REN's Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium Body Cream now comes in bottles made with plastic rubbish rescued from the ocean.
The bottles are 20 per cent reclaimed ocean plastic waste and 80 per cent recycled plastic bottles, with a metal-free pump to make recycling the whole package (£22/200ml) easier.
The redesign follows the skincare brand's collaboration with TerraCycle which saw its Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium Body Wash bottled in ocean plastic too. REN says it plans to be 'Zero Waste' by 2021.
As for the Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium Body Cream (£22/200ml) itself, REN says kelp – 'used in restorative bathing for centuries' – has been harnessed 'to fight fatigue, stress and pollution within a 21st century context'.
A simple Google search will lead you to dozens of articles on when you should throw away your makeup, but how to properly dispose of old cosmetics products is a subject that rarely get touched on in the beauty-sphere. While they may promise to enhance your appearance, beauty products that contain ecologically toxic chemicals — such as parabens, notorious for being used as preservatives in cosmetics, and triclosan, often found in makeup and skincare — can cause damage to the environment when they’re carelessly tossed in the trash or washed down the drain.
”Endocrine disruptors are among the most concerning for human health and for the environment, and this is particularly true when it comes to the marine environment,” says Hillary Peterson, founder of True Botanicals.
“Sunscreen ingredients [such as] oxybenzone and octinoxate bleach coral reefs, [while] synthetic fragrance molecules accumulate in the water supply, poisoning aquatic life. And it all comes back around — the chemicals persisting in the water supply end up in our bodies.”
Peterson also calls out surfactants, including SLS, SLES and TEA typically found in body washes, shampoos and face washes, as “they are very directly going down the drain [and] are toxic to aquatic organisms.”
ALEXIS ROSENFELD/GETTY IMAGES
But the content of beauty products isn’t the only source of environmental pollution. According to Philippa Duchastel de Montrouge, spokesperson for the Oceans & Plastics campaign at Greenpeace Canada, the sheer amount of plastic packaging produced by the beauty industry is just as threatening to our planet.
“Think of all the plastic bottles of shampoo, face wash, toner and other beauty products that are used and thrown away every month. We know that over 90-percent of all the plastic produced since the 1950s has not been recycled, and that currently in Canada only 10 to 12-percent of plastic waste is being recycled. So where is all this plastic waste ending up? It’s ending up in our environment, choking our oceans, in landfills or even at times being incinerated, causing air pollution and producing climate impacting greenhouse gases.”
As much as cosmetics brands and conglomerates are responsible for rethinking their products and packaging, beauty consumers are also able to help save the Earth by making more sustainable choices. There are more eco-friendly ways to declutter your beauty cabinet, for instance, than simply tossing the products away. So before you Marie Kondo your top shelf for spring cleaning, here are a few questions you should ask yourself.
Can the Packaging Be Recycled or Upcycled?
HANNA LA SALVIA/HYPEBAE
An easy first step towards enjoying beauty products responsibly is to diligently recycle emptied products. “When you have empty packaging that can be recycled, work to really be sure you are recycling all of the pieces properly or reuse the empty packaging for a new purpose,” says David de Rothschild, environmentalist and founder of The Lost Explorer Wellness.
For packaging that cannot be recycled in your curbside collection program, consider returning the items to the brand, or look to TerraCycle, a company dedicated to recycling conventionally hard-to-recycle waste.
“Follain uses TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box that allows customers to recycle all empty product packaging. Once each box has been filled, we send it back to TerraCycle to be repurposed. These boxes can be found in each of our stores as well as our office,” says Tara Foley, founder and CEO of cult-loved green beauty retailer, Follain. She adds that the ultimate goal is to ”shift people to purchase products with more eco-friendly packaging.”
“[Recycle] all of the pieces properly or reuse the empty packaging for a new purpose.”
Another attainable solution to beauty waste is upcycling. Foley encourages makeup and skincare enthusiasts to get creative with repurposing empty packaging. For example, using jars as planters, spray and glass bottles as vases, and smaller containers as holders for jewelry and other knickknacks.
Are There Ways to Donate Beauty Products?
DARREN LUK/HYPEBAE
Pre-loved clothes and old household items are commonly accepted at thrift stores, but is it possible to find new homes for beauty products? ”There are many organizations that accept [donations] like Beauty Bus, [which] supports terminally ill patients and caregivers with new products,” Foley suggests, “and Share Your Beauty, which provides products to women and teens in crisis.”
Project Beauty Share, which supports women and families overcoming abuse, addiction, homelessness and poverty, also accepts brand new and lightly used cosmetics and personal hygiene products.
Wands for Wildlife, an Appalachian Wildlife Refuge program that went viral on the Internet earlier this year, receives cleaned, used mascara wands from around the world and upcycles the fine bristle brushes to remove fly eggs and larva from wild animals in its shelter.
In the U.K., a non-profit called Beauty Banks – co-founded by journalist Sali Hughes and brand and communications consultant Jo Jones – is committed to reduce beauty waste by collecting and distributing unused personal care and beauty items to local charities.
“[Sali and I] both work in the beauty industry and love it, but we’re also appalled by the waste of product. We independently became aware of a term called ‘hygiene poverty’ where individuals and families can’t afford to be clean and we’re obviously horrified by it. The idea of children going to school without being able to have a shower or wash their hair, wear deodorant or families having to choose between food and hygiene products because they couldn’t afford both was truly dehumanizing” Jones tells us. “So we started Beauty Banks with the simple purpose of marrying the haves with the have-nots.”
“Of course we are grateful for any brands that we receive, but to send a women’s refuge or care leavers’ charity parcels of luxury [beauty] products is priceless.”
The Beauty Banks has made donating beauty products relatively straight-forward and easy with a number of convenient ways to contribute. Its partnership with Easho allows you to purchase specific wish list items that people living in serious poverty would like to be donated. For those who prefer to donate unused products that have been sitting in their cupboard, the organization has also set up donation drop off points at a network of Superdrug branches and other businesses such as hair salons, nail bars and large offices across the country.
“One thing we do know is that you have to make it easy for people to help — you have to take away any friction to donate because people are busy and there are so many worthy causes they could be supporting.
But what’s been so inspiring is how many people want to do more than sending us products — they want to take action — get their workplace or community involved and do something more, or volunteer to help us pack boxes or drive and deliver donations across the country,” says Jones.
DARREN LUK/HYPEBAE
As insiders of the beauty industry themselves, Jones and Hughes also work closely with publications such as VogueandThe Timesas well as YouTube influencers like Nadine Baggott to collate never-been-used product samples.
“[Unused press samples are] a real treasure for us, because supplying charities with premium brands and lovely beauty items like fragrances and luxury makeup can have a hugely empowering and self-esteem boosting impact,” Jones explains.
“Who doesn’t love getting a Chanel fragrance or an Estée Lauder lipstick? I know I do. Of course we are grateful for any brands that we receive, but to send a women’s refuge or care leavers’ charity parcels of luxury products is priceless. We would love and encourage any influencer who has an abundance of products they don’t need to consider donating them to us — or to a charity close to their hearts.”
Have You Given Beauty Brands the Feedback That They Needed?
HANNA LA SALVIA/HYPEBAE
On the topic of influencer marketing, beauty brands should also be mindful of the huge amount of waste they could potentially generate through excessive gifting.
“Brands can ask influencers what exactly they want to receive. I guess it wouldn’t work with everyone, some people want everything… but it would help me a lot,” says Yana Sheptovetskaya, better known by her Instagram moniker @gelcream. ”I moved two years ago but a big PR [company] still sends packages there.”
Digital content creator Karen Yeung, who boasts 1.5 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, shares a similar sentiment: ”It feels overwhelming every week. I love testing out new products and I’m grateful I get sent products for free, but there’s only so much one girl can use. I usually give my family or friends any extras I don’t plan on using. I actually have a large bin in my garage of freebies for whenever friends come over. It feels good being able to find these products a new home.”
“Businesses respond to consumer behaviour all the time so don’t be shy to speak up and voice your concerns.”
But you don’t have to be a key opinion leader in order to promote change within the industry. As Duchastel de Montrouge of Greenpeace Canada suggests, businesses tend to respond to consumer behaviour so it is important to voice your concerns and give beauty brands the feedback that they needed.
“From face cream to conditioner, mascara to hair spray, zero waste and health food stores are starting to offer the option of refilling your own jars and containers for your products. If you’re stuck on a favourite brand, ask them if they would oblige and you may be surprised by the answer. Smaller, local producers may be more willing to oblige.”
How Can You Shop Sustainably in the Future?
MAXIME CARDOL/HYPEBAE
Not only is there a growing demand for sustainably formulated beauty products, but there is also a dire need for Earth-friendly ways that these products are being brought to consumers. “There are plastic alternatives that are becoming more prevalent around the world, but to bring about change at the scale needed, corporations are going to have to innovate as only they can afford to do [so],” Duchastel de Montrouge tells us.
With that in mind, consider supporting a beauty brand that employs sustainable packaging the next time you need to replace something in your beauty regimen.
“[We] chose easily recyclable materials, glass and aluminum,” says Peterson of True Botanicals. “Everything we make is certified nontoxic for people and the planet by MADE SAFE. Our ingredients are sustainably sourced, and our packaging is recyclable. Even with these constraints, we’re able to make products that truly perform. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice results for health – for the planet or for yourself.”
For those who’re looking to lead a zero waste lifestyle, you’ll be able to find a large selection of products designed with refillable, recyclable and biodegradable packaging at Follain. “A few examples are Follain’s refillable hand and body soap, Kjaer Weis‘ refillable makeup and Meow Meow Tweets‘ deodorant creams,” Foley suggests, “they come in only glass or biodegradable paper sticks.”
“Don’t buy with a disposable mindset. Buy with the mindset that you will use every drop in the bottle and then do that.”
Besides avoiding over-packaged products, doing your research about cosmetics companies on how they treat their employees, their community and nature is also crucial in helping you become a more sustainable shopper.
“We live in a time now where there is so many options for really great natural and sustainable products, you just have to be sure they are coming from a good source and have good intentions behind the company,” says de Rothschild of The Lost Explorer, a brand that prides itself on its facial and body care line formulated without parabens, phthalates, sulphates and synthetic fragrances or colors.
Above all else, beauty consumers need to be thoughtful about the way they shop. If possible, simplify your daily makeup and skincare routine to cut down on the amount of waste you produce. And as Jones of Beauty Banks says, “don’t buy with a disposable mindset,” but purchase an item only when you’re able to commit to using every last drop in the bottle.
We really do wish we could be the type of citizen who lives a zero-waste lifestyle. You know those people who hold the contents of their lives in a Mason jar? We want to be them, we really do. Until we think of our dry shampoo habit, how alive we feel with a little blush, all the SPF and nail polish options we need... and, well, so long, tiny living. But just because we won’t cut down on our fragrance collection doesn't mean that there aren’t other things we can do to help cut down on waste and lighten our environmental footprint. A lot of times, tiny shifts in action can stack up — and making those changes to our beauty regimen is a great place to start.
For example, if you religiously buy the same damned shampoo over and over again, then consider purchasing a jumbo-size bottle to cut down on plastic waste. Even better, if your shampoo is sold in bulk at your local purveyor of healthy-chic things, you can often bring your bottle back for in-store refills. Another idea: Since research shows that oxybenzone, a popular active in physical sunscreens, wreaks havoc on coral reefs and the organisms that live within them, try using one with zinc oxide and or titanium dioxide instead. And that’s just the tip of the ever-melting iceberg.
Ahead, check out ten little changes you can make to your beauty routine in efforts to help spare the air, water, soil, animals, and yes, humankind. You’ll be shocked by how easy they are to make — no major downsizing required.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
Stop Wasting Your Wipes
Just like body wipes, traditional makeup and cleansing wipes are known to pile up in landfills and ultimately harm the planet if they aren't sustainable or biodegradable. To combat that waste, multiple companies have started offering makeup towels. Think of them like a washcloth, but better and more eco-friendly. All you have to do is wet them, scrub them around your face, and they can do everything from cleansing to exfoliating to removing all your makeup. Then, after multiple uses, you can throw it in your laundry bag, wash, and repeat.
Take A Waterless Shower
Thanks to the miracle that is dry shampoo, many of us don’t have to lather up (our heads, at least) more than twice a week — something that saves 10 gallons of water per shower, presuming it takes about five minutes to wash and condition hair per session. If you want to up the ante and cut out an entire shower’s worth of water waste — about 17 gallons for an eight-minute rubdown — without smelling like a barnyard, ditch the water altogether by using a rinseless cleansing foam on your body. This one, and its wipe form, doesn’t leave skin feeling sticky or dry.
Need your shower for shaving? Consider going the laser route, or try these simplified wax strips that — finally— don't require you to chafe your hands warming them up.
Yuni Flash Bath No-Rinse Body Cleansing Foam, $22, available at Sephora
Swap Out Aerosol Sprays
After researchers found that chlorofluorocarbons were hacking away at the ozone layer, legislators required that product manufacturers remove the dangerous chemicals from hairsprays, deodorants, room fresheners, and more. That was more than 30 years ago. But taking CFCs out of aerosols didn’t exactly make them environmentally friendly, because our dry shampoos and canned volumizers still need compressed gases or hydrocarbons to do their thing. And once these elements are released in the air, our collective carbon footprint gets bigger.
There’s even more not to love about aerosols: They emit volatile organic compounds (or VOCs), chemicals that contain carbon and vaporize in the air, and then we breathe them in. These chemicals, along with nitrogen oxides, are responsible for ground-level smog on hot, sunny days, smog which research shows may be linked to asthma. The effects of aerosols also affects our water supply: Studies also show that aerosols make for more pollution-rich clouds, which shrinks the size of rain droplets that form. To spare the air, waterworks and possibly, your lungs, consider dry shampoo in a powder form. Or try swapping out aerosol-based texture sprays for those housed in pump-fueled containers. This one creates volume sans can and uses niacinamide and pea proteins to boost hair health.
Honest Beauty Honestly Uplifted Volumizing Spray, $24, available at Honest Beauty
Switch Your Sunscreen To Save Coral
Ask any derm, cosmetic chemist, or skin-care brand: Sunscreen is one of the trickiest items to make and get right. First, there’s the FDA to contend with. And unlike many other skin-care products, we can almost instantly tell whether it works or not — and it has to work. It must also apply smoothly, not leave a chalky residue, emit no funny scent, and, for some, have good-for-you ingredients.
Now, there’s another vital characteristic a sunscreen must have to pass muster for anyone that gives a shit about the oceans: It must be oxybenzone-free. Because according to a 2015 study, the chemical active in some sunscreens (which washes off of our bodies and into the water) is also responsible for killing coral and accelerating DNA damage in the organisms that live inside it. This formula, which was developed for sensitive, post-procedure skin, uses mineral actives only, quickly absorbs without a trace, and doesn’t leave skin feeling greasy. And look how fun and happy the bottle is!
Dermaflage Scar Screen Broad Spectrum SPF 30, $30, available at DermStore
Edit Your Eyeshadow Collection
Packaging and containers, including those holding beauty products, make up for 30% of junk in our landfills, according to the EPA. We can do better, right? For one, think about swapping big-ass (and plastic or glossy-coated cardboard) palettes for precise, singular products. By paring down to only the colors you'll ever actually use, you’ll not only cut waste, but save money and precious space in your makeup bag.
This eyeshadow can be purchased with or without a compact, which means you can pop pans in and out to suit your needs (and buy refills for a heck of a lot less). And Alima Pure isn’t the only brand kicking down customizable makeup options — check here for a whole lot more.
Alima Pure Pressed Eyeshadow Refill, $18, available at Alima Pure
Support A Low-Waste Salon
The last thing we think about after stepping foot into a salon is if and how the joint recycles. (What can we say, we’re blinded by the new-hair feels.) But between foils, color by-product, plastics, paper, and metal, salons go through quite a bit of materials in the process of making our hair look dope. It’s one of those no-duh realizations that kind of hits you on the head — and immediately begs the question: “But does my salon recycle?”
It’s more than worth an ask. You might find out that, like Ion Studio NYC, it does. The conscientious salon also only uses green and renewable energy and is stocked with Davines hair-care products (which are amazing, BTW). The products themselves are made of environmentally-friendly packaging, including conditioner tubs that use a minimal amount of plastic, are 100% carbon-neutral, sourced from the food industry, and designed to be repurposed into little planters or a catch-all for hair ties and bobby pins.
Or you may find out that your salon isn’t quite there yet. But either way, the inquiry may lead to greener practices by your favorite chop shop. “If a patron tells a salon that she chose it because the salon recycles, that will encourage the salon to continue,” says Lauren Taylor, a spokesperson for TerraCycle, a company that provides recycling services to salons. “Consequently, if a patron tells a salon that she chose another salon because it recycles, that may inspire others to start recycling. When consumers use their wallets to make statements, it affects change.”
Davines NouNou Conditioner, $30, available at Davines
Opt For A Waterless Mani & 10-Free Polish
Because the earth has a limited amount of natural resources, we tend to be motivated by scary depletion statistics — as we should. But another motivator can be found in how much we’ve achieved. Take water conservation: According to the most recent information available from the US Geological Survey, Americans withdrew 13% less water for use in 2010 than in 2005. Every little bit is making a difference. Which is why electing for a waterless manicure, like the kind that LA’s Nails by Colvon and NYC's Van Court Studioprovide, makes more and more sense. (Not only do soak-free manis conserve water, they are thought to contribute to longer polish wear and more hydrated nails and skin.)
Want to up the ante even further? Opt for a nail polish with fewer chemicals. The trend may have started with three-free formulas, but brands like Côte now offer 10-free formulas (in more than 100 chic shades, no less). On the out list? Formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, camphor, formaldehyde resin, TPHP, xylene, ethyl tosylamide, parabens, and gluten — some of which are known carcinogens and may negatively affectthe hormone systems in animals.
Côte Nail Polish in No. 45, $18, available at côte
Bulk Up
For many of us, living in tiny apartments means buying in bulk is out. But Aveda offers a compelling reason to rethink that strategy, in the bathroom at least. The company notes that buying one of its liter-sized hair-care products — instead of five standard-size bottles — means consuming 40% less plastic (and a 25 cents/oz savings). As for the other 60% of that plastic consumed, the brand makes other moves to recoup waste. It uses post-consumer recycled material as much as it can and tries to package products in containers that can be recycled from home. If any brand product can’t be picked up curbside (like makeup brushes), bring it into an Aveda store and pop it in its recycling bin.
Aveda Shampure Shampoo in 1 Liter Size, $40, available at Aveda
Don’t Just Insta Your #Empties, Recycle Them
Recycling beauty products isn’t as easy as you’d think. Lots of packaging contains thick plastic (to protect formulas from degradation), mixed metals, and springs all in one shot. Since different materials need to be separated and sorted, the mixed-media nature of cosmetics, skin-care, and hair-care packaging makes recycling these suckers a logistical nightmare. Thankfully, a few forward-thinking companies have programs in place to assist.
Since 2009, Kiehl's has offered its Recycle and Be Rewarded program in its retail stores, which encourages customers to return ten empty bottles, tubes, and jars in exchange for a new product. Empties can be dropped off anytime — the store will track your exchanges as you go.
Beauty giant MAC offers a similar program via its Back to MAC program. After returning six of the brand’s containers, either online or to a MAC counter, the brand hands over a free lipstick of your choice. The program also features digital tracking, which means you can recycle items as you finish them, instead of having to hoard empties to participate.
Finally, Garnier also takes back empties of its Fructis products for recycling via TerraCycle. Any Garnier product with the TerraCycle logo can be sent into the company for recycling. Once received, the hair-care brand recycles the container and donates two cents to the charity of your choice. The extra step may sound like a pain in the ass, until you account for this fact: According to Garnier, personal care and beauty products account for 1/3 of all landfill waste. Yikes! To help raise its recycling numbers, the brand is partnering with DoSomething.org on its Rinse, Recycle, Repeat campaign, aimed at educating consumers about recycling beauty product empties, with a goal of diverting a total of 1 million bottles from landfills in 2018.
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, lipglass, 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.
Plastic-free, sustainablealternatives such as metal straws and reusable fabric totes are finally getting the attention they deserve. Since small changes go a long way, making simple swaps to your daily routine can drastically cut your plastic waste contribution.
From washing your hair to treating your chapped lips, we’ve rounded up the top brands worth checking out if you’re interested in making your contribution to a more sustainable planet. Our top zero waste picks include, By Humankind, Oui Shave and Kjaer Weis.
Keep reading below for the rest of our Earth Day-friendly products.
Shampoo Bars
Not only are shampoo bars plastic packaging free, but the solid, compact consistency of the conditioning shampoo means you get a lot more use out of a smaller product. Perfect for traveling, switching to shampoo bars means 100ml limits and TSA checks are a thing of the past. Simply lather the shampoo in your hands like a regular soap bar and shampoo as normal.
The Yellow Bird Peppermint Shampoo Bar
THE YELLOW BIRD
Sulphate, paraben, silicone, dye, GMO and artificial fragrance-free, The Yellow Bird Peppermint Shampoo Bar is a gentle product ideal for sensitive scalps and curly hair. Packed in a cardboard box, there is zero plastic waste here.
Price: $10 USD
By Humankind Shampoo Bar
BY HUMANKIND
By Humankind’s Shampoo Bars come in three different variations – lemongrass, thyme and lemon lavender. You can order one bar, or place a recurring order to have the product delivered to your door every four or six weeks. By switching to plastic-free shampoo, you can cut up to five pounds of single-use plastic in one year.
Price: $12.95 USD
Safety Razors
Safety razors are no longer a thing of the past. This switch takes a little practice but is worth the initial effort, and could not only save you hundreds of dollars on wasteful single-use plastic but also trips to the grocery store.
Oui Shave Rose Gold Single Blade Razor
OUI SHAVE
The Oui Shave Rose Gold Single Blade Razor is an award-winning product that looks good and makes you feel even better. Designed to move hair from the surface of the skin, it’s a smoother shave and less ingrown hairs. Oui Shave also offers a hydrating shave oil product that is best used with the razor.
Be sure not to apply any extra pressure as you shave, as the razor is weighted and balanced to produce a clean shave with light, short and gentle-strokes on the surface of your skin.
Price: $75 USD
Zero Waste Makeup and Skincare Brands
A majority of our self-care routines is skincare and makeup. What you put on your face should nourish and protect you, so why not do the same for the planet while you’re at it?
Kjaer Weis
KJAER WEIS
Organic, sustainable and made to last, Kjaer Weis products are bold, beautiful and can be refilled again and again, without any guilt attached. Refill cartons of the signature metal compacts make for a clutter-free make-up bag tailored to your tastes.
Price: Varies depending on the product.
Youth to the People
YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE
Superfoods meet skincare with Youth to the People’s plant-based Earth Day cleanser packaged in glass, refillable bottles. Recyclable, non-toxic and long-lasting, $1 USD for every purchase also goes towards organizations working towards protecting the planet.
Price: Varies depending on the product.
MŌDA
MŌDA
Makeup brushes have to come and go, but MŌDA ensures as they do, they don’t end up in landfills. With 100-percent biodegradable handles made from a plant-based polymer, the brushes come in a kit containing a buffer, contour, shader and detail brush.
Launching a consumer recycling program today, consumers can also send any makeup brush to the brand’s offices to be recycled responsibly via TerraCycle No-Waste boxes. In return, MŌDA will send you a discount code, to purchase new brushes on their website.
Price: Varies depending on the product.
Body
Exfoliate and moisturize your body without the waste.
Croon
CROON
Homemade exfoliants work for some, but the time-consuming process makes switching to sustainable alternatives hard to achieve in our busy lives. Croon’s reusable exfoliating pads have a simple, two-step process – simply, add water and scrub to remove dirt and impurities from your skin. Using microfiber technology, the pads are chemical free, plastic free and reusable. The product can be returned to the company to be upcycled and is produced by using renewable energy in a manufacturing environment that minimizes the CO2 emissions.
Price: Starting at $26 USD
LUSH Dream Cream
LUSH
Not a newcomer, but an all-time favorite, LUSH has an array of body creams that don’t destroy the planet. LUSH’s Dream Cream is a soothing blend of oat milk, lavender and chamomile.
Price: $29.95 USD
Lip Balm
A portable and often short-lived product, lip balms are designed to moisturize on-the-go so going plastic-free makes a huge difference to the waste you can cut out in treating chapped lips.
Lovett Sundries Lip Balm & Tint
LOVETT SUNDRIES
Packaged in entirely recyclable containers, Lovett Sundries lip balms are also packaged and shipped in materials that are repurposed, post-consumer or recyclable. Bonus: the product is made using entirely edible ingredients so you don’t have to worry about what goes in your body either.
RMS Beauty Lip & Skin Balm
RMS BEAUTY
All RMS products are either recyclable or reusable. It’s the brainchild of veteran makeup artist Rose-Marie, who has worked with the likes of Miranda Kerr and Zoe Saldana. RMS Beauty’s Lip & Skin Balm not only protects but nourishes the skin with non-toxic, organic ingredients.
Price: $25 USD
Deodorant
Feel good and smell great with zero-waste deodorants you can carry on-the-go.
Manuka Probiotic Deodorant
BLK+GRN
BLK+GRN is a marketplace for health, beauty and wellness products that sells all-natural products by black female artisans – selected by black female health experts. The deodorant stick is packaged in a recyclable container is odor-absorbing, moisturizing and antimicrobial.
Price: $9 USD
Meow Meow Tweet Deodorant Stick
MEOW MEOW TWEET
Meow Meow Tweet’s deodorant stick comes in a biodegradable container that will compost in just one year.
Made from a combination of plant and mineral powders, the product is also certified organic and fair trade.
Price: $14 USD
From sustainably-sourced ingredients to carbon neutral initiatives, these brands are helping offset their environmental impact.
Allbirds
For Allbirds, sustainability has always been top-of-mind; it’s part of the brand’s DNA. Every product from the footwear company is made out of environmentally-friendly, renewable resources, and their production process uses 60 percent less energy. Now, Allbirds has announced it’s going 100 percent carbon neutral under the Allbirds Carbon Fund. It’s a self-imposed internal carbon tax the company will use to fund emissions reduction projects. What does that mean? Going carbon neutral means that if you’re adding polluting emissions to the atmosphere, for example, you would subtract them or negate those effects by purchasing carbon offsets which are basically credits for emission reductions achieved by projects such as wind farms, solar installations, or energy efficiency retrofits. So, for Allbirds to go carbon neutral, they essentially have to make-up for any environmental impact with positive initiatives like renewable energy projects.
To celebrate, the brand has released a limited-edition endangered bird shoe collection where 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the National Audubon Society, a non-profit conservation organization based in the U.S. $135; available at allbirds.ca
Honua Skincare
Born and raised on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu, Kapua Browning created Honua Skincare in 2015 due to increasing demand in the skincare products she was originally formulating specifically for her facial clients. Made with traditional Hawaiian botanicals like Olena oil (Hawaiian turmeric) and noni fruit, Honua celebrates the Hawaiian culture and Aloha spirit. Ingredients are sustainably sourced from Hawaiian farmers and Honua works with the community to help give back by organizing beach clean-ups and educational events. (These initiatives are paying off: Hawaii has some of the cleanest air in the world.)
Plus, the unique box packaging is made using wind energy and it’s even compostable (thanks to the absence of glue and the use of a vegetable ink). Prices start at $35; available at thedetoxmarket.ca
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Photo Credit: Dresden
Dresden
This Australian eco-friendly eyewear brand just launched its sustainably-made glasses and sunglasses in Canada. Uniquely, the brand offers just one universally-flattering frame style, but in four sizes (from extra small to large) and hundreds of colour varations (16 standard colours and hundreds of blended colours).
In order to meet their zero-waste mandate, Dresden reuses excess dye-coloured plastic waste from their eyewear moulds to create one-of-a-kind transitional frames with blended colours. (This is where the hundreds of blended colour frames come in.) Select one of these frames and you might have the only pair ever created. Prices start at $49; available at dresden.vision
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Photo Credit: ANARA
ANARA Denim
Newly launched ANARA Denim (the brand officially launched on Earth Day, April 22!) is designed in Vancouver and ethically manufactured in Melbourne, Australia. The denim is made from a fabric blend that contains over 50 percent hemp, and uses two-times less water and yields 250 percent more fiber on the same amount of land compared to cotton. $245; available at anara.co
Need an excuse to shop? Here are 13 ways green living can make you healthier.
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Photo Credit: EVIO Beauty
EVIO Beauty
Brandi Leifso, founder of EVIO Beauty, is on a mission to create products that are good for your skin, good for the planet, and good for the community. In addition to producing beautiful, highly-effective products that are vegan, cruelty-free, gluten-free and free of parabens, EVIO Beauty uses hemp-based packaging materials in order to cut down on their use of plastic. Up next? A cannabis skincare line in partnership with Aurora Cannabis. Prices for EVIO Beauty start at $18; available at eviobeauty.com
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Photo Credit: Encircled
Encircled
Sustainability and versatility are two values at the heart of Encircled, a Canadian company making eco-friendly clothing. With a tag-line of “Be more with less,” Encircled is an antidote to fast-fashion, creating high-quality, versatile items that belong in every capsule wardrobe. Their best-selling Chrysalis Cardi can be styled more than eight different ways. You can even wear it as a infinity scarf or a one-shoulder dress! $138; available at encircled.ca
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Photo Credit: KLIIN
KLIIN
One KLIIN towel can potentially replace seventeen rolls of paper towel, according to this Canadian company. The reusable towel is made of 100 percent natural fibres and can be used for everything from wiping counters and doing the dishes to scrubbing the bathroom and washing the car. One towel will last up to three hundred washes after which it can be tossed into the composter. Yep, it biodegrades into organic matter within four weeks. Available in two sizes, with prices starting at $5; kliin.co.
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Photo Credit: Weleda
Weleda
Each year, 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in our oceans, and according to a 2017 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances, only 9 percent of plastic actually ends up being recycled.
To make it easier for consumers, Weleda has partnered with TerraCycle on a free recycling program for their Skin Food line. “Preserving the balance between what we take from nature with what we give back is our core value,” says Rob Keen, CEO of Weleda North America, via press release. “This respect for nature is in our DNA and it guides everything we do – from our innovative biodynamic farming practices that actually pull carbon out of the atmosphere, to our manufacturing facilities in France, Germany and Switzerland that use energy from 100% renewable sources. We also employ thoughtful ingredient sourcing and ethical partnerships that protect the life energy and potency of our products. Now we are teaming up with TerraCycle to ensure that our recently launched Skin Food packaging has every opportunity to be recycled.”
TerraCycle will collect empty packaging from the Skin Food line of products where it’s then cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded into new recycled products. Full details about how to participate can be found at terracycle.ca.
Next, discover 14 ways toxins are sneaking into your
How many times have you held on to beauty empties not knowing exactly what to do with them? We’re guilty of this, too. Thankfully for us, there are programs out there designed to give us a proper place to toss our empties in addition to helping us do our part in recycling. Better yet, some of these programs offer rewards in exchange for our willingness to help the planet.
Let’s be honest—we’re always buying new products and inevitably collecting more empties than we know what to do with. Just in time for Earth Day, we’ve searched high and low for ways to recycle those empties. If you’re like us and have a stash of beauty containers sitting somewhere, it’s time you do your part in preserving the planet. Take advantage of these 10 brands that offer recycling programs: From free shipping labels to credits toward skin treatments, keep this list handy and share with another beauty lover.
As if recycling empties isn’t satisfaction enough, MAC Cosmetics iconic Back To MAC recycling program offers a free lipstick for every six MAC empties you turn in. Just visit your local MAC counter, or you can send your empties to the address provided on the official website.
Attention beauty aficionados: Origins accepts most empty packaging (from any brand) to either recycle them or use them for energy recovery. At the moment, this program is only available in North America, but we hope to see them expand this legacy program, which has been running since 2009.
Love Skyn Iceland and its products, which are modeled after nature? Good news, Skyn Iceland accepts empties from its brand in exchange for money off your next purchase.
Garnier teamed up with TerraCycle to give us an easy way to recycle all of our favorite products for the brand. Just sign up for free, collect your Garnier empties and ship them (for free). Your empties are recycled into packaging for new products. Signing up for this program through TerraCycle will also help you redeem points to use toward products and donations to the non-profit organization or school of your choice.
If you live in Venice, California and love a good facial, Osea’s new recycling program is right up your alley. For every six empties you bring into the skin care studio in person, you’ll receive a $40 treatment credit.
6Aveda Full Circle Recycling Program
Have Aveda empties that you cannot recycle at home? The brand welcomes you to bring them into one of its physical locations. This handy guide will help you determine what packaging you can bring back to Aveda and what you should recycle locally.
Kiehl’s is another one of our go-to brands that reward you for recycling. For every 10 products that you bring in, you’ll receive a free travel-sized product. If you don’t have a Kiehl’s standalone location near you, use this location finder to find a participating partner to bring your empties to.
Lush already does its part for the environment with its packaging made of 100% recycled post-consumer plastic. To add to their sustainability, you can return five clean empty Lush containers in exchange for a Fresh Face Mask.
Have way too many useless beauty products and need to declutter? Lilah B. has the perfect recycling program for you. Send back any beauty products that you don’t use and Lilah B. will work to get them recycled for you. Request a prepaid shipping label today and finally spring clean your vanity.
Until the end of April, you can send back six empty nail polish bottles in exchange for 50% off your Zoya order and free shipping. Get rid of old nail polish and stock up on new colors for the spring and summer.
Impossible Foods was founded with an ambitious mission: to restore biodiversity and reduce the impact of climate change by replacing the use of animals as a food production technology. This commitment is at the core of everything we do. It’s the driving force that motivates us. And we know we aren’t the only ones.
In honor of Earth Day this year, we took a look at other companies who share our mission to save the planet by empowering consumers to make good choices in everyday life. There are many more, but here are a few we know and love:
ACTIVATE: Patagonia
“We’re in business to save our home planet.”
Like many other planet-forward companies, Patagonia uses all resources at their disposal to make an impact. Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, was key to the establishment of “benefit corporations” — expanding the boundaries of traditional corporate models to include creation of environmental and social good. Famously known as “The Activist Company,” Patagonia doesn’t limit their work to the products they make: they use their corporate platform to champion important environmental issues, including the preservation of Bears Ears National Park, the Green New Deal, and more. Learn more about Patagonia’s mission on their website.
DRIVE: Tesla
“Tesla’s mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
Founded on the belief that sustainability doesn’t have to come at the cost of quality, Tesla has helped universalize the concept of electric personal transit. With their vehicles alone, they have prevented over 4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere — not to mention the tangential impact of other car companies following their lead. In the spirit of moving toward a zero-emission future, Tesla has now expanded their efforts to create a sustainable energy ecosystem — releasing products like Powerwall, Powerpack and Solar Roof. Learn more about Tesla’s mission on their website.
SHOP: thredUP
“thredUP is on a mission to inspire a new generation of shoppers to think secondhand, first.”
The fashion industry is notoriously harmful to the environment. Every year, new clothing production contributes billions of pounds of waste to our landfills — in addition to using precious natural resources and polluting our atmosphere. thredUP encourages more people to give clothes a second life before buying something new. Their ultimate goal is to change the way new generations think about used clothing and in doing so, inspire a movement around sustainable fashion. They’ve crunched the numbers and again, the small actions add up: if everyone chose used over new just once a year, almost 6 billion pounds of emissions, 25 billion gallons of water, and 449 million pounds of waste would be saved. Learn more about thredUP’s mission on their website.
EAT: Beyond Meat
“At Beyond Meat, we believe there is a better way to feed the planet.”
Beyond Meat is one of our many allies in the fight for a more sustainable global food system. Like us, they believe that plant-based protein is the future — one that will improve human health, alleviate climate change, reduce global resource constraints and improve animal welfare. They focus on using familiar vegetable proteins, such as pea-protein and beet juice, to recreate the experience of eating meat. Beyond Meat first launched in Whole Foods, and now has multiple products across retail and foodservice that all have a significantly lower impact on the environment than animal-based protein. Learn more about Beyond Meat’s mission on their website.
DRINK: S’well
“S’well’s ongoing mission is to create products that are both beautiful and eco-friendly, that infuse innovation with inspiration, and that continue to give back to communities in need.”
Sometimes, something as simple as purchasing a reusable water bottle can have a monumental impact. Disposable water bottles are one of the biggest contributors to single-use plastic consumption. Globally, 1,000,000 plastic bottles are purchased every minute, and most of these plastics end up in landfills or waterways. S’well is dedicated to reducing that consumption by providing an alternative that people are excited to use: fashionable, functional, and better for the planet. Learn more about S’well’s mission on their website.
CLEAN: The Seventh Generation
“We’re inspiring a consumer revolution that nurtures the health of the next seven generations.”
For the past thirty years, Seventh Generation has been looking out for the planet and the people on it. Founded on the belief that a company’s values are as important as the products they put out into the world, Seventh Generation has set a gold standard for corporate social responsibility. Their products do more than clean your home — by using plant-based ingredients and recycled packaging, they also safeguard the environment. And they haven’t stopped there: their Social Mission Board continues to raise the bar for sustainable practices to ensure a continued dedication to people and planet. Learn more about Seventh Generation’s mission on their website.
RECYCLE: TerraCycle
“TerraCycle is Eliminating the Idea of Waste® by recycling the ‘non-recyclable.’”
Though the definition of what is “recyclable” has become increasingly limited, TerraCycle is out to prove that anything can have a second life. Through partnerships with companies, manufacturers, municipalities and more, they’ve implemented a number of solutions to make recycling more feasible for both businesses and consumers. These solutions include free recycling programs, Zero-Waste Boxes (allowing people to send in everything from action figures to flip flops), and a host of educational resources. So far, they’ve successfully diverted millions of pounds of waste from landfills and incinerators — preventing them from polluting our oceans, terra forms, and atmosphere. Learn more about TerraCycle’s mission on their website.
In order to protect the best-known planet in the universe, we’ll need to work together.
We applaud companies with this mindset, and encourage our friends and fans to explore the different ways they can make a positive impact.
Earth Day is an opportunity for us to reflect on the issue at hand and remember why we’re fighting for this great planet. This is why we’re supporting our friends at The North Face (Read about their environmental efforts on their website) to petition to make Earth Day a national holiday — so we can all take time to appreciate this place we call home.
We really do wish we could be the type of citizen who lives a zero-waste lifestyle. You know those people who hold the contents of their lives in a Mason jar? We want to be them, we really do. Until we think of our dry shampoo habit, how alive we feel with a little blush, all the SPF and nail polish options we need... and, well, so long, tiny living. But just because we won’t cut down on our fragrance collection doesn't mean that there aren’t other things we can do to help cut down on waste and lighten our environmental footprint. A lot of times, tiny shifts in action can stack up — and making those changes to our beauty regimen is a great place to start.
For example, if you religiously buy the same damned shampoo over and over again, then consider purchasing a jumbo-size bottle to cut down on plastic waste. Even better, if your shampoo is sold in bulk at your local purveyor of healthy-chic things, you can often bring your bottle back for in-store refills. Another idea: Since research shows that oxybenzone, a popular active in physical sunscreens, wreaks havoc on coral reefs and the organisms that live within them, try using one with zinc oxide and or titanium dioxide instead. And that’s just the tip of the ever-melting iceberg.
Ahead, check out ten little changes you can make to your beauty routine in efforts to help spare the air, water, soil, animals, and yes, humankind. You’ll be shocked by how easy they are to make — no major downsizing required.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
Stop Wasting Your Wipes
Just like body wipes, traditional makeup and cleansing wipes are known to pile up in landfills and ultimately harm the planet if they aren't sustainable or biodegradable. To combat that waste, multiple companies have started offering makeup towels. Think of them like a washcloth, but better and more eco-friendly. All you have to do is wet them, scrub them around your face, and they can do everything from cleansing to exfoliating to removing all your makeup. Then, after multiple uses, you can throw it in your laundry bag, wash, and repeat.
Take A Waterless Shower
Thanks to the miracle that is dry shampoo, many of us don’t have to lather up (our heads, at least) more than twice a week — something that saves 10 gallons of water per shower, presuming it takes about five minutes to wash and condition hair per session. If you want to up the ante and cut out an entire shower’s worth of water waste — about 17 gallons for an eight-minute rubdown — without smelling like a barnyard, ditch the water altogether by using a rinseless cleansing foam on your body. This one, and its wipe form, doesn’t leave skin feeling sticky or dry.
Need your shower for shaving? Consider going the laser route, or try these simplified wax strips that — finally — don't require you to chafe your hands warming them up.
Yuni Flash Bath No-Rinse Body Cleansing Foam, $22, available at SephoraSwap Out Aerosol Sprays
After researchers found that chlorofluorocarbons were hacking away at the ozone layer, legislators required that product manufacturers remove the dangerous chemicals from hairsprays, deodorants, room fresheners, and more. That was more than 30 years ago. But taking CFCs out of aerosols didn’t exactly make them environmentally friendly, because our dry shampoos and canned volumizers still need compressed gases or hydrocarbons to do their thing. And once these elements are released in the air, our collective carbon footprint gets bigger.
There’s even more not to love about aerosols: They emit volatile organic compounds (or VOCs), chemicals that contain carbon and vaporize in the air, and then we breathe them in. These chemicals, along with nitrogen oxides, are responsible for ground-level smog on hot, sunny days, smog which research shows may be linked to asthma. The effects of aerosols also affects our water supply: Studies also show that aerosols make for more pollution-rich clouds, which shrinks the size of rain droplets that form. To spare the air, waterworks and possibly, your lungs, consider dry shampoo in a powder form. Or try swapping out aerosol-based texture sprays for those housed in pump-fueled containers. This one creates volume sans can and uses niacinamide and pea proteins to boost hair health.
Honest Beauty Honestly Uplifted Volumizing Spray, $24, available at Honest BeautySwitch Your Sunscreen To Save Coral
Ask any derm, cosmetic chemist, or skin-care brand: Sunscreen is one of the trickiest items to make and get right. First, there’s the FDA to contend with. And unlike many other skin-care products, we can almost instantly tell whether it works or not — and it has to work. It must also apply smoothly, not leave a chalky residue, emit no funny scent, and, for some, have good-for-you ingredients.
Now, there’s another vital characteristic a sunscreen must have to pass muster for anyone that gives a shit about the oceans: It must be oxybenzone-free. Because according to a 2015 study, the chemical active in some sunscreens (which washes off of our bodies and into the water) is also responsible for killing coral and accelerating DNA damage in the organisms that live inside it. This formula, which was developed for sensitive, post-procedure skin, uses mineral actives only, quickly absorbs without a trace, and doesn’t leave skin feeling greasy. And look how fun and happy the bottle is!
Dermaflage Scar Screen Broad Spectrum SPF 30, $30, available at DermStoreEdit Your Eyeshadow Collection
Packaging and containers, including those holding beauty products, make up for 30% of junk in our landfills, according to the EPA. We can do better, right? For one, think about swapping big-ass (and plastic or glossy-coated cardboard) palettes for precise, singular products. By paring down to only the colors you'll ever actually use, you’ll not only cut waste, but save money and precious space in your makeup bag.
This eyeshadow can be purchased with or without a compact, which means you can pop pans in and out to suit your needs (and buy refills for a heck of a lot less). And Alima Pure isn’t the only brand kicking down customizable makeup options — check here for a whole lot more.
Alima Pure Pressed Eyeshadow Refill, $18, available at Alima PureSupport A Low-Waste Salon
The last thing we think about after stepping foot into a salon is if and how the joint recycles. (What can we say, we’re blinded by the new-hair feels.) But between foils, color by-product, plastics, paper, and metal, salons go through quite a bit of materials in the process of making our hair look dope. It’s one of those no-duh realizations that kind of hits you on the head — and immediately begs the question: “But does my salon recycle?”
It’s more than worth an ask. You might find out that, like Ion Studio NYC, it does. The conscientious salon also only uses green and renewable energy and is stocked with Davines hair-care products (which are amazing, BTW). The products themselves are made of environmentally-friendly packaging, including conditioner tubs that use a minimal amount of plastic, are 100% carbon-neutral, sourced from the food industry, and designed to be repurposed into little planters or a catch-all for hair ties and bobby pins.
Or you may find out that your salon isn’t quite there yet. But either way, the inquiry may lead to greener practices by your favorite chop shop. “If a patron tells a salon that she chose it because the salon recycles, that will encourage the salon to continue,” says Lauren Taylor, a spokesperson for TerraCycle, a company that provides recycling services to salons. “Consequently, if a patron tells a salon that she chose another salon because it recycles, that may inspire others to start recycling. When consumers use their wallets to make statements, it affects change.”
Davines NouNou Conditioner, $30, available at DavinesOpt For A Waterless Mani & 10-Free Polish
Because the earth has a limited amount of natural resources, we tend to be motivated by scary depletion statistics — as we should. But another motivator can be found in how much we’ve achieved. Take water conservation: According to the most recent information available from the US Geological Survey, Americans withdrew 13% less water for use in 2010 than in 2005. Every little bit is making a difference. Which is why electing for a waterless manicure, like the kind that LA’s Nails by Colvon and NYC's Van Court Studioprovide, makes more and more sense. (Not only do soak-free manis conserve water, they are thought to contribute to longer polish wear and more hydrated nails and skin.)
Want to up the ante even further? Opt for a nail polish with fewer chemicals. The trend may have started with three-free formulas, but brands like Côte now offer 10-free formulas (in more than 100 chic shades, no less). On the out list? Formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, camphor, formaldehyde resin, TPHP, xylene, ethyl tosylamide, parabens, and gluten — some of which are known carcinogens and may negatively affect the hormone systems in animals.
Côte Nail Polish in No. 45, $18, available at côteBulk Up
For many of us, living in tiny apartments means buying in bulk is out. But Aveda offers a compelling reason to rethink that strategy, in the bathroom at least. The company notes that buying one of its liter-sized hair-care products — instead of five standard-size bottles — means consuming 40% less plastic (and a 25 cents/oz savings). As for the other 60% of that plastic consumed, the brand makes other moves to recoup waste. It uses post-consumer recycled material as much as it can and tries to package products in containers that can be recycled from home. If any brand product can’t be picked up curbside (like makeup brushes), bring it into an Aveda store and pop it in its recycling bin.
Aveda Shampure Shampoo in 1 Liter Size, $40, available at AvedaDon’t Just Insta Your #Empties, Recycle Them
Recycling beauty products isn’t as easy as you’d think. Lots of packaging contains thick plastic (to protect formulas from degradation), mixed metals, and springs all in one shot. Since different materials need to be separated and sorted, the mixed-media nature of cosmetics, skin-care, and hair-care packaging makes recycling these suckers a logistical nightmare. Thankfully, a few forward-thinking companies have programs in place to assist.
Since 2009, Kiehl's has offered its Recycle and Be Rewarded program in its retail stores, which encourages customers to return ten empty bottles, tubes, and jars in exchange for a new product. Empties can be dropped off anytime — the store will track your exchanges as you go.
Beauty giant MAC offers a similar program via its Back to MAC program. After returning six of the brand’s containers, either online or to a MAC counter, the brand hands over a free lipstick of your choice. The program also features digital tracking, which means you can recycle items as you finish them, instead of having to hoard empties to participate.
Finally, Garnier also takes back empties of its Fructis products for recycling via TerraCycle. Any Garnier product with the TerraCycle logo can be sent into the company for recycling. Once received, the hair-care brand recycles the container and donates two cents to the charity of your choice. The extra step may sound like a pain in the ass, until you account for this fact: According to Garnier, personal care and beauty products account for 1/3 of all landfill waste. Yikes! To help raise its recycling numbers, the brand is partnering with DoSomething.org on its Rinse, Recycle, Repeat campaign, aimed at educating consumers about recycling beauty product empties, with a goal of diverting a total of 1 million bottles from landfills in 2018.
Kiehl's Calendula & Aloe Soothing Hydration Mask, $45, available at Kiehl'sGo For Single-Blade Razors
Most of us still use plastic disposable razors. They're cheap and accessible — it doesn't matter if you leave yours behind in a hotel room. At least, that's what we think. But having to toss your razorat least once a month (depending on how often you actually shave) can add up in both expenses and physical waste. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, in just one year, the U.S. manages to toss almost 2 billion disposable razors and blades into landfills. Gross, right? To break the chain, consider investing in a single-blade razor. Not only does it save you money in the long run — and offer the softest, burn-free shave of your life — but it doesn't contribute to the mass amounts of plastic waste in the world.
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.
REN says it plans to be 'Zero Waste' by 2021
ALEXIS ROSENFELD/GETTY IMAGES
But the content of beauty products isn’t the only source of environmental pollution. According to Philippa Duchastel de Montrouge, spokesperson for the Oceans & Plastics campaign at Greenpeace Canada, the sheer amount of plastic packaging produced by the beauty industry is just as threatening to our planet.
“Think of all the plastic bottles of shampoo, face wash, toner and other beauty products that are used and thrown away every month. We know that over 90-percent of all the plastic produced since the 1950s has not been recycled, and that currently in Canada only 10 to 12-percent of plastic waste is being recycled. So where is all this plastic waste ending up? It’s ending up in our environment, choking our oceans, in landfills or even at times being incinerated, causing air pollution and producing climate impacting greenhouse gases.”
As much as cosmetics brands and conglomerates are responsible for rethinking their products and packaging, beauty consumers are also able to help save the Earth by making more sustainable choices. There are more eco-friendly ways to declutter your beauty cabinet, for instance, than simply tossing the products away. So before you Marie Kondo your top shelf for spring cleaning, here are a few questions you should ask yourself.
HANNA LA SALVIA/HYPEBAE
An easy first step towards enjoying beauty products responsibly is to diligently recycle emptied products. “When you have empty packaging that can be recycled, work to really be sure you are recycling all of the pieces properly or reuse the empty packaging for a new purpose,” says David de Rothschild, environmentalist and founder of The Lost Explorer Wellness.
For packaging that cannot be recycled in your curbside collection program, consider returning the items to the brand, or look to TerraCycle, a company dedicated to recycling conventionally hard-to-recycle waste.
“Follain uses TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box that allows customers to recycle all empty product packaging. Once each box has been filled, we send it back to TerraCycle to be repurposed. These boxes can be found in each of our stores as well as our office,” says Tara Foley, founder and CEO of cult-loved green beauty retailer, Follain. She adds that the ultimate goal is to ”shift people to purchase products with more eco-friendly packaging.”
DARREN LUK/HYPEBAE
Pre-loved clothes and old household items are commonly accepted at thrift stores, but is it possible to find new homes for beauty products? ”There are many organizations that accept [donations] like Beauty Bus, [which] supports terminally ill patients and caregivers with new products,” Foley suggests, “and Share Your Beauty, which provides products to women and teens in crisis.”
Project Beauty Share, which supports women and families overcoming abuse, addiction, homelessness and poverty, also accepts brand new and lightly used cosmetics and personal hygiene products.
Wands for Wildlife, an Appalachian Wildlife Refuge program that went viral on the Internet earlier this year, receives cleaned, used mascara wands from around the world and upcycles the fine bristle brushes to remove fly eggs and larva from wild animals in its shelter.
In the U.K., a non-profit called Beauty Banks – co-founded by journalist Sali Hughes and brand and communications consultant Jo Jones – is committed to reduce beauty waste by collecting and distributing unused personal care and beauty items to local charities.
“[Sali and I] both work in the beauty industry and love it, but we’re also appalled by the waste of product. We independently became aware of a term called ‘hygiene poverty’ where individuals and families can’t afford to be clean and we’re obviously horrified by it. The idea of children going to school without being able to have a shower or wash their hair, wear deodorant or families having to choose between food and hygiene products because they couldn’t afford both was truly dehumanizing” Jones tells us. “So we started Beauty Banks with the simple purpose of marrying the haves with the have-nots.”
DARREN LUK/HYPEBAE
As insiders of the beauty industry themselves, Jones and Hughes also work closely with publications such as Vogue and The Times as well as YouTube influencers like Nadine Baggott to collate never-been-used product samples.
“[Unused press samples are] a real treasure for us, because supplying charities with premium brands and lovely beauty items like fragrances and luxury makeup can have a hugely empowering and self-esteem boosting impact,” Jones explains.
“Who doesn’t love getting a Chanel fragrance or an Estée Lauder lipstick? I know I do. Of course we are grateful for any brands that we receive, but to send a women’s refuge or care leavers’ charity parcels of luxury products is priceless. We would love and encourage any influencer who has an abundance of products they don’t need to consider donating them to us — or to a charity close to their hearts.”
HANNA LA SALVIA/HYPEBAE
On the topic of influencer marketing, beauty brands should also be mindful of the huge amount of waste they could potentially generate through excessive gifting.
“Brands can ask influencers what exactly they want to receive. I guess it wouldn’t work with everyone, some people want everything… but it would help me a lot,” says Yana Sheptovetskaya, better known by her Instagram moniker @gelcream. ”I moved two years ago but a big PR [company] still sends packages there.”
Digital content creator Karen Yeung, who boasts 1.5 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, shares a similar sentiment: ”It feels overwhelming every week. I love testing out new products and I’m grateful I get sent products for free, but there’s only so much one girl can use. I usually give my family or friends any extras I don’t plan on using. I actually have a large bin in my garage of freebies for whenever friends come over. It feels good being able to find these products a new home.”
MAXIME CARDOL/HYPEBAE
Not only is there a growing demand for sustainably formulated beauty products, but there is also a dire need for Earth-friendly ways that these products are being brought to consumers. “There are plastic alternatives that are becoming more prevalent around the world, but to bring about change at the scale needed, corporations are going to have to innovate as only they can afford to do [so],” Duchastel de Montrouge tells us.
With that in mind, consider supporting a beauty brand that employs sustainable packaging the next time you need to replace something in your beauty regimen.
“[We] chose easily recyclable materials, glass and aluminum,” says Peterson of True Botanicals. “Everything we make is certified nontoxic for people and the planet by MADE SAFE. Our ingredients are sustainably sourced, and our packaging is recyclable. Even with these constraints, we’re able to make products that truly perform. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice results for health – for the planet or for yourself.”
For those who’re looking to lead a zero waste lifestyle, you’ll be able to find a large selection of products designed with refillable, recyclable and biodegradable packaging at Follain. “A few examples are Follain’s refillable hand and body soap, Kjaer Weis‘ refillable makeup and Meow Meow Tweets‘ deodorant creams,” Foley suggests, “they come in only glass or biodegradable paper sticks.”
We really do wish we could be the type of citizen who lives a zero-waste lifestyle. You know those people who hold the contents of their lives in a Mason jar? We want to be them, we really do. Until we think of our dry shampoo habit, how alive we feel with a little blush, all the SPF and nail polish options we need... and, well, so long, tiny living. But just because we won’t cut down on our fragrance collection doesn't mean that there aren’t other things we can do to help cut down on waste and lighten our environmental footprint. A lot of times, tiny shifts in action can stack up — and making those changes to our beauty regimen is a great place to start.
For example, if you religiously buy the same damned shampoo over and over again, then consider purchasing a jumbo-size bottle to cut down on plastic waste. Even better, if your shampoo is sold in bulk at your local purveyor of healthy-chic things, you can often bring your bottle back for in-store refills. Another idea: Since research shows that oxybenzone, a popular active in physical sunscreens, wreaks havoc on coral reefs and the organisms that live within them, try using one with zinc oxide and or titanium dioxide instead. And that’s just the tip of the ever-melting iceberg.
Ahead, check out ten little changes you can make to your beauty routine in efforts to help spare the air, water, soil, animals, and yes, humankind. You’ll be shocked by how easy they are to make — no major downsizing required.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
Stop Wasting Your Wipes
Just like body wipes, traditional makeup and cleansing wipes are known to pile up in landfills and ultimately harm the planet if they aren't sustainable or biodegradable. To combat that waste, multiple companies have started offering makeup towels. Think of them like a washcloth, but better and more eco-friendly. All you have to do is wet them, scrub them around your face, and they can do everything from cleansing to exfoliating to removing all your makeup. Then, after multiple uses, you can throw it in your laundry bag, wash, and repeat.
Take A Waterless Shower
Thanks to the miracle that is dry shampoo, many of us don’t have to lather up (our heads, at least) more than twice a week — something that saves 10 gallons of water per shower, presuming it takes about five minutes to wash and condition hair per session. If you want to up the ante and cut out an entire shower’s worth of water waste — about 17 gallons for an eight-minute rubdown — without smelling like a barnyard, ditch the water altogether by using a rinseless cleansing foam on your body. This one, and its wipe form, doesn’t leave skin feeling sticky or dry.
Need your shower for shaving? Consider going the laser route, or try these simplified wax strips that — finally— don't require you to chafe your hands warming them up.
Yuni Flash Bath No-Rinse Body Cleansing Foam, $22, available at Sephora
Swap Out Aerosol Sprays
After researchers found that chlorofluorocarbons were hacking away at the ozone layer, legislators required that product manufacturers remove the dangerous chemicals from hairsprays, deodorants, room fresheners, and more. That was more than 30 years ago. But taking CFCs out of aerosols didn’t exactly make them environmentally friendly, because our dry shampoos and canned volumizers still need compressed gases or hydrocarbons to do their thing. And once these elements are released in the air, our collective carbon footprint gets bigger.
There’s even more not to love about aerosols: They emit volatile organic compounds (or VOCs), chemicals that contain carbon and vaporize in the air, and then we breathe them in. These chemicals, along with nitrogen oxides, are responsible for ground-level smog on hot, sunny days, smog which research shows may be linked to asthma. The effects of aerosols also affects our water supply: Studies also show that aerosols make for more pollution-rich clouds, which shrinks the size of rain droplets that form. To spare the air, waterworks and possibly, your lungs, consider dry shampoo in a powder form. Or try swapping out aerosol-based texture sprays for those housed in pump-fueled containers. This one creates volume sans can and uses niacinamide and pea proteins to boost hair health.
Honest Beauty Honestly Uplifted Volumizing Spray, $24, available at Honest Beauty
Switch Your Sunscreen To Save Coral
Ask any derm, cosmetic chemist, or skin-care brand: Sunscreen is one of the trickiest items to make and get right. First, there’s the FDA to contend with. And unlike many other skin-care products, we can almost instantly tell whether it works or not — and it has to work. It must also apply smoothly, not leave a chalky residue, emit no funny scent, and, for some, have good-for-you ingredients.
Now, there’s another vital characteristic a sunscreen must have to pass muster for anyone that gives a shit about the oceans: It must be oxybenzone-free. Because according to a 2015 study, the chemical active in some sunscreens (which washes off of our bodies and into the water) is also responsible for killing coral and accelerating DNA damage in the organisms that live inside it. This formula, which was developed for sensitive, post-procedure skin, uses mineral actives only, quickly absorbs without a trace, and doesn’t leave skin feeling greasy. And look how fun and happy the bottle is!
Dermaflage Scar Screen Broad Spectrum SPF 30, $30, available at DermStore
Edit Your Eyeshadow Collection
Packaging and containers, including those holding beauty products, make up for 30% of junk in our landfills, according to the EPA. We can do better, right? For one, think about swapping big-ass (and plastic or glossy-coated cardboard) palettes for precise, singular products. By paring down to only the colors you'll ever actually use, you’ll not only cut waste, but save money and precious space in your makeup bag.
This eyeshadow can be purchased with or without a compact, which means you can pop pans in and out to suit your needs (and buy refills for a heck of a lot less). And Alima Pure isn’t the only brand kicking down customizable makeup options — check here for a whole lot more.
Alima Pure Pressed Eyeshadow Refill, $18, available at Alima Pure
Support A Low-Waste Salon
The last thing we think about after stepping foot into a salon is if and how the joint recycles. (What can we say, we’re blinded by the new-hair feels.) But between foils, color by-product, plastics, paper, and metal, salons go through quite a bit of materials in the process of making our hair look dope. It’s one of those no-duh realizations that kind of hits you on the head — and immediately begs the question: “But does my salon recycle?”
It’s more than worth an ask. You might find out that, like Ion Studio NYC, it does. The conscientious salon also only uses green and renewable energy and is stocked with Davines hair-care products (which are amazing, BTW). The products themselves are made of environmentally-friendly packaging, including conditioner tubs that use a minimal amount of plastic, are 100% carbon-neutral, sourced from the food industry, and designed to be repurposed into little planters or a catch-all for hair ties and bobby pins.
Or you may find out that your salon isn’t quite there yet. But either way, the inquiry may lead to greener practices by your favorite chop shop. “If a patron tells a salon that she chose it because the salon recycles, that will encourage the salon to continue,” says Lauren Taylor, a spokesperson for TerraCycle, a company that provides recycling services to salons. “Consequently, if a patron tells a salon that she chose another salon because it recycles, that may inspire others to start recycling. When consumers use their wallets to make statements, it affects change.”
Davines NouNou Conditioner, $30, available at Davines
Opt For A Waterless Mani & 10-Free Polish
Because the earth has a limited amount of natural resources, we tend to be motivated by scary depletion statistics — as we should. But another motivator can be found in how much we’ve achieved. Take water conservation: According to the most recent information available from the US Geological Survey, Americans withdrew 13% less water for use in 2010 than in 2005. Every little bit is making a difference. Which is why electing for a waterless manicure, like the kind that LA’s Nails by Colvon and NYC's Van Court Studioprovide, makes more and more sense. (Not only do soak-free manis conserve water, they are thought to contribute to longer polish wear and more hydrated nails and skin.)
Want to up the ante even further? Opt for a nail polish with fewer chemicals. The trend may have started with three-free formulas, but brands like Côte now offer 10-free formulas (in more than 100 chic shades, no less). On the out list? Formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, camphor, formaldehyde resin, TPHP, xylene, ethyl tosylamide, parabens, and gluten — some of which are known carcinogens and may negatively affectthe hormone systems in animals.
Côte Nail Polish in No. 45, $18, available at côte
Bulk Up
For many of us, living in tiny apartments means buying in bulk is out. But Aveda offers a compelling reason to rethink that strategy, in the bathroom at least. The company notes that buying one of its liter-sized hair-care products — instead of five standard-size bottles — means consuming 40% less plastic (and a 25 cents/oz savings). As for the other 60% of that plastic consumed, the brand makes other moves to recoup waste. It uses post-consumer recycled material as much as it can and tries to package products in containers that can be recycled from home. If any brand product can’t be picked up curbside (like makeup brushes), bring it into an Aveda store and pop it in its recycling bin.
Aveda Shampure Shampoo in 1 Liter Size, $40, available at Aveda
Don’t Just Insta Your #Empties, Recycle Them
Recycling beauty products isn’t as easy as you’d think. Lots of packaging contains thick plastic (to protect formulas from degradation), mixed metals, and springs all in one shot. Since different materials need to be separated and sorted, the mixed-media nature of cosmetics, skin-care, and hair-care packaging makes recycling these suckers a logistical nightmare. Thankfully, a few forward-thinking companies have programs in place to assist.
Since 2009, Kiehl's has offered its Recycle and Be Rewarded program in its retail stores, which encourages customers to return ten empty bottles, tubes, and jars in exchange for a new product. Empties can be dropped off anytime — the store will track your exchanges as you go.
Beauty giant MAC offers a similar program via its Back to MAC program. After returning six of the brand’s containers, either online or to a MAC counter, the brand hands over a free lipstick of your choice. The program also features digital tracking, which means you can recycle items as you finish them, instead of having to hoard empties to participate.
Finally, Garnier also takes back empties of its Fructis products for recycling via TerraCycle. Any Garnier product with the TerraCycle logo can be sent into the company for recycling. Once received, the hair-care brand recycles the container and donates two cents to the charity of your choice. The extra step may sound like a pain in the ass, until you account for this fact: According to Garnier, personal care and beauty products account for 1/3 of all landfill waste. Yikes! To help raise its recycling numbers, the brand is partnering with DoSomething.org on its Rinse, Recycle, Repeat campaign, aimed at educating consumers about recycling beauty product empties, with a goal of diverting a total of 1 million bottles from landfills in 2018.
THE YELLOW BIRD
Sulphate, paraben, silicone, dye, GMO and artificial fragrance-free, The Yellow Bird Peppermint Shampoo Bar is a gentle product ideal for sensitive scalps and curly hair. Packed in a cardboard box, there is zero plastic waste here.
Price: $10 USD
By Humankind Shampoo Bar
BY HUMANKIND
By Humankind’s Shampoo Bars come in three different variations – lemongrass, thyme and lemon lavender. You can order one bar, or place a recurring order to have the product delivered to your door every four or six weeks. By switching to plastic-free shampoo, you can cut up to five pounds of single-use plastic in one year.
Price: $12.95 USD
OUI SHAVE
The Oui Shave Rose Gold Single Blade Razor is an award-winning product that looks good and makes you feel even better. Designed to move hair from the surface of the skin, it’s a smoother shave and less ingrown hairs. Oui Shave also offers a hydrating shave oil product that is best used with the razor.
Be sure not to apply any extra pressure as you shave, as the razor is weighted and balanced to produce a clean shave with light, short and gentle-strokes on the surface of your skin.
Price: $75 USD
KJAER WEIS
Organic, sustainable and made to last, Kjaer Weis products are bold, beautiful and can be refilled again and again, without any guilt attached. Refill cartons of the signature metal compacts make for a clutter-free make-up bag tailored to your tastes.
Price: Varies depending on the product.
Youth to the People
YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE
Superfoods meet skincare with Youth to the People’s plant-based Earth Day cleanser packaged in glass, refillable bottles. Recyclable, non-toxic and long-lasting, $1 USD for every purchase also goes towards organizations working towards protecting the planet.
Price: Varies depending on the product.
MŌDA
MŌDA
Makeup brushes have to come and go, but MŌDA ensures as they do, they don’t end up in landfills. With 100-percent biodegradable handles made from a plant-based polymer, the brushes come in a kit containing a buffer, contour, shader and detail brush.
Launching a consumer recycling program today, consumers can also send any makeup brush to the brand’s offices to be recycled responsibly via TerraCycle No-Waste boxes. In return, MŌDA will send you a discount code, to purchase new brushes on their website.
Price: Varies depending on the product.
CROON
Homemade exfoliants work for some, but the time-consuming process makes switching to sustainable alternatives hard to achieve in our busy lives. Croon’s reusable exfoliating pads have a simple, two-step process – simply, add water and scrub to remove dirt and impurities from your skin. Using microfiber technology, the pads are chemical free, plastic free and reusable. The product can be returned to the company to be upcycled and is produced by using renewable energy in a manufacturing environment that minimizes the CO2 emissions.
Price: Starting at $26 USD
LUSH Dream Cream
LUSH
Not a newcomer, but an all-time favorite, LUSH has an array of body creams that don’t destroy the planet. LUSH’s Dream Cream is a soothing blend of oat milk, lavender and chamomile.
Price: $29.95 USD
LOVETT SUNDRIES
Packaged in entirely recyclable containers, Lovett Sundries lip balms are also packaged and shipped in materials that are repurposed, post-consumer or recyclable. Bonus: the product is made using entirely edible ingredients so you don’t have to worry about what goes in your body either.
RMS Beauty Lip & Skin Balm
RMS BEAUTY
All RMS products are either recyclable or reusable. It’s the brainchild of veteran makeup artist Rose-Marie, who has worked with the likes of Miranda Kerr and Zoe Saldana. RMS Beauty’s Lip & Skin Balm not only protects but nourishes the skin with non-toxic, organic ingredients.
Price: $25 USD
BLK+GRN
BLK+GRN is a marketplace for health, beauty and wellness products that sells all-natural products by black female artisans – selected by black female health experts. The deodorant stick is packaged in a recyclable container is odor-absorbing, moisturizing and antimicrobial.
Price: $9 USD
Meow Meow Tweet Deodorant Stick
MEOW MEOW TWEET
Meow Meow Tweet’s deodorant stick comes in a biodegradable container that will compost in just one year.
Made from a combination of plant and mineral powders, the product is also certified organic and fair trade.
Price: $14 USD
Photo Credit: Dresden
Photo Credit: ANARA
Photo Credit: EVIO Beauty
Photo Credit: Encircled
Photo Credit: KLIIN
Photo Credit: Weleda
If you live in Venice, California and love a good facial, Osea’s new recycling program is right up your alley. For every six empties you bring into the skin care studio in person, you’ll receive a $40 treatment credit.
Have Aveda empties that you cannot recycle at home? The brand welcomes you to bring them into one of its physical locations. This handy guide will help you determine what packaging you can bring back to Aveda and what you should recycle locally.
We really do wish we could be the type of citizen who lives a zero-waste lifestyle. You know those people who hold the contents of their lives in a Mason jar? We want to be them, we really do. Until we think of our dry shampoo habit, how alive we feel with a little blush, all the SPF and nail polish options we need... and, well, so long, tiny living. But just because we won’t cut down on our fragrance collection doesn't mean that there aren’t other things we can do to help cut down on waste and lighten our environmental footprint. A lot of times, tiny shifts in action can stack up — and making those changes to our beauty regimen is a great place to start.
For example, if you religiously buy the same damned shampoo over and over again, then consider purchasing a jumbo-size bottle to cut down on plastic waste. Even better, if your shampoo is sold in bulk at your local purveyor of healthy-chic things, you can often bring your bottle back for in-store refills. Another idea: Since research shows that oxybenzone, a popular active in physical sunscreens, wreaks havoc on coral reefs and the organisms that live within them, try using one with zinc oxide and or titanium dioxide instead. And that’s just the tip of the ever-melting iceberg.
Ahead, check out ten little changes you can make to your beauty routine in efforts to help spare the air, water, soil, animals, and yes, humankind. You’ll be shocked by how easy they are to make — no major downsizing required.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
Stop Wasting Your Wipes
Just like body wipes, traditional makeup and cleansing wipes are known to pile up in landfills and ultimately harm the planet if they aren't sustainable or biodegradable. To combat that waste, multiple companies have started offering makeup towels. Think of them like a washcloth, but better and more eco-friendly. All you have to do is wet them, scrub them around your face, and they can do everything from cleansing to exfoliating to removing all your makeup. Then, after multiple uses, you can throw it in your laundry bag, wash, and repeat.
Take A Waterless Shower
Thanks to the miracle that is dry shampoo, many of us don’t have to lather up (our heads, at least) more than twice a week — something that saves 10 gallons of water per shower, presuming it takes about five minutes to wash and condition hair per session. If you want to up the ante and cut out an entire shower’s worth of water waste — about 17 gallons for an eight-minute rubdown — without smelling like a barnyard, ditch the water altogether by using a rinseless cleansing foam on your body. This one, and its wipe form, doesn’t leave skin feeling sticky or dry.
Need your shower for shaving? Consider going the laser route, or try these simplified wax strips that — finally — don't require you to chafe your hands warming them up.
Yuni Flash Bath No-Rinse Body Cleansing Foam, $22, available at Sephora
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.