5 Tips To Make Your Beauty Routine More Sustainable

By Trisha Chawla

You’ve swapped plastic bags to reusable cloth bags and carry a metal straw in your bag for your morning coffee run. But what about growing more conscious with your beauty routine? Taking small steps to reconsider the way you shop beauty is the best solution to reduce packaging waste. This 5-step guide makes sure you have the right knowledge and earth-friendly products to make more impact on your beauty routine, and less on Mother Nature.

Choose Plastic-free
Over the past few years, there's been a surge in the number of ‘naked’ beauty products like soaps and shampoo bars wrapped humbly in recyclable paper instead of layers of packaging. Trading in plastic bottles for these minimally packaged options can be a good place to start.

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Give It A Second Life

Pick from indie beauty brands that give an alternative to the standard plastic bottle that we always think we will recycle but never really end up doing it. Think recyclable glass bottles with fewer plastic elements or solid perfumes and scrubs in tin cans that can be reused as little spice boxes or as a flower vase. When they’re as good-looking as the Bare Necessities bottle, it certainly seems possible.

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Refill Your Bottles
This could be your first step towards sustainability without making any major changes to your beauty stash. Several brands are now offering refills for when you need to restock and replenish products. This translates into a lower consumption of non-biodegradable packaging materials. We love homegrown label Asa Beauty’s entire makeup line of mascaras, concealers and lipsticks that you can refill after your first purchase.

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Ditch Disposables
You know those plastic razors and makeup wipes that lie in landfills forever? It’s a good idea to swap them out for sustainable alternatives like reusable makeup cleansing cloths that last longer, and brushes and combs made from biodegradable materials like bamboo and wood.

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Scan Your Labels
Read the terms on the bottles of your favourite beauty products and look for PETA, ECOCERT and COSMOS certifications to verify whether a product is really cruelty-free or organic. As a rule of thumb, steer clear of ingredients like microbeads, sulphates, parabens, phthalates and palm oil that can be toxic on the skin and for the environment.