Eco heroes
As we become more conscious of the environmental impact of our bathroom cabinet, we seek out the brands and products to shop now…
SUST
SUST only stocks brands that can sign a document confirming all ingredients are sustainably and responsibly sourced and non-toxic to people and the environment. Any plastic bottles must be recyclable. Products are shipped sustainably or the carbon is offset. We love Neighbourhood Botanicals The Body Body Oil, £31. sustbeauty.com
NET-A-PORTER
If you already shop on Net-a-porter, pop to the Net Sustain section on the site. It filters products based on brand attributes, such as those diligent about reducing waste, caring about animal welfare or using sustainable ingredients. Net Sustain holds each brand to very high standards, so you can shop with confidence. Try Cosmydor with its no-plastic policy – the vegan C/3 Nourishing Mask Shea Butter & Orange Floral Water, £59, is great for dry or dehydrated skin. net-a-porter.com
UPCIRCLE
To date, Upcircle has saved 100,000 tonnes of waste from landfill for its skincare products, by harnessing ingredients such as coffee grounds from London cafés and argan shells left over from the argan oil industry. The Fennel and Cardamom Chai Soap Bar, £6.99, designed to tackle breakouts, uses chai spices repurposed from a syrup company. The brand’s packaging is predominately glass, aluminium and cardboard – the serums and scrubs do come with plastic caps but you can buy refills to minimise waste. upcirclebeauty.com
CODEX
Codex incorporates organically grown and foraged ingredients into its skincare and has a goal to be carbon neutral by the end of 2021. The brand uses green polyethylene tubes that are made from sugarcane and fully recyclable. Try the Bia Exfoliating Wash, £43, which is gentle enough to use every day and is 30% wild-harvested thanks to the elderflower, which grows naturally in Ireland. codexbeauty.com
SEED
Seed offers just one product on subscription. Daily Synbiotic, £40, is a combined prebiotic and probiotic supplement to support gut, skin and heart health. The welcome kit contains a 30-day supply of capsules with a glass jar and vial for travel that are both reusable. The outer packaging is either recyclable, compostable or dissolvable in water. You can enrol in Seed’s Sustainable Transport Program and get refills every three months. seed.com
(M)ANASI 7
(M)anasi 7 is a streamlined brand, offering multifunctional All Over Colours that can be used on eyes, lips and cheeks, which means you only need one product instead of three. Made in small batches, the beautifully creamy formulas contain ethically and sustainably sourced, skin-friendly ingredients, such as apricot kernel oil and shea butter. The jars can be reused for travel, while the paper boxes are sustainably made and recyclable. Try the All Over Colour Creamy Finish, £39. manasi7.com
ESSENCE + ALCHEMY
When paraffin candles burn they release particles that contribute to indoor air pollution. Look to natural alternatives like Essence + Alchemy, which uses rapeseed wax, pure essential oils and wood-wick that is FSC certified (meaning it was ethically and sustainably sourced). The candles, £48, can be refilled as a one-off or why not treat yourself to a three or six-month subscription? Packaging is recyclable, biodegradable and plastic-free. Dusk, £48, is deeply relaxing. essenceand alchemy.co.uk
BY 2050, TWO-THIRDS OF THE WORLD COULD FACE WATER SHORTAGES
OHNE
Ohne creates 100% organic and biodegradable tampons (wrapped in recyclable plastic), from £4.80 for eight, that are unscented and unbleached, sent with free postage and zero tampon tax added on top. What’s genius about the service is that you decide on the box size, from eight to 24 tampons, and how many of those are regular, super or super+ to suit your flow. You can also subscribe to monthly deliveries. ohne.co
GUY MORGAN
Guy Morgan’s concise line of five products are vegan and palm oil-free. Each product is comprised of a combination of wild-grown ingredients from the UK and Europe, as well as organic ingredients that are certified by The Soil Association, Eco-cert and USDA. All packaging is plastic-free and 100% recyclable. Water-activated Dagger Rose Facial Cleansing Powder, £40, cleanses and nourishes skin. guy-morgan.com
CONTENT WELLBEING
Long-standing apothecary-turned-department store, Content Wellbeing is a trusted go-to for natural and sustainable buys spanning beauty, fashion and living. The Content X Planet section champions the brands taking sustainability seriously and you can edit the products by ethos, such as plastic-free, refillable, reusable etc. We love The Nue Co Prebiotic + Probiotic, £55. contentbeauty wellbeing.com
BYBI
When it comes to sustainability, BYBI is a guiding light in the beauty world. From choosing natural ingredients with short harvesting cycles (thus using less energy), to working with upcycled ingredients like seeds leftover from juicing in the brand’s facial oils (the Blueberry and Strawberry Boosters, £12 each), the BYBI team thinks outside the box. Buy a Booster and you’ll get a returns label for the bottle so you can send it back for free for recycling. bybi.com
PARLA
A new sustainable way to clean your teeth from dentist Dr Rhona Eskander. Parla Toothpaste Tablets, £6.95, are vegan, cruelty-free and don’t contain palm oil. They gently clean and contain just enough fluoride to prevent tooth decay. Simply chew a tablet and then brush your teeth. Eskander has thought about the harm that can be done once the product goes down the drain, so it’s free from the foaming agent SLS, found in toothpaste, that can be irritating to gums and has a detrimental effect on freshwater organisms. parlatoothpaste tablets.com
ETHIQUE
By 2050, two-thirds of the world could face water shortages and yet the first ingredient in a lot of beauty products is water. Ethique has created water-free solid bars of shampoos, conditioners, cleansers, moisturisers and more. Since each is roughly equal to three bottles of equivalent product, each bar saves around one litre of water. The packaging is plastic-free and compostable, while the bars are vegan, palm oil-free and cruelty-free. Try Tame Those Locks, £22, a smoothing set that contains Frizz Wrangler shampoo and The Guardian conditioner. ethique.co.uk
ONE OCEAN BEAUTY
Marcella Cacci’s skincare brand is inspired by her love of the sea and its nutrientrich algae. Utilising Blue Biotechnology, which reproduces the natural marine actives in a lab and weaves them into the formulas, we get the benefits while leaving the ocean plant intact. The Revitalizing Sea Serum, £78, stimulates our own hyaluronic acid production. One Ocean Beauty has partnered with Oceana, who work to restore and protect our oceans. net-a-porter.com
NEAL’S YARD REMEDIES
In 2008, Neal’s Yard Remedies became the UK’S first high-street retailer to achieve Carbonneutral® status (they offset any emissions via the Makira Forest Protection Project in Madagascar), and at their eco factory in Dorset they generate more than 5% of their own electricity, the rest being renewable. Keen to try? The Wild Rose Beauty Balm, £40, is a do-it-all wonder. Use as a cleanser, highlighter and eyebrow fixer. nealsyard remedies.com
BAMBAW
Cotton pads are a nightmare for the environment. Growing cotton requires a lot of water (around 20,000 litres per kilogram), as well as the use of environmentally damaging pesticides if you don’t go organic. Oh, and not to mention the plastic bag they come in and the unnecessary waste that comes with using them once and chucking them out. Enter Bambaw bamboo make-up remover pads, £14.08 for 16 – use as you would a regular cotton pad. They come with a mesh bag so you can even pop them in the washing machine. bambaw.com