Zero Waste Beauty Products

When it comes to ethical beauty, it is easy to simply focus on natural ingredients or vegan friendly formulations, but the truth is that the environmental impact of any products that you buy should be top of your agenda.

As a planet, we are creating enormous amounts of waste, with much of it still unable to be recycled or reused.

If you are aiming to do your bit for the Earth, buying a seemingly natural product packaged in a plastic bottle could be counterproductive.

Here we take a look at how you can move towards a zero waste beauty routine.

There are many ways that you can make small changes to incorporate eco friendly beauty products into your bathroom that will not finish up on a landfill site.

What is zero waste beauty?

Most of us know that plastic is one of the biggest issues for the environment currently, and the beauty industry is responsible for a huge amount of this.

So, what does zero waste really mean?

The main focus of the term is to avoid using packaging that can be recycled or reused in some way, making the boxes, packets, bottles and jars sustainable and ethical.

We have all taken a bottle of perfume or skincare out of a box, only to find it wrapped in plastic and surrounded by more needless plastic within the box.

This is not only annoying, it is also very difficult to get rid of, as much of this cannot be recycled and will finish up in landfill, in the oceans or shipped out to other countries.

Reducing the packaging that is involved in any sustainable beauty products helps to tackle this and also reduces the strain on recycling centres too.

By doing this, brands can also conserve the number of materials they are taking from the Earth and producing, therefore further reducing any carbon footprints associated with their products.

What zero waste beauty products can I buy?

The good news is that more and more brands are making the move towards zero waste, and one of these is Ethique.

Ethiqe produce shampoo bars, body wash bars and cleansing bars which reduce the synthetic ingredients used in these types of products and also avoid plastic waste.

They are a carbon neutral business that is plastic free, vegan, palm oil free, cruelty free and sustainable.

We love their Ethique Pumice, Tea tree & Spearmint Bodywash Bar which gives you the perfect lift in your morning shower and comes in compostable packaging.

Another huge source of waste comes from cotton buds. We go through approximately 1.8 billion cotton buds a year, each with a plastic stick and then thrown straight into landfill.

The Humble Bamboo Cotton Swabs have changed these plastic sticks into 100% sustainable and biodegradable bamboo ones, with naturally coloured cotton tips.

Holland & Barrett’s commitment to reducing waste

At Holland & Barratt, we want to help the move towards zero waste skincare, which is why we allow you to return some of your packaging to us.

One example is the Beauty Kitchen Abyssinian Oil Hydra Boost Day Cream which quenches thirsty skin, giving you a springy, smooth complexion all scented like morning dew.

When you have finished this amazing product, simply return your empty jar to one of our stores or pop it in the post and we will wash and reuse it, whilst giving you 100 Reward for Life points, which you can spend on your favourite products.

Sustainable skincare does not always have to come in a bottle or jar as Ethique prove with their Perfector Solid Face Cream.

This hydrating solid face moisturiser will arrive in nothing more than cardboard and can save you buying as many as three plastic bottles.

Just warm the product between your hands and apply a light layer of the cream to your skin, pressing it in with your fingertips and leave it to work its magic.

Reducing single use plastics

Making a move towards zero waste is important in all areas of life, but the beauty industry is one that hitherto has contributed a massive amount to the disposal of single use plastic materials.

Making just one or two changes to sustainable brands can make a huge difference towards the planet, and the best bit is that you do not need to compromise on the quality of the products you are using.