with so many different colors of eyeshadow that I never wore. Tons of different lip shades and eyeliner and I hardly wore any of them!   When I started going zero waste, I really started to pay attention to how I was accumulating items and what I actually used. I noticed that I wore the exact same products every single day.   I also noticed that when I was halfway through a product I would run out and buy a new one. When I was at the store, I would also pick up one or two other items just because they looked cool.   I would wear those “cool new products” once or twice and then they would languish in my makeup drawer constantly being passed up for my old faithful products.   So, I simply decided to cut all of that out. Now, I don’t go out and buy a new product unless I’m really, really close to being out of it and I buy one item to replace the one that is out not a handful of others.   What I find most fascinating about this, is even though clean beauty is more expensive, on the whole, I’m saving money because I’m not buying a BUNCH of products. I’m only buying a few.

buying in person:

  Another way I drastically reduce my waste in my beauty routine is to buy in person. I can see the colors, I can see what the product feels like.   Since I have sensitive acne-prone skin, I can often tell what’s going to work and what’s not. Almost anytime I’ve ordered something new online, I’ve been really disappointed in a color looking slightly off or the product not performing well.   Credo Beauty is one of my all-time favorite places to shop, but I know Sephora has expanded their clean beauty section quite a bit.  

creating a capsule:

  When it comes to creating a capsule makeup collection my best tip is to simply pack like you’re going on vacation.   You’ll typically bring your go-to day look and then one or two extra elements for a bit more of a dramatic evening look.   After whittling everything down, I’ve found that’s all I need.   Now, I’ve tried a bunch of different green mascaras and I’ve tried a lot of lip products. If you would like for me to review each kind I’ve tried, let me know in the comment section down below!    

my capsule:

 

primer:

I do really like to prime my face. For an every day look, I like to combine a little bit of primer and foundation together.   This gives the foundation thinner more natural coverage and it stays pretty much all day. I currently have the Juice Beauty Primer which has a nice glow to it. Since I have oily skin sometimes the glow can be a bit much. But, I certainly don’t have to worry about using any highlighter.   The Juice Beauty Primer comes in a glass bottle.  

concealer:

I have tried a few concealers. I’m currently still working my way through my RMS concealer which I think is good. I’ve enjoyed using it and I really like the packaging. It’s packaged with a metal top and glass bottom!   However, I really like the Ilia concealer more, but it is packaged in plastic.  

foundation:

I used to exclusively use the Marie Veronique Tinted Sunscreen as my foundation which I love! But, as I’ve started doing a lot more work on camera, I’ve needed something a bit more heavy-duty.   I saw that somewhere that Shailene Woodley used the Vapour Foundation when on set. So, I thought it MUST have a great matte finish for camera so I ordered some online and have been sooooo disappointed. It is so greasy and oily. Since I have oily skin my face is subject to non-stop shine all day no matter how much powder I put on.   I am going to try and finish using the product, but honestly, it’s so bad, I don’t know if I can. After I run out of vapor, I think I’m going to try the RMS foundation which just came out.  

powder:

Once again, having oily skin I typically finish up with a powder to prevent any excess shine. I’ve been using the AU Natural Skin Food Powder. I have really enjoyed using this and how well it travels. I got it because they offered refills which I think is super cool! But, currently, on the website, I’m not seeing where they sell the refills.   They might be sold out? But, I think the premise of the powder and how it’s refillable is really cool. The powder also has an SPF of 25 which is a great addition.  

blush:

I’ve been using the Ilia Multi-Stick in the color At Last for Blush and on my lips if I’m going for a very nude lip. I really like products that can pull double duty. It’s great to have something that works for both my lips and cheeks!   One of the things I love about Ilia is that they package their products in recycled aluminum.  

eyeshadow:

I have two eyeshadow palettes. I have one with more neutral summery colors and I was gifted the Aether Eyeshadow Palette in Amethyst Crystal which is really nice for winter and the holidays.   Even though I’m not a huge fan of the color purple a lot of the colors in the palette are very subtle and I really like wearing them! The palette is made completely from paper.   You will have to remove the small tins and elastic band from the palette before recycling, but it’s really cool how they took their packaging into consideration.  

eyelash curler:

This has to be one of my favorite tools in my makeup kit. I was so excited to find a really good eyelash curler that comes with pad refills.   I had my original eyelash curler since high school, but it broke this summer. I used the opportunity to try and find a really heavy-duty curler that should last me for the rest of my life.   Replacement pads used to be very common, but they can be difficult to find these days. When you buy the curler it comes with refills, but if you run out you can purchase them separately.  

eyeliner:

I have tried quite a few different types of eyeliners. I’ve tried a few of the pencil eyeliners, but they haven’t done very well staying on my face. I have tried the Juice Beauty Liquid Eyeliner which comes in plastic but works very well as well as the Ilia liquid eyeliner which is packaged in recycled aluminum.   I would say the Juice Beauty is a little more difficult to control because it’s kind of like using a small very flexible paintbrush whereas Ilia is a bit more difficult to get a smooth line because it’s like a rigid felt tip pen.   If the Juice had a bit more structure and the Ilia had a bit more flexibility they’d both be perfect! So, for now, I’m just accepting almost perfect and am pretty happy with that!  

mascara:

I have tried five different green, low-waste mascaras and I have to say Ilia has knocked it out of the park. Their mascara is packaged in recycled aluminum like the rest of their products. The mascara stays on all day, it doesn’t flake or run, and it washes off easily at night.   The best part is the brush! Half is a comb and half is a brush. It also has some really nourishing ingredients which strengthens your natural lashes.  

perfume:

I like to buy smaller fragrances so I can change them up pretty often. I haven’t found a clean signature scent just yet, but right now I’m really liking MCMC Maine Perfume. It comes in a cute roller bottle that I plan on upcycling once I’m done with it.  

lips:

I have tried countless lip products and I’m still looking for THE one that can stay on for a few hours. With so many of these green beauty products, I put it on and after I take one sip of water it’s gone.   If I ever find something that stays on longer than a 20 minutes, I’ll be sure to let you know. And, if you want me to compare and contrast the 10 lip products I’ve tried, let me know in the comment section down below!   Currently, I like the Ilia Multistick in a fine romance I keep this one in my purse which is why it wasn’t featured in the video. I have the tata harper in very popular which I wore for my wedding. It’s a great color, but as far as performance goes it’s just OK. The Ilia Multistick is about the same color and I think it lasts longer.   I also have the Kari Gran Lip Whip which is a good clear gloss like lip balm. It works pretty well and is a staple basic.   That is my 15 product capsule make-up beauty collection! I feel like it can pretty easily take me from day to night and through any situation.   I would really like to try some of the 100% Pure Products and maybe a few of the Besame products? And, I definitely am dying to find some lip products that can stay put. If you have any recommendations please let me know!  

We take environmental initiatives seriously and we know that many of you do too, so we’ve rounded up all sustainable brands and green initiatives that are available here at Yorkdale below – take a look!   Reformation Uses eco-friendly materials and reuses offcuts created during the manufacturing process. They also provide a RefScale for each of their garments –  breaking down the item’s impact on the environment for you. They use recycled paper hangers and minimise the use of packaging with 100% consumer waste materials.   Apple Trade in your eligible device for an Apple Store Gift Card. If it’s not eligible for credit, they’ll recycle it for free. No matter the model or condition, they can turn it into something good for you and good for the planet.   EB Games Pick up a recycled game or trade in your used games, accessories, and consoles for an in-store credit or prepaid Visa or Mastercard.   H&M When you drop off your unwanted textiles (clothing, linens, towels, etc) in a H&M store, you’ll get rewarded with a voucher for your next purchase. Just ask for the garment collecting box, usually located by the cash.   The Levi’s Store Bring in your old denim and receive a 20% coupon towards one item that same day.   Starbucks Help Starbucks reduce the number of cups by bringing in your own tumbler and receive 10 cents off.   Tim Hortons Get a 10 cent discount when you bring in a TimMug or any travel mug.   Nespresso Nespresso capsules are made of aluminum, an infinitely recyclable material. Collect your capsules in their reusable bag, seal it and drop it off in store.   Lush Bring back 5 empty, clean black LUSH pots to the store for recycling and receive a Fresh Face Mask, free!   Kiehls Recycle and be Rewarded Program. Bring back 5 of  your empty bottles and get $16 off your next purchase.   Aveda 100% recycled packaging on all of their products.   L’Occitane L’Occitane has partnered with TerraCycle to make it easy for you to recycle your used beauty and skin care packaging. Bring back your empty products for 10% off your same-day purchase.   LEGO The Sustainable Lego blocks is a collection of botanical elements such as trees, leaves, and bushes made from plant-based plastic sourced from sugarcane. By 2030, Lego intends to manufacture most of its products and packaging using environmentally friendly materials or recycled sources.   Bose Will mail any old Bose products to their head office for disposal.   David’s Tea Bring your own mug and get 10% off your drink, 50 cents if you bring your own tin.   Innisfree The brand has initiated a number of campaigns like the Play Green Campaign, Recycling Used Bottles Campaign, and Eco Handkerchief Campaign.   Dynamite For every shopping bag sold, a donation will be made towards One Tree Planted.

Though French beauty company L’Occitane Group dates its sustainability efforts back to 1976 when founder Olivier Baussan started the namesake brand, the firm’s more recent efforts speak to a shift in modern consumer values.   “Our take has evolved as the ways we all consume has changed and the way we create waste has changed,” said Ashley Arbuckle, L’Occitane Group vp of marketing and wholesale. “The things we were doing in 1976 are not enough anymore.”   Baussan may have conceived L’Occitane to support local farmers and traditional farming methods, but today its sustainability exercises extend to biodiversity and most significantly to a reduction of plastic. In February, L’Occitane Group announced its plans to become fully sustainable by 2025 by working with sustainable plastic provider Loop Industries. Prior to this announcement, only 30% of L’Occitane’s products were made with recycled plastic and it was exclusive to darker-colored product, like its Aromachologie hair-care collection — not its hero body lotion lines. L’Occitane’s in-store recycling capabilities extended to just 30% of its 1,500-plus stores worldwide.   “In the beauty industry, plastic is considered the gold standard. It is one of the materials that’s easiest to work with and it is affordable, but it’s a problem,” said Arbuckle.   According to market research firm Euromonitor International, global consumer demand for plastics exceeded 2.2 trillion units in 2018, and the beauty industry specifically accounted for nearly 153 billion units of that larger pie. What’s even more telling is that 40% of those products were packaged with single-use plastic, meaning that it was unable to be recycled and ultimately ended up in a landfill. While beauty giants like L’Occitane, L’Oréal Group and Unilever are responding to the environmental problem with vigor, the questions around sustainable alternatives remains.   “I’ve been doing this for 17 years, and everyone has always agreed that garbage is a problem, but in the past 24 months, that’s moved from a problem to a crisis,” said Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of TerraCycle, who works with all of the aforementioned conglomerates on recycling efforts, as well as Procter & Gamble and Estée Lauder Companies. Within beauty, the company has projects with 51 partners. He credits that seismic shift in behavior among both consumers and brands to the popularity of David Attenborough’s visceral nature documentary “Blue Water II.” Szaky estimates that big corporations’ recycling investments typically range in the seven figures.   Companies are responding because they see the opportunity to more deeply connect with beauty customers, he said, and recent sustainable moves can also be credited as a prevention tactic, considering Canada, for one, announced in June that it is banning single-use plastic items by 2021. Even compostable efforts, such as those favored by L’Oréal’s Seed Phytonutrients, can be viewed as problematic, because compostable packaging is better suited for developing countries where the only alternative option is simply to litter — U.K.-based retailer  Tesco even outlawed compostable products by the end of 2019, because composters view that packaging as a contaminant.   In January, Unilever announced that nine of its brands, including Love Beauty and Planet and REN Clean Skincare, would trial new reusable packaging made from aluminum and glass, while Dove would test a new refillable deodorant stick via TerraCycle’s Loop system. This comes after Unilever’s own commitment, which it announced in 2017, that its plastic packaging would be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.   “We’ve made an incredible commitment as a company, but the beauty industry is a terrible offender because there are a lot of modern conveniences to using plastic. We have to make loud standards to change existing behavior and challenge that dichotomy of putting so much out there,” said Esi Eggleston Bracey, evp and COO of beauty and personal care at Unilever North America.   Interestingly, though, bigger and smaller companies, alike, like to shout their sustainable practices from the rooftops, especially around seasonal touch points such as Earth Day, World Ocean’s Day and Zero Waste Week, but Eggleston Bracey said efforts cannot be episodic.   “There’s a tension that exists between doing and saying, and both of those things are important, but the watch-out is saying without doing. We are willing to engage in trial-and-error at Unilever, because sustainability is our business model. It’s not a marketing model, and it is our desire to lead,” she said.   However, Szaky encouraged consumers and brands to read between the lines. “A lot of these beauty companies have made lofty commitments to be fully recyclable by 2025 through the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and we are part of that foundation ourselves, but if you read the details of those press releases, they are claiming that their packaging will be ‘technically ‘ recyclable, and they’re not making any claims around practicality,” said Szaky. “Technical means the process exists, but practical means you can put it in a blue bin in Chicago or New York or anywhere, and it will be recycled. Technical recycling doesn’t take into account the profitable needs of garbage companies. Garbage companies are only going to recycle what they can make money on.”   Certainly the after-use, garbage ramifications of a product are an unsexy proposition for brands and an industry preoccupied with image. But that’s not to say companies’ practices, whether its nascent brand Circumference or Kiehl’s actions, are for naught. “We are trying to do things that make a difference and not just slap a logo on a bottle,” said Arbuckle, who noted that L’Occitane Group has existing challenges in providing recyclable options in Hawaii because of shipping costs, and that is just one hurdle it faces in becoming a fully fledged sustainable business.   Though skeptics would argue that so much talk industry-wide can be misleading, Szaky said the economics have to work for the larger landscape to change. That only comes through investment in smaller-tier programs.   “Whether it’s L’Occitane, MAC or Kiehl’s — and we run the recycling programs in all of their boutiques — those companies are paying the actual cost of collecting and processing minus the value of the product, so that recycling and those recyclable practices are becoming commonplace,” he said. “It may not work at scale with blue bins all across the world, but this gives us a solution in an imperfect world. That will ultimately affect customers’ choice of what to buy, and, no matter what, that’s feasible by 2025.”

Last but certainly not least, my favourite part of my skincare routine: oils! While I have experimented with different oils in the past, I’m currently using The Ordinary’s 100% Cold-Pressed Virgin Marula Oil which is packaged in cardboard and glass with a plastic dropper. It’s super hydrating and leaves my face glowing! In terms of the minimal plastic packaging that some of the products I use do contain, I will be recycling through L’Occitane en Provence’s TerraCycle program to recycle my hard-to-recycle plastics.

Next, I survey the survivors. I’m able to pardon a few of my favourites that have recently become fully recyclable thanks to deals with TerraCycle, a U.S. company that specializes in dealing with hard-to-recycle waste. The plastic packaging for both Eos lip balms and Weleda Skin Food products can now be mailed to TerraCycle for free (you just have to sign up online for a postage-paid envelope). I can return my tube of L’Occitane en Provence hand cream and Province Apothecary toner, including the spray pumps, to their respective stores to be taken care of. And, mercifully, a few of the natural skincare brands I love come in recyclable glass bottles, so my serums are safe.

A few weeks ago, I stood in my bathroom, casually contemplating what mascara to wear that day. I have several options in rotation; there’s the eye-opening full volume mascara (which I’m convinced makes me look less tired), the waterproof one (I think it was drizzling outside, so I was tabling that option), my classic brown-black for when I go au natural-ish… But as I surveyed my stash—and the surrounding mountains of makeup and skincare on the counter—a wave of eco-anxiety washed over me. Perhaps all of this was a little much? Suddenly, all those great products looked more like a massive pile of would-be beauty trash. At first, I felt a bit sick. Then, I was inspired to do something about it. As an experiment, I decided to go zero-waste for an entire month. And yes, it was about as difficult as it sounds.

It’s time to #breakupwithplastic

  If you’ve ever seen the image of a seahorse clutching a used cotton swab by wildlife photographer Justin Hofman, you know where I’m going with this. Our oceans are living—or more to the point, dying—proof: Disposable beauty consumption is out of control. “By 2050 we’re going to see more plastic in the ocean than fish [by weight],” says Kelsey Scarfone, water programs manager at Environmental Defence Canada, a national non-profit eco advocacy agency. Need a frightening factoid that hits a little closer to home? “Even in the Great Lakes we’re seeing the same level of plastics,” she says. And we’re not exaggerating when we say that the consequences are dire. According to Scarfone, “when plastics break down the problem becomes even more insidious—we’re now seeing microplastics in our food supply.” Sure, plastics from personal care products account for just part of the problem, but all of those bottles, tubs and tubes do add up.

Recycling isn’t as effective as you think

If you think all that plastic is getting recycled just because you toss it in your blue bin, you’re fooling yourself. All told, only 11% of our plastic waste in Canada is successfully making its way through the recycling system. This is due to recycling program inefficiencies, poor consumer compliance—meaning people aren’t rinsing out their containers first, or throwing them in the recycling bin at all—and plastics that simply aren’t recyclable in the first place. That last one is a huge problem. Yes, the technology may exist to recycle these plastics somewhere, but there’s no guarantee that your municipality’s curbside recycling program can accept them. For example, the City of Toronto can’t accept black takeout containers because they’re the same colour as the conveyer belt at the sorting plant, which makes it difficult for the plant’s technology to “see” them. And here’s where it gets even more confusing. There are two types of recycling symbols: Resin identification codes have three flat arrows and a number in the middle, while Mobius loops have three twisted arrows and no number. It’s very easy to mistake a resin identification code for the recycling symbol, but these codes only indicate the type of plastic—they don’t necessarily mean it’s recyclable. Environmental Defense is currently lobbying for a national strategy to make the system easier to understand and stop so much plastic from ending up in landfill or the environment. (You can help by signing their petition.)

My new approach: Reduce, refill, and yes, recycle

I begin my mission by Marie Kondo-ing the heck out of my beauty counter. Everything that’s in a plastic or no-good landfill-destined container is shelved for the month. (For the record, I will use them up later. It would be pretty silly to toss a perfectly good, albeit plastic-clad, hair mask in the name of waste reduction.) Next, I survey the survivors. I’m able to pardon a few of my favourites that have recently become fully recyclable thanks to deals with TerraCycle, a U.S. company that specializes in dealing with hard-to-recycle waste. The plastic packaging for both Eos lip balms and Weleda Skin Food products can now be mailed to TerraCycle for free (you just have to sign up online for a postage-paid envelope). I can return my tube of L’Occitane en Provence hand cream and Province Apothecary toner, including the spray pumps, to their respective stores to be taken care of. And, mercifully, a few of the natural skincare brands I love come in recyclable glass bottles, so my serums are safe. But recycling is only part of the solution. The next frontier in the sustainable packaging story is bulk beauty. I buy a box of glass bottles with stainless steel pumps on Amazon and take them into eco+amour, a sustainable living boutique in Toronto’s east end. “I’d say that half of our customers come in carrying a kit with Mason jars and a definite plan,” says co-owner Sarah Marcus, who is also co-founder of local natural beauty brand, Lines of Elan. Though the shop sells beautiful glass bottles you can fill with bulk shampoo, conditioner, body wash and more, they also keep a stash of sterilized jars behind the counter, which customers can borrow. “A lot of customers leave with a refill even though they didn’t come in with anything,” says Marcus. And as it turns out, buying in bulk isn’t just good for the environment; it’s also cheaper. You save between $2 and $5 on most of the refill products they carry.

Living that sustainable life is not without challenges

There’s definitely some beauty behaviour modification required to make this zero-waste ethos work, and it doesn’t end at refillable jars. It’s going to take some extra effort to mail back my empty face creams and lip balms to TerraCycle, for example. And I miss single-use makeup wipes. But face, body and hair care were relatively easy changes to make, and this new focus on packaging has lead me to some incredible discoveries: For one, I’ve swapped my old Sunday self-care sheet masking routine for a powder mask (Odacité Synergie Masque) and am loving my new glow. When the bottle is empty I can toss it in the blue bin—or upcycle it into a flower vase, suggests Laura Townsend, marketing director for The Detox Market, which sells this and many more sustainably packaged beauty products. “The Miron glass is so stunning, we use these as flower pots at home,” she says. The *real* challenge turned out to be makeup. The options aren’t exactly abundant when it comes to even near zero-waste cosmetics, and that’s especially true for people with darker skin or complexion challenges. Elate Cosmetics, for example, has one of the largest sustainably-packaged lines—its products come in compostable bamboo compacts and refills are wrapped in seed paper—and they still only have eight shades of foundation (which claim to cover up to 16 skin tones). I can probably do with fewer makeup options, to be honest. (Four weeks ago I counted 18 tubes of lipstick and gloss in my makeup mountain… and I almost always wear some variation of nude, anyway.) But that is certainly not the case for women of colour, as Fenty Beauty has proven.

My favourite zero-waste beauty discoveries

Over the course of the past month I’ve slowly curated what you might call a cosmetics capsule collection. It’s everything I need, and nothing more. My new makeup tray generates less waste, leaves more space on my bathroom counter and probably saves me time every morning—I no longer debate which mascara to wear, because there’s only one. (It’s Kjaer Weis lengthening mascara, BTW. It comes in the sleekest refillable stainless steel tube and wears as well as my old favourites.) And yes MK, this new routine is sparking major joy.

Recycling is so much more than tossing out your empty kombucha bottle and separating your plastics from your paper products. And even if those things have become second nature in your regular routine, there are things we often overlook in the recycling process — like our makeup.   It's easy to rack up on loads of compacts, lipstick tubes, and foundation bottles, only to toss them in the trash when you're done. But more brands are trying to make your beauty routine more eco-conscious. For example, Seed Phytonutrients offers shower-friendly hair products made from recyclable material. Brands like Le Labo and L'Occitane offer refillable services at discounted prices, so customers can re-up on product without extra waste. And companies like TerraCycle work with beauty brands, like Garnier and Burt's Bees, to help recycle empty packages.   MAC Cosmetics also gives customers rewards for recycling. When you return six completely used containers to the MAC counter, you can walk away with free makeup. "Because we share your commitment to the environment, customers returning to a MAC counter or MAC Cosmetics online, you can receive a free MAC Cosmetics lipstick, or, lipgloss, or eyeshadow if you're part of the MAC Lovers program," a representative for the brand tells Refinery29. Qualified containers include blush compacts, eyeshadow pots, foundation bottles, lipstick tubes, and more. And once the products are returned to MAC through this program, they get recycled by the retailer.   So, instead of tossing that taupe shadow you just hit pan on or the Ruby Woo you've smeared to the last drop, save your empty tins. You'll be cutting back on the staggering cosmetic waste problem (have you heard of "dumpster diving"?), saving money on your next MAC purchase, and you'll be minimizing your carbon footprint.