We can only hope that sustainable beauty practices will become the norm in the next few years. It's been long reported that the beauty industry is a major contributor to the world's plastic problems. National Geographic reports that the packaging industry for personal care and beauty products, which still mostly relies on plastic, is worth nearly $25 billion on a global scale. Who What Wear adds that according to Mia Davis, Credo's director of environmental & social responsibility, over 120 billion beauty packages are produced yearly, and less than 9% of them are recycled. However, while there is still a long, long way to go before plastic packaging can be eliminated, there are already some beauty brands that have taken the steps to do so. Here are some of the best zero waste beauty products available in the market today.
Axiology
According to InStyle, Oprah declared Axiology's Lip-to-Lid Balmies one of her favorite things, and everyone knows how highly anticipated that "favorite" list is. Just like your regular crayons, Axiology's lip crayons are wrapped in peel-off paper and comes in a cardboard box that protects them. The multi-use crayons are created from ethically sourced plant oils, extracts, and butter. At $14 for three crayons, they're quite affordable for a clean makeup product.
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Blue Heron Botanicals
Blue Heron is known for its organic lip balms, which are contained in compostable recycled paper tubes. Their best seller is the Tinted Lip Therapy, which doubles as a cheek tint. It's made from beeswax, shea and cocoa butter, and botanical oils, while the red tint comes from Alkanet root.
by Humankind
by Humankind makes shampoo, conditioner, and body wash bars. It offers refillable products like hand sanitizers, mouthwash, toothpaste tablets, and dental floss. However, their most popular product is their deodorant that comes in very attractive refillable containers and has four scents - eucalyptus, lavender-citrus, rosemary-mint, and coconut.
Croon
Single-use makeup wipes and cotton pads are wasteful, and there are items that most of us use daily. Croon offers an eco-friendly alternative with washable microfiber pads that only need water to remove makeup. You can also use them to gently cleanse and exfoliate your skin. The pads can stand up to 200 washes. That's equivalent to about 400 single-use makeup wipes. You can get them at justcroon.com.
Ethique
Ethique exclusively produces solid grooming products that include shampoo, conditioner, and lotion bars. They also have face serums and moisturizers in bar form. Ethique has reduced plastic waste with its 100 percent plastic-free packaging and shipping.
Kjaer Weis
Kjaer Weis is one of the pioneers of refillable beauty products, and the brand has been around for 10 years. InStyle writes that they started with cream blush and lipsticks, but they have now grown to offer a complete selection of face makeup, including mascara, liquid foundation and cream, and powder eyeshadows. Their ingredients are Certified Organic, Certified Natural. Everything comes in attractive refillable packaging. Their top sellers include their award-winning Cream Foundation and Cream Blush, Lengthening Mascara and Nude, Naturally Lipstick.
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