MAKE YOUR SKINCARE ROUTINE MORE ECO-FRIENDLY
follow these 8 beauty tips to Love yourself and the planet
1. Switch from chemical to natural sunscreen
Most of us concerned with protecting our skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays are all too aware of the dangers lurking in some of the most common ingredients found in chemical sunscreens. In particular, oxybenzone and octinoxate have been found to be harmful to coral reefs, leading to sunscreens containing these ingredients to be banned by Hawaii. There’s also some concern within the Food Administrative Agency in the US that they could play a role in hormone disruption. To avoid these environmental and health concerns, your best bet is to switch to a natural sunscreen.
A chemical sunscreen is defined as a cream/gel/spray/powder that uses chemical filters that absorb UV rays. However, a natural sunscreen (sometimes called ‘mineral’) creates a physical block that lays atop the surface of your skin, prevents UV rays from being absorbed. Titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, or a combination of both is typically the UV protecting material found in these sunscreens.
Despite the international concern over chemical sunscreen, the UK market still has a lot of catching up to do with natural sunscreens. A simple trip to Boots won’t suffice I’m afraid. Your best options are a natural sunscreen from Holland & Barret or look into Japanese/Korean sunblocks. With this latter option however, I would research your supplier to be aware of the carbon footprint involved.
2. Ditch the single-use cotton pads
If you have a compost bin you can still use single-use cotton pads providing they’re 100% organic cotton and you clean them with water very thoroughly so there’s no product remaining on them. If you don’t compost, I would recommend purchasing reusable pads or a muslin cloth. While the pads themselves aren’t so much the problem if they’re pure cotton, we tend to not wash out the product fully and keep producing plastic waste when we repurchase them.
3. Buy products with no packaging or packaging that is recyclable
When it comes to skincare products, it can be much more difficult to recycle them in our household bins. Most plastic pump-heads on bottles cannot be recycled, but some of the bottles themselves can be. Always check the label. But if plastic can be avoided, go for glass jars or items made from recycled plastic (such as some haircare products in The Body Shop). Luckily, more shops are becoming aware of the need to become more sustainable in packaging, such as Ren Skincare’s goal of being zero waste by 2021. Some of the mid-range or higher-end skincare companies on the market offer incentives such as a donation to recycling programs or free products, such as Origins and Lush.
Speaking of Lush, they’ve switched most of their products to have what they call “naked” packaging, aka no packaging. More and more cosmetic companies are following suit, with bar shampoo and conditioners becoming increasingly popular. Items such as soaps and haircare can be easily found in a package-free format.
4. Be water conscious
We’re all sometimes guilty of leaving the tap running for longer than we really need to. Conjure up the inner voice of your-mother-who-worries-about-water-bills and only pour as much as you need into the sink with the plug in. Around two-handfuls should be enough to wash the cleanser off your face.
5. Ditch the makeup remover wipes
Not only are these polyester wipes terrible for your skin, not to mention do a shoddy job of removing all traces of makeup, the Marine Conservation Society has become increasingly concerned over their threat to wildlife and oceanic systems. A 2017 report found a 94% increase in wet wipes found on British beaches from the preceding year. Just as worrying, the so-called “fat bergs” that clog up UK sewers are 93% made up of wet wipes alone. Leave these pesky clogging wipes on the shelves, for the sake of your skin and our environment. If you really do miss the swiping feeling on your skin or your hands just aren’t cleaning the dirt away, try a reusable muslin cloth from Ren.
6. Buy certified organic products
I know, I know, not all of us can stretch the purse strings far enough to always buy organic. But if you can, it’s totally worth it to ensure the biological ingredients in your skincare products are sourced sustainably. The more we buy sustainably, the more to go round for all consumers.
7. Avoid phthalates
Like oxybenzone, phthalates are endocrine disruptors, compounds that disrupt hormonal balances. They’re a type of plasticizer to help prevent plastic from becoming fragile but can cause damage to the health and wellbeing of ourselves and other animals on the planet. The most common victim of phthalates, as well as all the other potentially hazardous materials mentioned in this post, is oceanic life.
8. Brew your own lotions and potions
Of course, one way to properly ensure the products you use on your skin are made sustainably and from ingredients that won’t harm you is to make them yourself. Not only that, but you also cut down the carbon footprint and packaging of your bathroom supplies. Common things to make are rose water (which I make myself, absolutely divine) as a toner and chamomile to soothe irritated skin. A word of caution, however, make sure to truly research the ingredients you use and how they could interact on your skin. Natural isn’t always better. Avoid overly acidic ingredients like citrus fruits, these can be overly stripping on your skin and whack out the PH balance. And for goodness sake, don’t go rubbing salt on your face as a scrub. Much too abrasive.