Are Your Beauty Products Eco-Friendly?
Many of our toiletries, cosmetics, skincare and beauty products are described and labelled as ‘pure’, ‘natural’, ‘organic’ and ‘not tested on animals’. But how eco-friendly are they really?
Product Ingredients
For some time consumers have shunned products that may have been tested on animals leading to the cosmetics industry utilising alternative testing processes. But this doesn’t mean that products don’t actually contain animal derived ingredients. Look out for gelatin, collagen, animal based emulsifiers or Spermataceti Cetaceum. All of these are derived from dead animals!
We are all aware of the potential harm that can result from exposure to noxious chemicals but are you fully aware of the ingredients in the skincare, beauty and toiletry products that you and your family use every day. Try following the advice in this interesting post by selecting just a handful of your favourite daily personal care and beauty products and take a close look at the ingredients in each. Even products that may use the terms ‘natural’ and ‘pure’ may actually contain potentially harmful, toxic chemicals. It is worth remembering that as much as 60% of any chemical coming into contact with the human skin may be absorbed.
As mentioned above, products that may be described as ‘Natural’ may actually only contain minimal (1%) levels of natural ingredients. Even products that are described as ‘organic’ may contain chemical preservatives so it is worth reading the labels and looking out for the soil association symbol. This will only be present on products that are truly organic.
Sustainability
Another eco-related aspect to consider is the sustainability of the ingredient sources, including the packaging. Many products contain petroleum byproducts including Ethylene, Propylene Glycol or Paraffin oil which are unsustainable source ingredients. And packaging is often plastic that is not always easily recycled.
Packaging
The packaging used for many personal care and beauty products is often not only made from non-recycled materials but can also be very difficult to recycle. The beauty and cosmetics industry have been quick to respond to consumer demand for more environmentally friendly products with a low carbon footprint by using packaging made from recycled materials but there is still a long way to go before all personal care products and toiletries are sold in packaging made from recycled materials that is easily recycled again once used.
Eco-Friendly Beauty Product Buying Tips
Here are just a few tips on buying beauty, skincare and personal care products that are more eco-friendly:
- Select products with recyclable packaging and / or packaging made from recycled materials.
- Choose refillable products that will minimise packaging use through re-use.
- Buy larger sizes as this means less packaging and less manufacturing.
- Select products that use eco-friendly ingredients. (This will mean reading the ingredient labels and potentially researching what they are before purchasing).
- Don’t rely upon labels that state a product is ‘natural’ or ‘organic’. Read the details of the ingredients and do a little research.
- Don’t buy disposable products such as makeup remover cloths and use organic cotton wool.
Written by Hybrid on April 3rd, 2008 with
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