You’ve probably spent the last few years trying to switch over everything in your home to eco-friendly options. Not only are we making efforts like switching out light bulbs for more energy efficient ones, but many people are also shopping for ethically and locally sourced organic foods over processed foods. Something you might not have thought about impacting the environment is your makeup products. The smallest products have a negative impact on the environment, even something as small as glitter.
Between the chemicals used, production, and packaging, beauty products are a big contributor to our environmental issues. Switching to green makeup can be difficult for people who have already found their signature products. With big brands getting more into producing eco-safe makeup, there’s plenty to choose from. Environmentally friendly brands have made great strides in making sure their products can compete with traditional ones.
Regulations
Unfortunately, the U.S. doesn’t have many regulations in place to help consumers feel confident that the products they’re buying are actually “natural” or good for the environment at all. Brands can label their products as natural, but that doesn’t actually mean anything in most cases. Consumers will have to put in some extra research on this to make the right choice in buying from brands that are actually concerned with the environment. Organic beauty products also don’t carry as much weight as many might think, it doesn’t have a set definition in terms of beauty products.
There are very few harmful ingredients that the United States has banned from use in cosmetic products. In America, there are only 11 banned ingredients, compared to over 1,000 that are banned in countries in the European Union. The Federal Drug Administration has very little regarding beauty products, companies don’t even have to show that they’re products are safe before they sell them to consumers. This list has gone unchanged for decades. Animal testing is also banned in countries within the European Union, whereas many beauty products in the U.S. are tested on animals first.
There have been some small strides to make beauty products safer to use, such as the banning of microbead plastics. Many scrubs used to contain microbeads that would be washed away into the ocean, adding to the pollution of plastic in our waters.
Health benefits of using environmentally safe products
A major incentive to switch to makeup that’s good for the environment is that it can also be better for you to put on your skin. Since we have very little regulation over what goes into our makeup and skincare products, you could be rubbing harmful ingredients all over your skin and either breathing it in or letting your skin soak it up. There’s an extra reward in choosing products that are good for the environment, there’s a good chance you’ll also be getting ingredients that are good for your body.
Eco-friendly beauty products can reduce skin irritation, sensitivity, and redness. Certain areas are more sensitive to harmful ingredients, so if you can only switch some of your products, you should be buying products to use around your lips, eyes, nose, and scalp. Some products in your makeup can lead to more serious issues in the future. Parabens can possibly cause cancer, and other toxins can harm the respiratory system, the immune system, and more. Typically, products with fewer ingredients are better safer for you to use.
Just because a product is clean or natural, doesn’t mean you won’t have reactions to it, for example, hyaluronidase is a natural substance, but some might still have a negative reaction to it.
Eco-friendly packaging
Other than toxic ingredients, the biggest environmental problem surrounding makeup is the packaging it's sold in. Even with the cleanest ingredients, your makeup could be taking a toll on the environment. Most containers for beauty products are not recyclable. Brands might sell containers that can partially be recycled, but few can be completely recycled. Applicators, mirrors, and pumps are included with a lot of makeup packaging, none of which are able to be recycled.
It is possible to buy cosmetics with as little packaging as possible, like products from Lush that are sold with little to no plastic. Bar soaps are also an eco-friendly choice as well. Some big beauty, such as Kiehl’s and Mac, give you an easy way to recycle your used containers. Both brands offer rewards to their customers who return empty containers as an incentive to recycle.
