Making environmentally conscious decisions can be as easy as evaluating your beauty routine and beauty products, but how can you spot a truly eco-friendly beauty brand? If you are passionate about only buying from companies that are doing their part to protect the environment, you may be curious about eco-friendly beauty brands. Luckily, there are many companies that create amazing products that are safe, natural, and sustainable. Here’s what you need to know about beauty brands that claim to be eco-friendly.
So, what defines an eco-friendly beauty brand?
There are many ways a brand can claim to be eco-friendly. This label can mean different things to different companies, so always read up on them first and make sure they meet the following criteria.
Responsibly-Sourced Ingredients
Eco-friendly beauty brands take pride in using ingredients that are not harmful to the environment. You will find that many are vegan and cruelty-free, which means there are no animals used at any point during production. Other ingredients may be natural and taken from sustainable materials that are safe to use on the skin. Some examples include synthetic makeup brushes. Besides being vegan and cruelty-free, eco-friendly ingredients may be recyclable or biodegradable and ethically sourced.
Biodigradable Packaging
Packaging is one of the leading causes of pollution in the world. The packaging used for many consumer products is unnecessary and quickly thrown into the trash, where it ends up in landfills. Beauty brands that are eco-friendly may use less packaging or packaging made from recycled materials to help reduce the amount of waste they are creating and decrease their carbon footprint.
Sustainable Manufacturing Practices
How beauty products are made has an impact on the environment. Products that are mass-produced in factories generate large amounts of pollution to be released into the atmosphere. Eco-friendly beauty products may be hand-crafted or locally manufactured, focusing on reducing their carbon footprints. Producing affordable brushes, palettes, and beauty tools without harming the environment is certainly possible.
Cruelty-Free Product Testing
Beauty products are tested to ensure they are safe to use. While some companies test on animals in an effort to protect people, these practices are not eco-friendly. Part of caring for the environment includes caring for all animals that are part of our eco-systems. Testing beauty products on animals may not be accurate and can even be toxic, sometimes even leading to death. Products that are labelled “cruelty-free” are not always vegan and this is not always a bad thing! Using ethically sourced animal hair and fur doesn’t necessarily mean those animals were harmed in production. Eco-friendly beauty products are still thoroughly tested, but those tests do not put animals or the environment at risk.
Why Choose Eco-Friendly Products?
Living sustainably doesn’t have to be expensive or extreme. Sustainability can start with learning about what’s in your vanity and consciously choosing what products to add to it. It’s important to understand what a brand stands for before purchasing its products. If you want to support businesses that are passionate about protecting the environment, be sure to look for eco-friendly companies. Buying from these brands allows them to:
- Reduce pollution
- Prevent animal cruelty
- Reduce manufacturing costs
- Protect workers and employees
- Promote sustainable materials
- Promote vegan products
- Promote recycled packaging and materials
You can still enjoy quality makeup, brushes, and other beauty accessories while choosing to do business with companies that are vegan, cruelty-free, and eco-friendly. The businesses you shop from should share your values.
Of course, there are other ways to recalibrate your personal environmental impact! However, when it comes to purchasing power, it is important to support eco-friendly companies in order to help them continue their efforts to create quality products that won’t harm the environment. Before you shop for your next beauty product, make sure you know what the brand or company stands for and determine if their values align with yours.
