With the ever increasing demand to live more sustainably and shop more sensibly, there has never been a better time to start the swap to buy more eco-friendly products as part of our long-lived beauty regime, and we need only look to small businesses to help.
The beauty industry is a big business - a $532 billion business to be exact, so it's no surprise that it is one of the biggest contributors to our suffering environment. Around 120 billion units of cosmetic packaging is produced annually and much of this is either too small to recycle or contains mixed materials so ends up in a landfill. However, research has shown that 70% of carbon emissions ascribed to this industry could be reduced by just using reusable bottles.
When we buy cosmetics or beauty products we rarely think about how the product came to be, let alone how to dispose of it when it’s finished. We also don't often understand how the products are made, where the ingredients come from, what packaging is used, and don't get us started on the labour and logistics.
Small businesses in the UK have exploded the past few years. Entrepreneurs from all walks of life are creating new careers, side hustles and embracing new talents to bring us kind, honest and reliable products, and in the beauty category we have not been left disappointed.
In the spirit of Earth Day 2022, we can all play our part a little better in making smarter choices when we look to buy our next face cream or body wash, and we're here to help you do just that.
Solid Soap Bars
Did you know the UK collectively throws away 520 million shampoo bottles every year. Now if you've yet to try the 'no poo' movement (that's no shampooing in case you couldn't guess), you might be familiar with the rise in popularity of soap bars that have slid onto the market in recent years. They use less packaging - bye bye plastic bottles - and have lower transportation emissions than liquid soap, not to mention the ingredients which are often kinder to both us and our planet.
Be it for your hands, body, hair or face, soap bars are becoming all the rage, and here are a handful we have found to service everything from your head to your toes.
Face wash - Activated Charcoal Soap with Shea Butter by La Zouch
Body wash - Happy Soap Bar by Elsie Moss Botanicals
Exfoliator - Exfoliating soap by The Soap Loft
Shampoo - Coconut Crown Shampoo Bar by Little Soap Suds Company
Conditioner - Jojoba Hair Hug by Dolores & Rose
Deodorant - Natural Deodorant Eucalyptus, Lemon & Mint by The Clovelly Soap Company
Hand wash - Ruse Lemon Soap by Little Danube
Skincare
Skincare can be a delicate subject with many struggling with sensitivities, however, we know some of the kindest products that are made using simple ingredients. Gone are harsh chemicals we can't pronounce and mass-produced creams stored on shelves for months, if not years before being sold.
Small businesses pride themselves on small batches to preserve it's quality. If you're looking to try something new from businesses that boast ethical and sustainable values, look no further:
Ultra-hydrating and toning cream - Aloe Whipped Face Butter by Bold Natural Soap
Clay face mask - Pure Greens by Salt + Steam
Facial oil - Clarity Oil by Gaia & Vie
Lip balm - Peppermint & Clary Sage Vegan Lip Balm by Floating Feather Holistic
Eye cream - Shea butter & Beeswax Eye Cream by Burrows & Bees
Massage oIl - Balancing Massage Oil "apparently i need to chill out" by Help me Organics
And if all of these haven't quite persuaded you to make a swap, check out Kind Origins who also feature a number of skincare products that use ingredients from nature and plants to restore skin's glow radiancy and youthfulness. Wonderful.