The Skin Nerd: Four simple ways to make your beauty routine greener

Sustainable living is more than just a trend...

Protecting our skin and the environment aren't a mutually exclusive pursuit.

With many brands striving to become more planet-friendly over the past few years, sustainability within the beauty industry has become a buzzword that is hard to ignore.

According to The One Green Step Report by Garnier, 44% of respondents suggested that COVID-19 has made people take environmental issues more seriously, but this important topic is far more than just a passing fad.

Protecting our planet and becoming as sustainable as possible has always been a personal goal for me as a brand founder within the beauty sector. It is undeniable that the beauty industry is one that produces a lot of waste, in fact, the global beauty industry produced 142 billion units of packaging in 2018.

Another startling fact is that a huge 91% of plastic isn’t recycled and according to the United Nations, 11 million tons of this plastic ends up in our oceans each year.

Greenwashing makes it difficult for brands to gain the trust of savvy consumers who are all too aware of misleading marketing ploys and over-promises.

There are, however, many brands making great strides to reduce their negative impact that their production and manufacturing processes have on the planet.

When I created Skingredients, I wanted the brand to be a refillable skincare proposition, but a sustainable packaging solution wasn’t feasible at the time.

The process towards becoming more sustainable was a two-year journey, and I am proud to say that we recently relaunched our entire range in reusable, refillable packaging.

Months of research led us to a way to include more product in less packaging and, more recently, we have made an annual pledge to Plastics for Change that directly removes 28,000kg of plastic waste from landfills and oceans.

For every Skingredients product that you purchase, you are directly removing one plastic bottle from landfill.

One problem that is commonly highlighted is that many people vocalise their support of sustainable living but fewer live in a sustainable way, as often we just do not know how to. 

This gap between awareness, attitude change and subsequent action is an issue that the industry is constantly addressing.

It’s important to know that the little changes we make can have a far bigger impact on the environment than many of us realise. Here are some of the surprisingly simple ways that you can tweak your routine to make it greener:

Shop smart

You might be surprised to learn that there is no common consensus on what sustainability means in legal terms, so, it is up to us all to do our research and decide if a brand or product is actually planet friendly.

Do more with less

Think of your beauty regime in a more holistic way, considering what will happen to the product at the end of its lifecycle. Look for multi-tasking products to minimise any waste and use every last drop of product before recycling the packaging in your green bin.

Recycle or upcycle packaging

Packaging is one of the biggest issues for the beauty industry. Whilst almost 90% of people recycle kitchen waste, only 52% say they recycle from the bathroom. This is something we are also working on daily. A recycling bin in the bathroom can be a helpful reminder for busy humans and looking for skincare packaging that can be recycled or repurposed easily can help you do your bit for the environment too. Refillable packaging is another great way to reduce waste, as there is low or no additional packaging.

Look for reusable replacements

A huge 95% of beauty packaging is discarded after one use. Avoid single-use products and look for products that you can wash or reuse. The Cleanse Off Mitt is a far eco-friendlier cleansing option than ‘one use and then throw away’ makeup removing wipes – and it cleanses your skin more effectively.