Little beauties to help polish your ECO HALO
WHIlE it’s now second nature for us to sift through recyclable food packaging and cleaning products, we’re often not as aware when it comes to cosmetics.
It’s not yet the norm to have two bins in the bathroom, labelling is far from clear and, frankly, we’re sometimes too lazy to wash out tubes of cream so they can be recycled easily.
Just 35 per cent of us are trying to reduce the amount of plastic we use in the bathroom, according to a Which? survey last year.
But many cosmetics firms are now selling refills. So, from the liquid soap in a drinks can to ‘forever’ glass bottles, we pick the prettiest refillable beauty products. . .
ECO SAVIOUR
Rahua Shower Gel Refill, £27, rahua.eu
IS IT? Founded by environmentalists working to save the Amazon rainforest, it uses rahua oil (from an Amazonian nut) to nourish hair and skin. This refill is £1 less than the plastic bottle. HOW ECO IS IT? This pouch uses 90 per cent less plastic than the bottle. The refill can’t be recycled, but is made of 60 per cent plant materials which can be composted. 9/10
WHAT SUNKISSED MOUSSE
Australian Glow Self Tanning Mousse refill, £20, revolve.com WHAT IS IT? The most foolproof way to tan is with a mousse and for that you need a hard-to-recycle pump or aerosol. HOW ECO IS IT? Happily this mousse refill only uses Ocean Waste Plastic (one bottle retrieves eight bags). The recyclable refills use 83 per cent less plastic than the bottles. 8/10
METALLIC MARVEL
Liquid Hairbrush Conditioner refill, Good Life Hair, £23, larryking.co.uk WHAT IS IT? Celebrity hairdresser larry King makes his sulphate and silicone-free shampoos and conditioners in ‘forever’ 300 ml glass bottles, at £42 a pop. The aluminium refills cost £19 less, but are smaller at 180 ml. HOW ECO IS IT? Aluminium is almost indefinitely recyclable, unlike plastic which can only be recycled a few times. But you do have to snip off the end of the tube and wash it. 7/10
EYE CREAM LIFT
Upcircle Eye Cream refill, £14.99, upcirclebeauty.com WHAT IS IT? Upcircle gives new life to organic food waste by extracting oils from ingredients such as coffee grounds and date seeds. It smells like a latte. HOW ECO IS IT? Pumps with metal springs are hard to recycle. So buy a new glass pot with no pump (for the same price), then wash your old pump and pop it on the new product. 6/10
PRETTY POUCH
L’Occitane 3-in-1 Micellar Water Refill, £21, 300 ml, uk.loccitane.com WHAT IS IT? While this 300 ml micellar water ‘ refill’ infused with cucumber and thyme costs more than the £ 19.50 plastic bottle, it also gives you 50 per cent more product. HOW ECO IS IT? A lightweight pouch reduces the carbon footprint because less fuel is needed to transport it. But while the plastic bottle can be put in your household recycling, the refill can’t. l’Occitane says this is because it needs to be made of a durable plastic. 5/10
CLEVER DEODORANT
Fussy Deodorant refill, £5, case, £7, getfussy.com WHAT IS IT? Everything in this cute, pebble-shaped refillable deodorant is made of plants. It comes in four scents and an unscented version. HOW ECO IS IT? Pass the halo. For the case, waste sweetcorn cobs are upcycled into bioplastic, while the refill sits in compostable ‘cardboard’ made of waste sugar cane pulp. Each purchase funds the collection of 1kg of ocean plastic. 10/10
DEAD SEA DETOX
Ascent Pink Himalayan Bath Salts refill, £45 for 500 g, verdantalchemy.co.uk WHAT IS IT? The attractive refillable glass jar has an almost prettier, if pricey, pouch refill, which is rich in minerals — 84 of them — with a rose, geranium and lavender smell. HOW ECO IS IT? Oils in the salts mean the pouches have to be foil-lined to prevent seepage — making them non-recyclable, unless you have a TerraCycle point nearby. 5/10
SOAP IN A CAN
Kankan mandarin and Clary Sage handwash refill can, £15, kankan.london WHAT IS IT? A drinks can, but full of liquid soap. Snap the ring pull and pour into your pump dispenser. Buy a starter set of one refill plus a ‘forever’ glass bottle for £24 or repurpose an old pump bottle. HOW ECO IS IT? Recycling cans is easy, making this an eco nobrainer. But remember, swill out the can before popping it in the recycling bin. 9/10