We all need to be more sustainable - and your first port of call should be rethinking the items in your beauty cupboard causing mass waste without you even realising it.
There are easy ways to make conscious beauty swaps and invest in brands that dedicate a lot of time and energy to saving the planet with their practices. But where to start?
© Getty ImagesWe've done the hard work for you and rounded up the best sustainable beauty brands that really can make a difference. Not all of them are super expensive either; there's a product to suit every budget.
Lush
Lush was being sustainable before we all even thought about it. A whopping 44% of their products are 'naked' meaning they contain no packaging at all, including several Lush inventions such as their legendary bath bombs (my personal favourite) and shampoo bars.
Impressively, the brand has a closed-loop recycling system called 'Bring It Back'. For every black pot or clear bottle customers return to their local Lush store to be recycled, they get 50p off at the till.
Green People
As well as housing products in packaging that's made from recycled materials and opting for biodegradable alternatives when possible, Green People is dedicated to supporting charitable causes, particularly those focused on environmental protection, health, and well-being.
Through partnerships with organisations like The Marine Conservation Society, they contribute to vital conservation efforts, including beach clean ups, reforestation and wildlife preservation.
Lucy Bee
Lucy Bee is an entirely UK-based, privately-owned family business that started their foray into sustainability with their organic, Fair-Trade Coconut Oil.
Founder Lucy wanted to branch out and create products that she knew were completely natural and manufactured in the UK, with recyclable packaging. Their ethical emphasis is clear on caring for the environment, and everything in her range is free from palm oil of any kind.
Organic Pharmacy
The Organic Pharmacy is hugely respected in the world of clean beauty, and it's easy to see why; they were one of the first to introduce the notion.
Starting their mission over 20 years ago when the environment was seen as a low priority for many, their choice of organic ingredients and resources is super impressive. Their products only feature natural preservatives, which are kind to the planet and your skin. You won't find mineral oils, SLS, phenoxyethanol, silicones or chemical filters in their huge array of products either, and a lot of them are housed in glass packaging.
Attitude
As a beauty editor, Attitude is a brand I've got really excited about lately.
Their approach to clean beauty is pioneering as not only is the packaging totally and utterly plastic free, but also their formulas contain zero nasties - everything is non toxic, from their makeup and skincare items, to their home products. Their ethos is 'conscious chemistry' which basically means they also manufacture everything at their in-house lab to ensure ingredient safety and eco-conscious production.
Wild
You will probably have heard about Wild thanks to their deodorant which was the very first refillable deodorant, ever.
The brand is committed to reducing packaging waste and everything they produce can be refilled, cutting down on that throwaway mentality. Their items contain safe ingredients that are natural, free from aluminium and above all, are lastable. By investing in their products (which I've tried and loved for years FYI), you’ll save over 30 grams of plastic going to landfill.
Farmacy Beauty
Farmacy is loved by many and I, for one can't get enough of the 'Honey Milk Moisturiser', which comes in a beehive shaped pot!
The brand cultivates conscious beauty with its ultra-healthy, farm-sourced, quality ingredients. Their thoughtful formulas are free from parabens and sulfates and their products are made from recycled materials. They also focus on charity partnerships, too.
Caudalie
The Caudalie 'Beauty Elixir' is a firm favourite in bathroom cabinets all over the world but you may not know that they have incredible sustainability credentials.
The brand's founders, Mathilde and Bertrand Thomas, are dedicated to minimising the environmental footprint of their products, and they do this by creating lotions and potions that have a minimum of 95% natural origin ingredients and are free from parabens, phenoxyethanol, and mineral oils.I love how all the product packaging is either recycled, recyclable, or refillable and they have successfully introduced refills in two of their ranges.
Tata Harper
Luxury brand Tata Harper has an incredible sustainability ethos and I was blown away by what they do. Firstly, the brand does everything themselves; they formulate, batch, fill, package, ship, and distribute everything in-house. Ingredients wise, there are no synthetic chemicals; their formulas are by-product free and fully biodegradable - they always use glass because it’s infinitely more recyclable and the most sustainable option available today.
When a formula can’t go in glass, they use bioplastic tubes made from corn and sugarcane.
Augustinus Bader
One of the most well-known luxury brands right now follows great practices when it comes to sustainability. At the top is the ingredients list. Everything by Augustinus Bader is free of parabens, fragrance, SLS, SLES, and DEA, heavy metals, talc, petrolatum/paraffin/mineral oil, and doesn't contain unnecessary preservatives, solvents, and emulsifiers.
Eighty percent of their packaging is fully recyclable and a huge amount of their items are benefited by refills.
Found Clean Beauty
Found Clean Beauty is a one-stop shop that sources products that are safe and toxin-free. Their huge selection process ensures us shoppers don’t have to worry about buying anything that contains any 'risky' or 'red flag' ingredients.
Their packaging is made from recycled materials, down to their postal services.
Haus Labs
Lady Gaga's makeup range is designed with kindness to the planet in mind, which is rare for a cosmetics company. Firstly, it's actively committed to using glass, aluminium, cellulose and post-consumer recycled materials where possible.
Secondly, a great number of their products are made from 100% recyclable and compostable materials that are made from FSC certified paper sourced from sustainably harvested forests.
Rahua
Rahua's products are all made from 100% natural, plant-powered ingredients, sold in recyclable bottles and, amazingly, for every bottle of Rahua products sold, the brand preserves one acre of rainforest. A wonderful example! This ongoing plan has prospered hugely since it was introduced, Rahua’s preservation work along with Amazonian Indigenous natives in the rainforest, has produced legal tools for full protection and preservation of pristine (primary) rainforest. These protected forests sequester 5 tons of CO2 per acre per year, totaling 750,000 tons of CO2 annually, making Rahua a carbon-neutral company.
A wonderful example!
Wildsmith Skin
This vegan British brand prides itself on conscious packaging, which is made from compostable mycelium, glass, endlessly recyclable aluminium and English ceramic.
Their ingredients are lab-grown, which of course means less waste, too.
