The Ingredients List - Breaking down the what, where and why of natural and eco-friendly beauty.
Despite the lax approach by the US government at the moment (you’re not that great either, UK), last week made huge strides when it came to addressing the effects of climate change. People gathered across the world to protest, demanding that people take notice of the global problem.
According to The Green Alliance, roughly 12.2m tonnes of plastic waste is being chucked in our marine environment each year, which is a frankly terrifying amount and something we need to do change, fast.
Read Next
On a positive note, this week happens to be National Recycling Week and according to a recent survey by Cosmetify, we are taking a stand when it comes to plastic wastage in our beauty products.
It found that 65% of the British beauty community is making the point of buying plastic free products. This came in top when it comes to our top concerns, taking second place was Natural ingredients (62%), then Vegan (61%), Fair trade (56%) and coming in last was Cruelty free (52%).
The beauty industry has made some progress when addressing its plastic wastage. Within the past few years, microbeads have been banned from beauty products such as toothpaste and face wash, due to the damage on marine life and last year the government made a vow to get rid of wet wipes within the next 25 years. But there’s still a lot more the industry needs to do to combat the issue.
If you’re not on the plastic-free beauty hype yet, it’s incredibly easy to do once you know what to look for. Obviously, the less packaging the better. A prime example is the rise of shampoo bars, refill products and ditching your make-up wipes. It’s a lot easier than you may think.
We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
ELLE Edit: Plastic-Free Beauty Buys
Charlotte Bitmead (she/her) is the Senior Beauty Writer at Cosmopolitan UK. She has over six years experience writing about beauty and has previously written for ELLE and The Sunday Times Style, covering everything from politics to sustainability to inclusivity within the beauty industry. When she’s not writing in-depth features, testing out the newest skincare fad or trying to decide what nail art to get, you can find her overspending in bookshops or shouting at Arsenal matches. Find her on LinkedIn
