Sometimes it’s the most ordinary things, like beauty products, that are often overlooked as a valid way to make an eco-friendly impact, as well as a positive impact on your own health.
You may ask, “What on earth does my fruity-smelling, sparkling, scrubby, bubbly shower soap have to do with the planet?”
How your cosmetics are harmful to the earth:
Soaps, shampoos, facial cleansers, body moisturizers, and bits of makeup are all being washed down the drain and into the water system.
Then the run-off is deposited into the rivers and oceans where fish swim and other important environmental cycles take place.
Dirty water does go through a treatment process, but those processes don’t get rid of a lot of the chemicals left behind.
And guess what? You’re re-ingesting chemicals (like pharmaceutical drugs) either directly through water consumption, and so are the animals.
Haste makes waste. Try Zero Waste instead.
Before grabbing that bejeweled box, stop for a moment and think:
How many layers of paper, plastic and glue does it takes to wrap up one jar?
Where will all those materials go once you throw that bottle of beautifying magic away?
Will the packaging bio-degrade, be recycled, or just sit around for years taking up more space and leeching toxins into the earth?
The good news is that it’s so much easier to find products encased in environmentally friendly packaging especially with the #zerowaste movement happening among the millennial generation, picking up where the idealism of the 60’s started off that was obliterated by the conspicuous consumption of the 80’s.
Eco Friendly Packaging
Many companies, both large and small, are making major strides to shift towards responsibly packaged goods. They’re working with manufacturing plants that use renewable energy sources, and don’t dump their pollutants onto the earth. Next time you shop, keep these tips in mind:
- Go for a product with the least amount of packaging possible.
- Get containers that you can refill with bulk sizes of things, like soap and shampoo, to cut down on waste.
- Avoid plastic bottles with the numbers 3, 6, and 7 on the bottom, which are loaded with BPAs (Bisphenol A).
I love brands like Naked Truth Beauty who really take no plastic packaging to heart, and adore their Lip and Cheek colors. Find them at Navago a retailer dedicated to supporting indie brands with sustainable missions.
How your cosmetics are harmful to Your Skin
Remember how we said that there were chemicals being leeched into the water supply from personal care products? Well, those same non-eco-friendly substances sit on your skin anywhere from several seconds to several hours every day, and that’s not very body-friendly.
You can save your skin and the planet at the same time by choosing products that are healthier all the way around. Take a look at Green Beauty 101, for more on why this is so important.
Making The Switch to Green Beauty Easier
You can use this website to find all of our experts’ non-toxic, planet-friendly, body-loving green beauty products.
Want the best and quickest way to learn how to shop for green beauty products (without getting fooled by greenwashing marketing ploys)?
Praised by famous green beauty pioneers Josh Rosebrook and Rose-Marie Swift (of RMS Beauty) for being a concise and powerful resource of quality information…
…I created an easy-to-follow class of videos and printable resource guides, that’s been neatly packaged to save you hours/days/months/years of research — so you don’t waste more money on the wrong products.
Dive into the Ultimate Natural Beauty Shopping Guide right now.
GET STARTED NOWYou have the power to make choices that help keep your body and the earth beautiful today and for years to come!
Feature photo: Hani Amir
Someone posted a list that said yoj consider Arbonne to be “not green” or something and I would love to see the research or the facts you have to base your information off of that. We ban over 2,000 ingredients and have a very strict ingredient policy.
When that list was posted their formulas weren’t public and they were definitely not as clean, though they called themselves “green”. So in my book, there’s always a mark next to their name for hiding the real truth, then reformulating to cover up what they were called out on. Look up Meghan Telpner’s article that was recently updated on it.
And please don’t come back here to argue with me for more “research” that proves what was on their labels for years.
Even if the brand cleaned up their act, the nastiness I’ve encountered over the years from Arbonne reps has left a really bad taste in my mouth for the whole brand. Those who act as if the brand and its lead scientist are the equivalent of religious deities. They try to have a black and white, right and wrong argument that goes in circles because the research I present isn’t satisfying enough and confronts their belief in a brand. Arbonne’s research is what they’ve curated to tell their reps too. People and institutions are not infallible (that includes me and that includes Arbonne). To act as if that could be otherwise, is to lie to oneself.