How your beauty routine can help celebrate Earth Day every day

If you’re a keen advocate for the environment, then you may already know that this Thursday (April 22nd) is Earth Day. 

What’s great about Earth Day is that it not only reminds us of the work that still needs to be done to help protect our environment, but it shines a spotlight on the brands that are already making it easier for us, by providing more eco-friendly options for our everyday consumption.

Beauty often receives a bad rap when it comes to wastage and when you think about the amount of shampoo bottles, moisturiser tubs and serum droppers that have ended up in landfill all over the world, it can be easy to see why.

But plenty of our favourite beauty brands have answered the cry for easier, more sustainable options and actions. So in case you hadn’t heard about them already, we’re celebrating Earth Day by bringing them to your attention.

Aveda

Switching your shampoo bottles for haircare in bar form is a great way to reduce your plastic consumption — so get your hands on the new, limited-edition Shampure™ Nurturing Shampoo Bar from Aveda while you can. With zero plastic packaging, the carton is 100 per cent post-consumer recycled FSC certified fiber.

Plus, if you’re a sucker for a good scrunchie, Aveda has also partnered with Take 3 for the Sea and designed a trio scrunchie set sustainably made from post-consumer recycled plastics. 100 per cent of profits are donated to Take 3 for the Sea to protect oceans and stop plastic pollution.

Simple

The finger is often pointed at face wipes when it comes to beauty waste, but not all wipes are made the same. Simple® Kind to Skin Biodegradable Cleansing Wipes are made of soft renewable plant fibers and sustainable wood pulp, allowing them to biodegrade. In fact, they only take 42 days in the compost to do so. 

Invisible Zinc

You may have heard of ‘reef-safe’ sunscreen — but what does it actually mean? Well, certain UV filters found in sunscreens are suspected of damaging coral reefs by contributing to coral reef bleaching (please note there is no solid proof of this yet). In order to be better safe than sorry, Invisible Zinc is free from chemical UV filters and is made with zinc oxide, a mineral-based sunscreen active ingredient that still provides a physical barrier between you and the sun without risking the health of our oceans. Try:Invisible Zinc Face + Body Sunscreen SPF50 UVA-UVB or INVISIBLE ZINC Sheer Defence Tinted Moisturiser SPF50.

Serene Body Health

Have you ever thought about the impact your favourite spritz is having on the environment? We’ll answer first by saying definitely not enough. Finding a fragrance with refillable options is a great start, as too is looking for scents made of natural, sustainable and cruelty-free ingredients like the Serene Body Health Gold Earth Perfume Oil.

Nutrimetics 

Nutrimetics is making an eco-conscious effort through multiple avenues, both in beauty and the home. For example, the Nutrimetics Scented Soaps are wrapped in zero plastic packaging and the Nutrimetics Sun Days SPF 50+ Sunscreen Lotion doesn’t contain any ingredients that may affect coral, making it ‘reef-safe’.

Plus, they also have a range of cleaning products named ‘Nutri-Clean’ (which includes laundry detergent and all-purpose household cleaners) that use eco-friendly ingredients and are biodegradable. Really makes you think about what’s previously been sent down your sink…

tbh Skincare

Atmospheric carbon dioxide is a big contributor to the energy imbalance causing the Earth’s temperature to rise. And a lot of its production comes from human activities. 

tbh Skincare is one beauty brand that is engaging in sustainability practices to offset their carbon production and become carbon positive. 

The brand is one of the 10 founding partners with Impact International (alongside Bondi Sands, Natio, De Lorenzo Hair Care, Lovekins, Breeze Balm, Ultraceuticals, Chroma Australia, Pump Hair Care and Soodox). Impact International is a company with a first-of-its-kind sustainable forest initiative and the first tube manufacturer in the world (as in the tubes your beauty products are housed in) to offer the carbon emissions of the tubes it manufactures through its own infrastructure, i.e. its own forest. Pretty clever huh?

Impact International has a large solar farm too, so the factory generates its own energy and any energy that Impact International generates is purchased and is carbon neutral. Tubes are also manufactured using sugar cane plastic (a renewable resource that most of tbh Skincare products are housed in) and recycled plastic, which helps tackle Australia’s recycling crisis.

Carmex

In case you needed an excuse to love this cult lip balm brand more, let us introduce you to CARMEX® Naturally.  This intensely hydrating lip balm is 93 per cent derived from nature and the pure cupuacu and murumuru butters which make up its super smoothing formula are sustainably sourced, helping to preserve the Amazon rainforest and support its communities. 

Nu Skin

Nu Skin has made finding an eco-friendly skin care line easy by creating Nutricentials.  The range (which includes all the go-tos; cleanser, toner, serum, moisturiser etc) is housed in bottles that are recyclable and made with 100 per cent Post-Consumer Plastic (PCR), and all of the tubes contain at least 30 per cent PCR. This means less carbon emissions and fossil fuels used to create new plastic. 

More than 90 per cent of the palm ingredients used in this range are also Roundtable or Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) sourced, helping to reduce deforestation and biodiversity loss. 

Biologi

The next time your favourite Biologi serum runs out (God forbid), send your empty bottle to TerraCycle. The brand has partnered with the innovative recycling company, which will turn your beauty empties into new materials and products rather than ending up in landfill.

And if you think going to the effort of doing so isn’t worth the ‘small’ change it’ll make, the impact is actually bigger than you think; for an average product over 90 per cent of the environmental impact comes from extracting and refining the raw materials from which it is made. Plus, Biologi will offer you a 15 per cent discount on your next order if you recycle this way. Win-win. 

Fun Factory

We never thought we’d be mentioning sustainability and sex toys in the same sentence, but now that we think about it, the materials used to create our favourite vibrators have to come from somewhere right?

Lucky for us and our orgasms, Fun Factory source most of their materials locally (in Germany, where they’re based) and produce them all at the same plant, resulting in a lower carbon footprint than if it were to import from overseas. All the toys are also packaged in recycled, plastic-free packaging, sourced in Germany and printed with soy based ink to make them 100 per cent biodegradable. 

They’re also big on quality so that you’ll cherish your choice of toy for a long time, rather than sending it to landfill within a few months.

Weleda

Weleda is always looking to improve its packaging and practices for a more sustainable future. Its latest change? The new Weleda Skin Food Body Butter is housed in a glass jar made from 85 per cent recycled glass.

The entire product range also contains zero microplastics (proudly certified with the Look for the Zero logo) and are part of the TerraCycle recycling programme.

Kynd

It wouldn’t be called Kynd without being kind to the environment and there’s so many ways this supplement brand is leading the sustainable way for the wellness category.

Firstly and since launch, Kynd replaced the plastic caps usually found on supplement bottles with sustainable bamboo caps. Kynd Sustainably Sourced Fish Oil Double Strength is also sustainably sourced and purified in Chile before it is encapsulated and packed in Sydney, where every batch is tested for impurities and heavy metals.

Bondi Sands

The latest range from Bondi Sands, ‘Pure’, is 100 per cent recyclable and made from recycled materials, with the remaining products under the brand’s umbrella to follow. The Aussie-made tanning favourites have also announced a partnership with Take 3 for the Sea, with $3 from every online order of Bondi Sands being donated to the cause.

BOOST LAB

Big fan of the Great Barrier Reef? So is BOOST LAB. 

The brand works with Greening Australia via i=change on its ‘restore the reef‘ program, donating $1 from each sale to a vital fund which helps improve water quality on our Great Barrier Reef, rebuild eroding gullies, and restore vital coastal wetlands across the catchment. 

This work is carried out locally, and works closely with landholders, communities and Traditional Owners and will reduce and prevent more than 400,000 tonnes of sediment from polluting the reef each year, improve water quality, and the reef’s resilience to climate change.

Burt’s Bees

The good news? Burt’s Bees is another brand you can recycle with Terracycle. The even better news? It also invests  globally in communities that support their supply chain, helping to safeguard access to clean water, support women’s and children’s empowerment and promote health, safety and biodiversity. 

If you’re an avid user of the best-selling Burt’s Bees lip balms, you’ll also be pleased to know the labels on these handbag must-haves extend just enough to prevent tampering, which means approximately 2,896 kms of plastic shrink wrap is avoided annually from the saved excess.

L’Occitane

The French-born beauty brand is very committed to sustainability practices and if we’re ever allowed overseas travel again, we highly recommend a visit to their original factory in Manosque. The brand recently achieved their 2020 goal to consume 100 per cent renewable energy, which includes all boutiques, offices and warehouses — no small feat!

L’Occitane has also been a proud partner of TerraCycle since 2016, making them the first Australian beauty brand to launch a programme. Plus, they reward those who use it with 10 per cent off a like-for-like purchase. And keep an eye out for the refillable options they have for a selection of best-selling products.

@connieandluna

Schwarzkopf

Looks like there’s hardly any excuses left not to use TerraCycle to recycle your beauty products because Schwarzkopf have your covered in the hair department too. They’ve been a proud partner since November 2020. Just make sure you rinse your bottles out!

Glasshouse

Candle lovers rejoice — Glasshouse Fragrances not only look beautiful in any room, but the formulas are free from parabens, PEGS and are vegan-friendly, meaning no nasties are being released into the atmosphere when you light them up. The beautiful jars are always great for repurposing; simply clean it out once you’re done and use it to organise your makeup brushes or stationery! 

Garnier

If Garnier’s Micellar Water is one of your ride-or-die products, you need to know about the new Garnier Micellar Reusable Eco Pads. Designed to be washed and used again, you now no longer have to throw away your pads post-cleanse.

Of course this is just the latest in a long list of Garnier’s commitment to Green Beauty. We’d need a novel to list them all, but some highlights include; all packaging to be either reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, all plant-based and renewable ingredients will be sustainably sourced by 2022 and all industrial sites will be 100 per cent carbon neutral by 2025 through renewable energy. Phew.

Lovekins

As mentioned above, Lovekins is one of the founding partners of Impact International. The brand has also pledged to work with suppliers that have a vested future in sustainability, knowing that the way to contribute to a healthier planet is by starting at the top and making sure every step of production is a step towards reducing the brand’s carbon footprint.

Biossance, Ren, Caudalie, Herbivore, and Youth To The People

As we’ve now learnt from the brands involved in Impact International, a big key to a more sustainable beauty future is having brands (including competitor brands) work together.

#WeAreAllies is another sustainability alliance formed by Biossance, Ren, Caudalie, Herbivore, and Youth To The People. 

These five brands have pledged to significantly and rapidly reduce packaging waste by the year 2025, in an effort to negate the environmental crisis regarding packaging waste, almost 70 per cent of which currently ends up in landfills in the US.

After all, if we’re going to make an impact the world-over, we’ve got to work together.

Do you like to make eco-friendly choices with your beauty routine? What are some of your favourite sustainable brands?