Green Beauty
PART 4 of 5: GREEN BEAUTY
If you are an avid skincare enthusiastic, you may have come across the term green beauty. But is it a real movement or just another marketing ploy? In this blog post, we’ll uncover what constitutes green beauty, why our planet needs it and how to determine if a beauty brand is green.
While the green beauty label is often applied to natural products, it more accurately describes beauty brands that are making strides to protect the planet. Green beauty is most synonymous with terms such as eco-friendly, earth-friendly, sustainable, ethically produced and environmentally responsible. To sum it up, green beauty refers to beauty and skincare products that are sourced, produced and packaged in a method that serves to reduce a beauty brand’s environmental impact.
It’s no secret that the beauty industry is one of the biggest contributors to waste and pollution. With its excessive use of plastics and pollutant ingredients that find their way into the earth’s water sources, the business of beauty is tremendously unsustainable and in need of a major overhaul. Many brands have stepped up to the challenge by implementing sustainable practices that serve to reduce their environmental footprint.
But whilst many companies can be applauded for taking steps to solve the sustainability crisis, not all green claims are sincere. Many brands have caught onto the marketing benefits of ‘going green’ and make shallow claims that create a false impression to appeal to the environmentally-conscious consumer. This is referred to as the act of greenwashing.
If you want to ensure that the beauty brands you support are authentic in their pursuit to be sustainable, do your research. Here are three key areas to look into:
Ingredients:
It all starts with the source. The consideration that beauty brands give to what ingredients they choose to use and how they choose to source them is a good indication of whether they are an authentic green beauty brand or not. Committed to producing skincare that is safe for you and safe for the planet, NUORI uses 100% natural ingredients in their products that are by their nature biodegradable and offer a renewable alternative to petrochemical-derived ingredients. Beauty brand Manasi 7 products are made from sustainably sourced, high-quality ingredients that are natural, wild-harvested and certified organic. Chatelier uses carefully selected unrefined organic ingredients in their formulations that are grown in the most natural and protected environments to ensure their anti-oxidative potency.
Production:
The mark of a green beauty brand is one that goes to great lengths to minimise its ecological footprint by ensuring that the production of its products is as sustainable as possible. Manasi 7 has detailed their efforts to ensure ethical and eco-friendly production in their Declaration of 7 – the brand’s manifesto that details the belief system and the commitment the brand has made towards sustainable practices. Chatelier emphasises the importance of sustainability, social responsibility and transparency. Not only do they consider the environmental impact of their production, the brand also commits to forest regeneration by planting a tree in the tropical rainforest of the Amazon region with the sale of every product. The NUORI philosophy believes in slow batch production which limits the strain on our planet while simultaneously ensuring that the ingredients in their formulations are fresh and at peak efficacy.
Packaging:
With the excessive use of packaging, the beauty industry is one of the biggest contributors to plastic waste. Therefore, any green beauty brand worth their salt is putting in the effort to ensure that their packaging is as sustainable as can be. Chatelier’s packaging is made with infinitely recyclable glass bottles and recyclable paper and cartons. The brand also commits to limiting its use of plastic wherever possible. Manasi 7 makes use of sustainable and recyclable packaging that consists of handcrafted boxes, and jars made of plant-based cellulose material sourced from sustainably managed forests. NUORI are constantly improving on their sustainability transition plan. They work with global experts in cosmetics packaging and raw materials to ensure the highest quality and sustainability of their products, while at the same time using packaging that minimises exposure to air, light and bacteria to ensure that the product stays at peak efficacy.
The green beauty movement can make a major impact on the beauty industry’s environmental footprint and many brands are sincere in their commitment to being as sustainable as possible. Environmentally conscious consumers need to be aware of greenwashing marketing tactics. Brands that are genuine to their green commitments are often transparent and provide this information to consumers willingly.