Are Your Beloved Sheet Masks Killing The Planet?
We love sheet masks just as much as the next person. But when you throw your used mask in the trash, have you ever stopped to wonder how wasteful it actually is?
While those beloved facial products might work wonders on your skin, hydrating it and leaving it with a dewy glow, they aren’t so kind to the environment. For one thing, they generate a lot of waste ― there’s a pouch, the mask itself and sometimes a plastic sheet wrapped up in the mask ― not all of which can be easily recycled or composted, so we toss them into the garbage. That means more waste ends up in our landfills. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, containers and packaging are a huge portion of solid waste in the United States; 77.9 million tons of packaging waste was generated in 2015 alone.
Sure, your sheet masks aren’t the only things responsible for that waste, but they aren’t helping the issue, either. We spoke to some experts who broke down just how harmful those sheet masks are to the environment.
Let’s look at the materials and ingredients that go into a mask
Sheet masks are almost always meant to be single-use products. That means each time you use one, you’re generating some sort of waste.
The pouches that hold sheet masks are often made of a combination of aluminum and plastic, which according to Darby Hoover, senior resource specialist of food and agriculture at the Natural Resources Defense Council, “cannot be recycled in typical municipal recycling systems.” It’s likely, then, that these pouches just get tossed in the trash and end up in our landfills. It’s known that plastic can take hundreds of years to decompose, if at all, and billions of pounds of plastic waste enter the world’s oceans every year, harming our wildlife, according to National Geographic.
In Hoover’s opinion, anything that reduces the amount of packaging, makes the packaging more recyclable or uses recycled materials in production is going to help reduce the ecological footprint. Selling sheet masks in bulk ― similar to a container of salicylic acid pads, which aren’t individually wrapped ― would also help reduce waste.
Then there are the actual masks. Sometimes they’re made from 100 percent cotton, which you might think is easily compostable, and in turn, more eco-friendly. But as Hoover points out, that’s not always the case because average consumers might not be able to decipher that some beauty ingredients in the masks could contain sneaky plastic ingredients that make the mask impossible to compost.
Ashlee Piper, eco-lifestyle expert and author of Give a Sh*t: Do Good. Live Better. Save the Planet, expanded on Hoover’s point, noting that a mask’s compostability is highly dependent on what’s in it. In her own research, she’s seen masks made of cotton, jute and/or bamboo, which on their own would be fine to compost. The only caveat is that if they’re soaked in non-organic, non-biodegradable ingredients, composting might not be an option.
Additionally, she said, if a sheet mask is “a synthetic material like nylon or the like, it cannot be composted and must go in the garbage.” Other non-compostable materials would include microfiber, a synthetic fabric typically made from petrochemicals.
What exactly happens when we put sheet masks in landfills?
While sheet masks aren’t going to single-handedly destroy the planet, they do generate a lot of waste, much of which likely ends up in our landfills.
As Hoover pointed out, landfills are a significant source of methane emissions and methane emissions contribute to global warming. If there are products in our landfills that contain biological or plant-based components (i.e., sheet masks), they will eventually break down and produce methane, she added, “so we want to try to not put organic products in the landfills when we can avoid it.”
That’s the tricky thing with sheet masks ― while some might contain organic or plant-based materials and ingredients, they can’t necessarily be composted, and thus they end up in landfills.
The manufacturing processes involved in producing sheet masks are also something to consider, especially if you’re trying to be a more responsible and eco-conscious consumer. In Hoover’s opinion, this aspect has a bigger ecological impact than the packaging alone.
“We’ve talked about all the ways these products likely include some type of plastic. [With] that alone, we’re taking nonrenewable fossil fuels out of the ground, turning them into plastic and creating packaging and a product that is used once and thrown away,” she said. “That is not the best use of non-renewable materials we have in our economy.”
“That upstream impact of constantly having to go back and harvest materials and all the energy, water, chemicals and other inputs that are used in manufacture are actually the greatest ecological impact,” Hoover said.
She also acknowledged that the average consumer probably doesn’t have the time or ability to figure out what each ingredient in their sheet masks is and whether it can be recycled, composted or neither. In her opinion, manufacturers and brands should provide all the information necessary for proper disposal.
“Even if some of that information is on the package and the rest of it is on a web link, that’s still really helpful to consumers who are trying to do the right thing,” she added.
What can you do if you want to be more eco-conscious?
The easiest answer, hands down, would be to avoid using non-recyclable, non-compostable, single-use sheet masks altogether. But that’s not so easy for everyone.
If you absolutely love your sheet masks and can’t give them up, just know there are other options out there that will yield similar results. As mentioned above, you can try to find products that use organic, biodegradable and recyclable materials. Korean beauty brand Innisfree has a line of biodegradable sheet masks, for example. Andalou Naturals, another beauty brand, also carries masks that are said to be biodegradable. The outer packaging, however, isn’t necessarily recyclable.
You can also look for masks sold in packs, as opposed to individually wrapped. They do exist, and they don’t generate as much plastic waste as the single-use masks. Some people even make their own sheet masks by soaking clean face cloths with their own serums or mixtures of desired ingredients, Piper said.
At the very least, do your research. If you really want to be more responsible, look up your local municipality’s recycling and composting guidelines. Hoover noted that every municipality in the United States has different guidelines, so it’s important to find out what they are in your area. There are also organizations like TerraCycle that recycle typically hard-to-recycle items. You should look at your product’s packaging, as there might be some information regarding proper disposal.
“I think a big point to make is what we want from the manufacturers is [for them] to be very transparent on the packaging, about what is included, what the actual ingredients are, whether it can be recycled or composted. For both the product and package itself, there should be that kind of disclosure,” Hoover said. “It’s very important to not only get that information from the manufacturer but to match it with what your city’s guidelines are for how to responsibly recycle or compost.”
The beauty world can be a complicated place, especially if you’re looking to ditch products with intimidating lists of ingredients and make the switch toward eco-friendly makeup and skincare.
The return of the Indie Beauty Expo brought hundreds of independent retailers from around the world to showcase their amazing, one-of-a-kind products in the heart of Los Angeles. This year, our team of editors attended the IBE in Los Angeles and scouted the best beauty products from independent retailers that don’t compromise quality ingredients for their carbon footprint. Here are some of our favorite brands from IBELA.
Little Moon Essentials The body care by Little Moon Essentials is “made by the phases of the moon” in Colorado. We love to spray the energizing mist at our desks when the climate news becomes too much to bear, and we enjoy the fun scent names (like Tired Old Ass).
Kind Lips We always keep lip balm on hand, and our current go-to is Kind Lips. Not only are these hydrating and kind to the planet; the company also donates 20 percent of profits go toward anti-bullying organizations. Love Sun Body This is the world’s first sunscreen made using 100 percent natural ingredients. It is, of course, reef-safe and effective in protecting your skin from sun damage.
Lunette Menstrual cups can be intimidating, but Lunette offers soft cups that hold for 12 hours and do not leak.
Bare Me We love Bare Me’s reusable, dry sheet masks in a nod to waterless beauty. Plus, the packaging and masks can be recycled thanks to TerraCycle.
Dirt Don’t Hurt From charcoal tooth scrubs and gum cleansing oils to a charcoal-based bath powder designed to soothe and relax, Dirt Don’t Hurt caught our attention with its natural products.
Nature Lab Tokyo If you’re looking to really volumize your hair, try the clean, vegan hair products by Nature Lab Tokyo. As a lab, it has an array of specific formulas to fit your needs.
IGXO: IGXO prides itself on PETA-certified vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics. Lipsticks are the star of the show, and we were highly impressed with their staying power and non-drying formulas.
Lalicious: Lalicious’ line of natural, cruelty-free body washes, scrubs and lotions are truly delightful. We instantly fell in love with the velour body melt, which made our skin softer than ever before.
Pure Mana Hawaii With products plucked right from the owners’ beautiful farm in Hawaii, these serums and body oils will transport you straight to paradise.
Speak We love Speak’s natural, vegan, cruelty-free skincare, especially the cream deodorant and the cleansing powder, which smells exactly like our morning oatmeal.
KIND-LY These Australian-based natural deodorants are vegan and cruelty-free, and guarantee your pits will be free of aluminum, parabens, alcohol and other nasties. KIND-LY also offers an armpit detox for the transition to natural deodorants.
Sway Sway offers natural deodorant, an armpit detox and skincare that is good for you and the planet. Founder Rebecca So just launched skincare at the event, and we are raving over everything: toners, moisturizers, serums and all.
Atar Atar offers luxurious, cruelty-free and vegan hair care products made from natural ingredients. Our hair has never been softer.
Hum Hum’s products promote beauty from within as they are meant to treat blemishes, acne, dry skin, hair and nails. The best part? All supplements are gluten-free, non-GMO and sustainably sourced.
Lather From the bamboo lemongrass scrub to the hand therapy cream to the muscle ease, we loved Lather’s eco-friendly products approved by PETA and Leaping Bunny. Plus, Lather is a carbon-neutral business and uses green packaging.
Herbal Dynamics Beauty This plant-based beauty brand embraces nature with every product. Try the refreshing rose water face toner, which applies like a mist, or the overnight recover mask, which will leave the fragile skin on your face softer than ever.
PYT Beauty This is beauty without the BS (bad stuff). We were pleasantly surprised with the intense pigmentation of this natural cosmetics brand — we highly recommend the highlighters and lip duos!
Spinster Sisters Co Spinster Sisters offers pure ingredients and reusable and recyclable packaging: we’re talking glass jars and plant-based plastics. milk + honey We love milk + honey’s plant-based, organic skincare, especially the products in scent profile No. 16, which blends pink grapefruit, bergamot and cardamom. *hype We’re obsessing over *hype, a line of plant-based nail polishes in a wide variety of colors. Even after several days, our nails have minimal chipping.
Olive + M Olive + M’s skincare products are made using an olive oil base and U.S.-sourced ingredients. Each product repairs and protects skin from sun exposure, air pollution and other common problems.
Northlore We fell in love with Northlore, as all its products are completely eco-friendly, from packaging to ingredients and even shipping. The glacier salt soak is all the rave for its detoxing and skin nourishing properties.
