POPSUGAR

8 Tiny Beauty Tweaks You Can Make to Be More Eco-Friendly

Mar 31 2021 - 3:30pm

Making conscious beauty decisions is more important than ever, and not just during Earth Month. Things like monitoring your consumption, optimizing your usage, and working toward more sustainable habits [1] can make a world of difference year-round. Now, before you go off thinking we're suggesting you completely abandon your old ways, hear us out: it doesn't take drastic measures to make your beauty routine more eco-friendly [2]. There are plenty of tiny tweaks you can make.

"The beauty industry is only behind the food and beverage industry as one of the world's biggest sources of waste," Belinda Smith, the founder of St. Rose [3], a cleanly formulated, sustainably sourced fragrance brand, tells PS. "However, instead of feeling guilty or discouraged, let's do something about it. Small progress every day is a big win, and we all need to do our part if we are going to steer this ship around."

From shopping eco-friendly brands to familiarizing yourself with sustainable beauty terms [4] and making an effort to donate your beauty products [5], there are plenty of ways you can make a difference. Ahead, we're sharing a few conscious beauty changes you can make in your everyday life to work toward a more eco-friendly, sustainable routine.

1. Research and Support Eco-Friendly Brands

We're not recommending you give up your 10-step skin-care routine, but you can look to include more eco-friendly and sustainable products. "Support eco-friendly brands with sustainable ingredients," says Allison McNamara, founder of Mara [6], a sustainably made and ethically sourced skin-care brand. "You have the power with your dollar to support brands that are doing their part to make a difference."

You can usually determine if a brand is eco-friendly by looking at its mission. "Being more mindful as consumers is the number one thing," Smith says. "Choosing better and buying less. Looking to invest in brands that are practicing what they preach."

2. Recycle Empty Beauty Products

Instead of just throwing them away in the trash, recycle beauty products [7] properly with beauty-specific programs. Unfortunately, many beauty products cannot be recycled in regular blue bins with other cans and bottles. That's why programs like TerraCycle [8] exist — they allow you to mail your typically non-recyclable empty beauty products to them to be properly repurposed.

To take your efforts a step further, you can look to support brands that partner with recycling programs. Garnier [9], Love Beauty and Planet [10], and Göt2b [11], to name a few, are all partners with TerraCycle and reward customers in various ways for recycling their empty products. Nordstrom started its own recycling program [12] in partnership with TerraCycle in 2020 called BeautyCycle, where it collects empty product containers via recycling boxes in its department stores.

"Being more mindful as consumers is the number one thing."

To help your products get recycled, McNamara explains you should clean them out before tossing them. "I know when you're in the moment it feels like a chore, but anything (beauty, food, etc.) with more than 10 percent left in the component doesn't get recycled," McNamara says. "Do your part and rinse out your containers."

3. Upgrade Your Dental Routine With Reusable or Plastic-Free Alternatives

There is plenty of room for improvement in your dental routine when it comes to sustainability. Toothpaste is something everyone uses, but do you know what happens to those tubes after you finish them? "Toothpaste tubes can't be recycled and every single plastic toothbrush you've ever used is still sitting in a landfill somewhere," says Lindsay McCormick, founder of Bite [13], an eco-friendly oral-care brand. "The Bite Toothpaste Bits [14] ($32) are dry toothpaste tablets that come in refillable glass jars."

While you're at it, replace your toothbrush with a bamboo option, like the Grin Bamboo Charcoal-Infused Toothbrush [15] ($5 for three), and your single-use flossers with something like the Quip Refillable Floss Pick [16] ($17). It keeps 180 disposable picks out of the landfill.

4. Ditch the Single-Use Cotton Rounds For Reusables

If you use a cotton pad every time you take off your makeup or apply a toner, the amount you're throwing away can quickly add up. To reduce your waste, switch to reusable cotton pads. "Not only are single-use cotton pads wasteful, many contain plastics too," McNamara says. The switch is better for the environment and your wallet, so it's a win-win. "It saves trips to the store, and because they last for years, they'll save you money in the long run," McCormick says. We like the Face Halo Original [17] ($22 for three).

5. Opt For Products Made With Compostable Ingredients

Plastic waste in landfills can take hundreds of years to decompose. So, next time you're shopping for things like a toothbrush or hair brush, try looking for biodegradable options. For example, the WetBrush Go Green Treatment & Shine Hair Brush [18] ($18) is made from all-natural biodegradable plant starch that naturally breaks down in a landfill within five years.

6. Think About Packaging

On the list of potential packaging materials, plastic is one of the worst. Glass, on the other hand, is endlessly recyclable and a better option (however, when thrown out or recycled improperly, it can take twice as long as plastic to decompose). Whenever possible, look for zero-waste packaging [19]. This includes items like soap bars, shampoo — try the Superzero Solid Shampoo [20] ($28) — and conditioner.

7. Buy Refillable Beauty Products

More brands are launching refillable beauty products [21], allowing consumers to restock without needing to purchase an entirely new jar or bottle. For example, Ouai sells a Shampoo Refill Pouch [22] ($64) and L'Occitane carries a Softening Shea Body Shower Oil Refill [23] ($42). Outside of the shower, the brand Gelo Hand Soap [24] ($5) sells refillable, highly concentrated plant-based soap pods that are housed in a 100 percent biodegradable, water-soluble film that activates when combined with water.

8. Cut Back on Single-Use Everything in Beauty

Taking it a step further than just single-use cotton rounds; consider cutting back on single-use everything — especially sheet masks, which are fun to use but extremely wasteful. "This is because [the packaging is] made out of complex material in the form of multiple plastic types or a combination of aluminum and plastic, rendering it too difficult to separate and process," says Alexander Payne, a publicist at TerraCycle. "As for the sheet mask itself, if yours is nylon or synthetic, it is not cost-effective for conventional recyclers to clean and process." In most cases, you can find out if your mask is nylon or synthetic by reading the ingredients label.

Look for sheet masks that are compostable [25] or reusable, like the Honest Reusable Magic Silicone Sheet Mask [26] ($15) and the Dieux Forever Eye Mask [27] ($25), instead. "I stopped using sheet masks and face wipes years ago originally because I realized just how wasteful and unsustainable single-use beauty products are," McNamara says.

All of these tweaks are small, but they can really make an impact.


Jessica Harrington [28] is the senior beauty editor at POPSUGAR, where she writes about hair, makeup, skin care, piercings, tattoos, and more. As a New York City-based writer and editor with a degree in journalism and over eight years of industry experience, she loves to interview industry experts, keep up with the latest trends, and test new products.


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