Conscious beauty: Kind to you & the planet

More and more of us are trying to juggle living our best life with caring for the planet – and that concern naturally extends to our beloved beauty products.

We get it. And that’s why we want to help the transition run nice and smoothly.

As a brand, we are making a stand to move towards cleaner and more conscious beauty. Let us give you the low-down on everything conscious in beauty, and help you find products that are both kind to you and kind to the planet.

We have pioneered the way when it comes to being mindful of the products we consume and apply to our bodies. We don’t just want to be ‘good for you’, but ‘good for our planet’ too.

But that’s not all, we also understand that you want to know what goes into your beauty products and how they are made, so we work hard to ensure all of our ranges are made from simple, natural ingredients.

In return for using Mother Nature’s bounty, we want to help look after our environment too.

From waste and energy to the products we sell and the suppliers we work with, we want to make our impact on the planet as small as possible.

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What is conscious beauty?

Conscious means ‘to have knowledge of something'. In our modern world, we consume so much without really knowing the impact it may be having on the environment and creatures we share this Earth with.  

Consciousness is also making sure you are doing good for you and the planet – because beauty doesn’t have to cost the earth.

Learning about the potential harm your average shampoo or face cream could cause to our planet and other animals is essential. Think of it as a wake-up call, and the fuel you need to swap to kinder and more conscious beauty products.

This way, you get a double dose of feel-good: all the pampering and self-love, as well as knowing you are shopping responsibly.

We get that it can seem a little overwhelming to know what’s best to do, so here are the basics to look out for when shopping for conscious beauty.

Zero waste

Because the land is already full Zero waste means just that, no waste! Over 80 billion shampoo and conditioner bottles are thrown away in the UK every year.

We could help dispose of this plastic waste epidemic by choosing zero waste products where we can.

Try making the following swaps:

• Shampoo bars instead of liquid shampoo
• Soap bars instead of liquid soap
• Body butter blocks instead of body lotions
• Cotton pads or muslin cloths instead of wet wipes

Sustainability

Because once is not enough Another way to reduce excess waste is to buy products with packaging that’s compostable, refillable, made from recycled materials or easily recyclable, like the products in our environmentally conscious packaging and sustainable range.

Did you know? 64% of consumers are actively looking for beauty products with recyclable packaging.

Waterless products

Because all water is precious

Less water in products and the less water needed to use them means more water for living.

The UN has predicted that demand for water could outstrip supply soon.

Conscious beauty brands like Earth kind, True Skincare and our very own CBD Muscle Balm Ultra are swapping water for concentrated natural oils and concentrated botanicals. 

Vegan

Because all life is beautiful

Animal testing is so last century… The thing is, we don’t need to test on animals to enjoy our favourite beauty products.

Here at H&B, we are against animal testing and are proud to offer a variety of 100% vegan ranges. The animals say thank you! 

We know that if you don’t want to eat animal products, then you probably don’t want to use anything that contains them either. That’s why we’ve sourced an extensive range of vegan-friendly (and animal-friendly) beauty products from like-minded brands.

Caring for our oceans

We are proud to be the first national retailer to ensure all of our products are free from plastic microbeads. These are the tiny plastic balls used as exfoliators in some beauty products, such as face and body scrubs.

However, at less than 5mm wide, they are small enough to pass through sewer water filters and end up in the sea. Here, they are at risk of harming sea creatures and ending up in the food chain.

But there’s more. This year, we also stopped selling chemical sunscreens and released our own reef-friendly range of mineral sunscreen.

Against Animal Testing

You can have peace of mind when choosing your natural beauty products. Here are just some of our Leaping Bunny brands:

• Burt’s Bees
• Faith in Nature
• Crazy Rumors lip balms
• Avalon Organics
• Jason

We vow to continue to lead the way when it comes to promoting natural beauty products.

Conscious beauty ingredients to look out for

Why you can trust us to meet your conscious beauty requirements

We like to think ahead at H&B. Selling health and wellness products that don’t cost the Earth is our number one priority, and it always has been. Take a look at some of our landmarks:

2009 – We chose not to use SLS, SLES and Parabens in our Beauty Products

2010 – Plastic bags banned in all stores

2013 – Microplastic Ban ahead of the EU Cosmetics Regulations

2016 – All products only contain sustainable palm oil (RSPO certified)

2019 – Wipes banned from all stores

2019 – Zero waste beauty range launched

2021 – Single use sheet masks ban

2022 – Mineral sunscreen launched

And, we choose to say no to:

• Microplastics
• Unsustainable palm oil
• Artificial colours or flavours in Holland & Barrett products ever
• Pesticides
• Prohibited substances as per WADA
• Over 240 ingredients that will never appear in any of our products and this list continues to grow!

The final say

That’s why you can trust us to stock the best conscious beauty products because we have always believed in making bold choices to help protect our planet while helping you feel and look your best.

Last updated: 8 July 2022