Last week’s Sustainability Tip of the Week focused on sustainable footwear options. Now we are changing gears to help you find some sustainable cosmetic options to further “green” your purchasing choices. Finding skin and hair products that don’t harm the Earth with extra plastic packaging, animal testing, parabens and microbeads can be difficult. Many major skincare and cosmetic brands unfortunately do engage in environmentally harmful practices, but luckily there are more and more ethical companies on the rise. Each of these four companies are cruelty-free, vegetarian, and committed to avoiding harmful ingredients in their formulas:
1. Phlur
Phlur is a certified cruelty-free fragrance company that avoids using parabens, phthalates, or other skin irritants. Their packaging is environmentally friendly, and every bottle is recyclable, made of 20% recycled glass, and is painted with vegetable-based paint. Each bottle is placed in a recyclable box made of 100% post consumer cardboard. For every bottle bought, Phlur donates $5 to the International Union for Conservation of Nature or the Central Park Conservancy.
Alba Botanica is a certified cruelty-free cosmetics, skincare, and hair care company. Many of their products are biodegradable and are often packaged in bottles made from 100% post-consumer resin. They never use microbeads, which can be ingested by marine life. They also partner with the nonprofit CARE, which aims to provide education for young girls around the world.
3. Lush
Lush is a company specializing in soap, shampoo and skincare. They only test products on human volunteers, and each product is handmade in small batches. Lush specializes in “naked” packaging, which cuts down on plastic waste. They prefer to make shampoo bars over liquid shampoo for example, because bars do not require a plastic bottle. When Lush does use packaging, they make sure it is only recycled, recyclable, reusable or made with compostable materials.
4. Yes To
Yes To is a vegan, certified cruelty-free skincare company that uses organic plant-based ingredients in all of their products. They avoid parabens, chemical sunscreens, and other potentially harmful ingredients. Many of their products are biodegradable as well.
Written by Isabel Lieberman, Class of 2021
Image sourced by Pixabay