Switching to zero-waste products and living a waste-free lifestyle has more benefits then you may realize. In making eco-conscious, sustainable choices with our preferred beauty products, we could conserve natural resources, minimize pollution and the impact we make on our climate. The beauty industry alone produces an outrageous amount of waste each year (especially with the amount of plastic it uses for packaging.) It’s a small change, but a little goes a long way, and now is the time to be a mindful consumer. We’ve compiled a list of sustainable beauty brands that are mostly waste-free (or at the very least eco-conscious in some shape or form).
This zero-waste beauty brand specializes in natural beauty bars, from shampoo to moisturizer. Ethique is plastic-free, cruelty-free and vegan-friendly (they don’t even use palm oil!) These beauty bars aren’t hard on the wallet either. If you’re unsure of what bar is for you, Ethique has a brief survey for you to find your perfect match. According to its website, Ethique has prevented over 3.3 million plastic bottles from being made and tossed into landfills.
When switching to zero-waste products for your skincare regime, look no further than Youth to the People. Their packaging is completely recyclable, and they often opt for glass instead of plastic. They pump their products with incredible superfoods (like kale, spinach or green tea) that will do wonders for your skin.
We have no idea how to pronounce the name of this luxurious, Danish brand, but it is one of the top beauty brands to switch to when you’re going zero-waste – especially when it comes to their makeup. The brand uses all certified organic or certified natural ingredients, in metal refillable and recyclable packaging.
Though not completely plastic-free, this is the closest nail polish brand we’ll get in terms of a zero-waste product. Little Ondine’s nail polish are all water-based, vegan, and free of nasty chemicals, like formaldehyde and acetone (plus many others.) You won’t need to use any nail polish remover when you use this nail polish, as the polish peels off and the peels are completely biodegradable.
Clean-Faced Cosmetics are entirely plastic-free, plus their products are all homemade, cruelty-free, vegan and (mostly) organic! What more is there to love in this zero-waste beauty brand? Oh, the fact that you can ask for your own custom shades.
There is a lot to love about this particular beauty brand. They are carbon neutral, a member of 1% for the planet, and they use pure mineral pigments in their makeup products. What makes Alima Pure a zero-waste beauty brand are their magnetic, refillable compacts, which can be easily recycled and replaced once they’ve run out.
We have to tip our hats off to this incredibly kind, Canadian-based beauty company. All of their compacts, palettes, and tools are made out of the self-regenerating bamboo plant, their products are entirely vegan, and their pressed powder products are completely refillable. They even provide plastic-free delivery!
This Australian-based beauty brand prints their labels with vegetable-based ink on recyclable paper (which is pretty fricking cool.) Their zero-waste products are all-natural, vegan, cruelty-free.
All of URB APOTHECARY’s products come in compostable and recyclable containers and are cruelty-free, SLS-free, synthetic fragrance-free, and free of chemical additives and preservatives. They also pride themselves on sourcing materials from the purest quality fair-trade and Californian-local suppliers, so that customers can be socioeconomically conscious without even realizing it.
MŌDA’s Renew brushes have 100% biodegradable handles that are made from a sustainable plant-based polymer (so they won’t ever end up in landfills!) The kit comes with four different brushes. If you’re looking to further your contribution to the zero-waste lifestyle, you can send any of your old makeup brushes to the company to be properly recycled through their TerraCycle No-Waste boxes.
Croon produces chemical and plastic free exfoliant pads through their microfibre technology. You can use these cleansing pads up to 200 times. Once the microfibres are fully worn down, you can send your pads back to the company so they can be properly upcycled (which means nothing will get wasted or tossed into the landfill!)
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