Simone Gannon: Sustainable and refillable beauty brands to have on your radar

Many beauty brands are making sustainable strides in recycling practices, production methods and ingredient sourcing — some of which are closer than you think. Here are eight brands ready to help you do your bit for the planet (and your beauty cabinet)

Some of Simone Gannon's sustainable beauty picks

Tea Tree Face Base, €18. Peptalk Lipstick, €14

1. The Body Shop

Sustainability stalwart The Body Shop recently added a selection of refillable makeup products to its natural and organic makeup collection. Tea Tree Face Base and Peptalk Lipstick (available in 20 shades) are both beautiful to use and housed in chic aluminium packaging that can be refilled and reused whenever required, saving unnecessary plastic from landfill (and saving you lots of space in your bathroom).

• Tea Tree Face Base, €18. Peptalk Lipstick, €14. Available from The Body Shop.

Skingredients PreProbiotic Cleanser, €29

2. Skingredients

Excellent Irish skincare brand, Skingredients launched lifelong refillable and recyclable inner tubes across their entire product range in 2021. The brand’s award-winning products, including The Key Four; PreProbiotic Cleanse, Skin Veg, Skin Protein and Skin Shield SPF50, are not only produced with less packaging but available in jumbo sizing, which means you get almost 50% more product without the price tag. A win on every front.

• Skingredients PreProbiotic Cleanser, €29 from Millies.

IMAGE BIOME+ Cleansing Comfort Balm. €39

3. IMAGE Skincare

A brand new range from IMAGE Skincare, BIOME+ was specifically formulated to care for your skin barrier while being kinder to the environment. Produced in a LEED certified facility (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - the most widely used green building rating system in the world), IMAGE has pledged to donate 1% of BIOME+ annual sales ‘to help tackle the most pressing environmental issues.’ The three-product collection (in beautiful bright green packaging) includes a comforting cleanser, a hydrating serum and a soothing moisturiser.

• IMAGE BIOME+ Cleansing Comfort Balm. €39 from IMAGE Skincare.

Kiehl’s Grapefruit Soap 1L refillable pouch. €58.50

4. Kiehl’s

Among many impressive sustainable approaches by Kiehl’s, The Refillery Concept is a standout. Introduced in 2020, this initiative encourages customers to bring empty containers to their nearest Kiehl’s store and refill them at a discounted price. Kiehl’s also introduced a range of refillable pouches across their hair, body and skincare lines that help to reduce their plastic footprint by up to 80%.

• Kiehl’s Grapefruit Soap 1L refillable pouch. €58.50 from Brown Thomas.

Aveda Scalp Solutions Exfoliating Scalp Treatment

5. Aveda

Derived from the Sanskrit word Ayurveda, which means ‘science of life’, Aveda has walked the walk for over 30 years when it comes to sustainable practices. The first brand to use post-consumer recycled materials in packaging, over 85% of Aveda’s product range is now made from recycled plastic, and all its products are manufactured using renewable energy. Aveda has raised over €62 million for environmental initiatives since 1999 and partnered with charity: water to provide clean water access to communities in Nepal, India and Madagascar, where the brand sources ingredients.

• Aveda Scalp Solutions Exfoliating Scalp Treatment. €44.95 from Cloud 10 Beauty.

Gisou Honey Infused Hair Oil. €40

6. Gisou

Founded by fashion influencer and entrepreneur Negin Mirsalehi in 2015, Gisou is a honey-infused line of beauty products encompassing haircare, body care and fragrance. Made using sustainably sourced honey from the Mirsalehi Family Bee Garden in the Netherlands, Gisou products use only surpluses of honey and propolis and as many natural ingredients as possible. They founded the Gisou Bees Project in 2019 to ‘support urban beekeeping practices and help fight declining bee populations worldwide.’ To date, they have placed urban Gisou beehives in Melbourne, Paris and New York, contributing to the health of each city’s ecosystem.

• Gisou Honey Infused Hair Oil. €40 for 5ml from Brown Thomas.

Ground Sleep Bath Salts. €33

7. Ground Wellbeing

Founded by award-winning spa expert Peigín Crowley in 2020, Cork-based wellness brand Ground Wellbeing offers a range of treatments and products to help address anxiety, insomnia, burnout and gut health. Using low-impact materials, low-impact production processes and 100% natural ingredients where possible, Ground now offer refill initiatives for their (stunningly beautiful) bath salts and pillow spray and is in the process of further expanding this offering across their range.

• Ground Sleep Bath Salts. €33 from groundwellbeing.com.

Seabody Serums, prices start from €55

8. Seabody

Using sustainably hand-harvested Irish organic seaweed and a zero-waste manufacturing process, Kerry-based brand Seabody is arguably a leader in sustainable practices in the Irish beauty industry. Created by a team of biochemists and nutritionists, the line includes luxurious skincare products and a range of beauty supplements, all of which aim to positively impact the skin without negatively impacting the environment.

• Seabody Serums, prices start from €55. Available from seabody.com.

Product prices are subject to change and may differ across retailers.