Too much plastic, too many chemicals, too many miles and a carbon footprint too big - there are lots of sustainability challenges the beauty industry is facing.
These brands are starting to fight back, whether it's by banning wet wipes, reducing waste or using leftovers to create something new...
HOLLAND & BARRETT: Ditching wet wipes for good
Single-use wet wipes and face wipes are in the government’s crosshairs to be banned as too many end up blocking our sewage system and polluting beaches.
But that’s part of a 25-year plan.
Since we don’t have that long, H&B became the first UK store to ban them in May.
To fill the hole, they’ve now launched their Zero Waste range including organic unbleached cotton pads, £8, that can be used, washed in their pouch, and re-used for years.
LUSH: More tech, less waste
One problem brands face when reducing packaging is how to get ingredient and instruction information to customers.
Enter the Lush Lens: a free app to download to your phone.
It scans Lush’s packaging-free products - bath bombs, soaps, shampoos, etc - by sight, instantly uploading ingredients and even ‘how to use’ videos.
If only every brand would follow suit, we could get rid of those wasteful paper inserts for good.
BECO: Helping the people... and the planet
Beco is short for Better Considered and they think about everything - using less water, less carbon and less waste.
But what we love best is all their products are made in a British factory 80% staffed by visually impaired, disabled or disadvantaged people (plus the occasional guide dog).
If every UK household swapped to their Tripled Milled Organic Soap Bars, £3, they could create another 45,000 jobs. Up to you.
ETHIQUE: The first zero-waste beauty brand
Like Beco (above), these guys believe solid bars are better than creams, oils, sprays or pots, requiring less water, less packaging and less transportation: not so crazy when you discover up to 90% of a typical conditioner is water.
Their range is incredible: soap-free bars of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, cleansers, moisturisers, scrubs and, as of this month, deodorants.
Every deodorant bar, £11, purchased prevents 2 plastic/aerosol containers being disposed of and saves 0.3 litres of water.
One niggle?
They ship from New Zealand which isn’t ideal, but they do offset their carbon emissions through climatefriendly.com.
LYONSLEAF SKINCARE: Curbing carbon emissions
Plastic is a problem, but not nearly as big or urgent as climate change.
So as well as looking at recyclable packaging (even swapping to paper packing tape) this brand is lowering its carbon footprint any way it can.
‘Every time you make anything you produce carbon,’ says founder, Vicky. ‘A paper bag usually has a bigger carbon footprint than a plastic bag, so it’s not simple.
'We’re trying to make carbon reduction part of every decision we make. For example, we produce as little waste as possible: almost nothing from the business goes to landfill.
'Paper towels and cardboard in landfill rot down without the presence of oxygen and create methane (same as food waste): a huge contributor to global warming.
'So all our paper towels from cleaning go to a food waste collection to be composted.
'Small changes like that can make a huge difference.’
If you have problem dry skin, try their Eczema & Psoriasis Sample Cream Kit, £4.99.
UPCIRCLE BEAUTY: Reusing food waste
Coffee grinds in landfill might not be the biggest problem the planet is facing, but every little helps, right?
This brother-sister team noticed coffee shops were throwing away a lot of grinds every day, so they decided to collect them from London cafés and repurpose them into scrubs, soaps, serums and face masks, including their brand new Coffee & Cacao Scrub, £14.99.
So far they’ve saved 60 tonnes of coffee going into landfill, and now they collect and use brewed chai tea spices as well.
WET BRUSH: The biodegradable hairbrush
The makers of one of our favourite hairbrushes (with super-supple bristles that cause 19% less damage) are addressing plastic pollution.
Their new Go Green Detangler, £14.99, is made from biodegradable plant starch that breaks down within five years in landfill, as opposed to about 400 years for regular plastic.
Don’t worry, it won’t happen while you’re using it, it needs the right microbes to break down which it gets in compost, not in your shower.
KOHL KREATIVES: Make-up brushes that go full circle
These Make-up Brushes, from £8.99, are made from plastic from a 360º supply chain: consumers and retailers donate waste plastic to them which then sorted, sterilised and used to make sustainable, upcycled brushes.
When you’ve finished using them, just send them back so the process can start over.
And for extra cute points, they’re also a non-profit company helping transgender people develop their confidence through charity masterclasses.
Big brands making small changes
It can be harder for mass market brands to make meaningful ethical changes to their business without accusations of greenwashing (doing the bare minimum to create good PR) but it’s good to see big players taking tentative steps in the right direction.
In October this year, Olay are trialling recyclable refills for their Regenerist Whip Moisturizer that fit inside your old jar.
If it’s popular and rolled it out across the range, it could save tons of plastic every year.
