Know the Importance and Impact of Cosmetics Products to the Environment

Companies are shifting to eco-friendly alternatives to reduce the impact of beauty routines on the planet. Natural beauty products that are less polluting but gentle on skin are now the go to option of conscious consumers.

Behavior of Conscious Consumers on Sustainable Products:

> Invest in brand or company with sustainability at the core of what they do

> Finding products, consumers feel good about

> Modify the consume products and utilize the unused resources

> With more awareness and supporting eco-friendly products, consumers help to show the company that their customer’s demand, sustainable items. It motivates them to change their practices and helps to raise their brand awareness.

Impact of Using Bamboo as Ingredient in Beauty Industry

Bamboo is 100% biodegradable and are capable of rapid growth, which can avoid deforestation. It’s easy to grow that’s why most of the companies into green beauty uses bamboo as raw materials. It’s eco-friendly as long as it’s not chemically processed or without adding harmful chemicals.

Why Use Bamboo other than Rubber, Plastic and other Man-Made Materials

> Biodegradable

> Easy to grow with only 3-5 years to wait

> Produces 35% more oxygen compared with other grass trees

> Has anti-bacterial and fungal properties

Chemicals to Avoid that Have Effects on Health and Environment

> Parabens

> Synthetic Dyes

> Sodium Lauryl

> Petrochemicals

> Phthalates

> Propylene Glycol

> Formaldehyde

> Diethanolamine

Ways to Have Sustainable Make Up Remover

Disposing single use of make up wipes are inherently wasteful and contribute to wide range of environmental problems. Most of these make up removal wipes are non-biodegradable and non-recyclable, a combination of polyester, cotton, wood pulp and are commonly packed in huge amount of plastic that will end up in landfill, or polluting the oceans as it never decomposes.

1. Use of Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a great natural alternative to chemical eye make up remover. It naturally moisturizes, soothes, and give antibacterial benefits of using pure coconut oil in removing eyeliner, eyeshadow and mascara. It’s oil so it can also get rid of waterproof mascara.

2. Use of Bamboo Make Up Remover Pads

Using Bamboo is better than cotton pads, it gently cleanses your skin without irritation and without costing the planet. The pads are normally double sided for maximum efficiency, and when done just toss it straight to washing machine to use again.

3. Use Reusable Eye Make Up Remover

Using eco-friendly reusable eye make up remover avoid contributing ocean pollution and block of sewerage system.

> Makeup Remover Cloth

Cloth are materials made of cotton, bamboo or microfiber, it both helps take good care of your skin without unnecessary waste. It’s versatile and wash easily.

> DIY Reusable Pads

You just need to have cotton sheets, muslin clothes or towel, then cut to size and secure the sides with hem, and there you are you have reusable pads.

Key Reminders When Looking for Eco-Friendly Cosmetic Products, and Tips to Reduce Environmental Risk when Using This

> The longer the list of ingredients the more unnatural chemicals there is, look for ingredients you recognize and can pronounce.

> Choose organic products that have USDA organic seals, these products don’t contain additives and harmful chemicals.

> Check the product toxicity scale on Environmental Working Group’s database at EWG.org.

> Long wear products are a red flag, remember green make up doesn’t have chemical ingredients to last all day long.

> Remember that making homemade skin treatments are the best way to stay safe and help conserve the environment. You can make homemade toners, face masks, and even shampoo.

> When in doubt go to dermatologist to inform that you’re changing your beauty routine with organic eco-friendly products. He or She may recommend products that are great alternative to traditional ones.

> Buy products that uses glass as packaging, as they are easy to recycle

> Try to avoid non-recyclable products made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) which possess environmental and health hazards. Instead choose PET or HDPE that’s easy to recycle and that are safe.

> Buy bulky products to avoid excess packaging, and if you’re travelling have a small refillable container that you can be used multiple times.

> Look for multi-purpose product to lessen the waste and save money. Like some liquid soap, it can be used as shampoo and skin cleanser in one.

> Use product in small amount and use it entirely, meaning squeeze out to get most out of it, you can use tube wringer to get the product easily. For make up you can use rubber swabs to get every bit of the product.

> You can just simplify your make up routine, by reducing water you use in your face or body wash. And use products that comes in recyclable containers and use minimal packaging.

> Wash hair twice or three times a week. The hair strips its natural oil, if washed frequently, and through minimizing the use of shampoo, it can help conserve water and electricity.

> Turn of faucet when washing the face and brushing the teeth, and unplug tools when not in use.

Vegan and Cruelty Free Products

Animal Testing is an issue around the world. Cruelty free products created to test products without involving animal testing, instead it uses ingredients that determined to be safe, leaving animals unharmed together with their natural habitat.

Cruelty free products utilizes natural, sustainable ingredients for clean beauty products. There are organizations and companies that spreads awareness of risks associated with products that use animal testing.

In beauty industry they also market themselves as vegan and cruelty free, these parts them with other cosmetic companies that uses eggs, milk and enzymes found in animal product which are used to produce vast amounts of greenhouse gasses.

For natural ingredients most companies are moving into plant-based options, vegan formulations and plastic free alternatives. A Green or Clean Beauty that incorporates environmental and ethical claims for sustainable source.

Like use of organic green tea, a sustainable plant that can be cut above the soil without soil degradation or need to replant frequently. A sponge can be made with organic green tea, where you’re unable to tell the difference between luxurious product and this, plus the fact that you choose sustainable ingredients, feels better.

Cruelty free citizens ensures consideration on world’s animals and environment. At the same time, it makes them feel good knowing they’re supporting the rights for animals and environment their living.

Wild Plant Grown in Their Natural Habitat as Based Alternative Ingredients

Change over the past couple of years, more sustainable choices are popping up. Bigger companies are beginning to carry more eco-friendly options, to create a world where it’s easy to access and purchase earth friendly items with other conventional items.

However, in order to keep up with the demand of beauty industry there are rare herb or plants that can be eliminated from the planet, that’s not clean or green. Just because it’s a natural ingredient doesn’t mean it considered clean.

Environmental sustainability also considered a clean beauty to have ethical standards in sourcing ingredients. Sourcing these natural ingredients has impact in the environment, especially ingredients that are under threat.

Let yourself educate as you have the power to make a difference even in doing a small stuff, and once you do, you’re bound to feel great.

Importance of Beauty Products Packaging in Sustaining the Environment

The beauty industry creates a hundred of billion estimated packaging units per year, which about 40% of this, are accountable to landfill waste and much will also end up in the ocean.

Consumers now are looking for eco-friendly, zero waste, sustainable products to response in growing concern about global warming and harmful impact of synthetic products have on the planet.

Packaging is important attribute in green beauty towards recyclable sustainable solutions, such as plastic free products and refillable.

What materials are considered sustainable?

Sustainable packaging are materials that come from sustainable sourced and manufactured in process that will reduce carbon footprint. The battle is on growing plastic that poses a risk to life, ocean and earth.

Packaging should be sustainable as possible.

1. Bamboo

Bamboo is a renewable source of raw material that grows faster than most of woods. It absorbs five times more carbon dioxide from the air than other trees, so planting more of bamboo trees has great effect on the environment.

2. Glass and Metal

Glass and Metal are great alternative to plastic, they are recyclable and reusable, and they are safer to consumers as they don’t release any toxins.

3.Silicone

Silicone is sourced from the sand, it’s more heat resistant than the plastic. It doesn’t release toxins into soil and water as plastics do, and can be recycle, making it a good source of sustainability.

4.Compostable and Biodegradable Paperboard

These are mostly used for outer packaging of beauty products, it degrades fast without harm to soil and organisms.

5. Recyclable Plastics

Using recyclable plastics is sustainable as it doesn’t end up as a waste. It aims to reduce the volume of plastics in the environment.

Refilling is one of the highly innovative form to eliminate pollution, either with recyclable pouches, lipstick inserts, face creams, or large bottles from which you can decant product.

By year 2050, some of environmentalists estimate plastic content in the oceans will overwhelm the fish production. By this, having plastic may no longer be the primary packaging in beauty industry.

Some companies now have refilling stations on their store. Like reusable aluminum bottles, you can use these bottles to refill body wash, shampoo or conditioner. There are also products where you can pick up your empty beauty products then order new ones. And for some brand, they even give you free item every time you returned the packaging of their products.

Through refilling less energy will produce, because of less packaging.

Benefits of Eco-Friendly Packaging:

> Consumers Interest

Consumers are seeking beauty products in recyclable, reusable and formulas that comes from sustainable source packaging.

Nowadays, large portion of consumers are millennials on which they are using natural, organic, non-toxic products including its packaging, to conserve the environment.

Having eco-friendly packaging give them an edge over other products in the market.

> Reduced Production Costs

Some of the sustainable packaging materials have less material that can reduce manufacturing costs. Most of these eco-friendly materials are lightweight which cuts down the storage and shipping costs.

Sustainable packaging can be reuse and recycle, making the costs reduced in producing a new one, which in the long run helps saving the money in production.

> Government Regulations

Many governments around the world have environmental policies to conserve natural resources and the environment. There are countries that banned the use of plastic bags, so some of the manufacturing and other services switch early on sustainable packaging, as sooner or later this can be a compulsory policy of the government.

> Reputation

Either its multinational companies or non-profit organizations, consumers want to associate themselves with the brand that has environmental consciousness, that helps reduce the amount of pollution in the planet.

There are eco-conscious individuals that are eager to campaign if practices can harm and pollute the environment, and it’s likely to receive bad reputation.

Difference of Sustainable Packaging and Zero Waste Packaging

Sustainable packaging seeks to have lesser environmental footprint while zero waste packaging strives for no footprint, it involves reusing or recycling. It means the packaging remains in circulation and never end up in a manner that causes pollution. Nevertheless, these are both great options for the environment.

At this stage, what it comes down is to make difference no matter how small or big it is.

Learn more about Sustainable Living:

Importance of Sustainable Clothing Nowadays and it Effects in Future Generation

You Must Know about Eco- Friendly Cleaning Products and How it Affects Our Well-Being and the Planet