The Rise of Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Skin Care Brands: What You Need to Know

Consumer awareness is becoming much more common in the skincare industry, which is leading to more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives.

As more people lean towards sustainable products, the cosmetic industry is becoming more influenced due to its troubled past.

That said, consumers today want to know what their money is supporting, which is why we’re going to provide you with a breakdown of everything you need to know.

What Caused a Shift to Sustainability?

Consumer awareness has become more mainstream due to more research coming out on the effects of many skincare products.

There have been an alarming number of studies coming out about harmful chemicals such as allergens, carcinogens, and endocrine disruptors.

Not only are these harmful to the body, but they also cause damage to the environment.

Another major influence on the awareness and shift is social media and online resources.

Social media have played a huge role in spreading awareness, as more creators and influencers are backing sustainable brands and sharing the harm of products.

Health Concerns in Skin Care Products

Skin care products come into contact with your skin, which is absorbed into the body.

Chemicals that aren’t good for the body can be absorbed and enter the bloodstream.

This can cause a whole host of issues if used continuously.

These chemicals range from parabens to endocrine disruptors, which do the opposite of helping your skin.

Exposure over time can end up having long-term effects on your skin, which can create pimples, breakouts, skin infections, and more.

Aside from that, any chemicals absorbed into the bloodstream will go through the liver, which takes away from your body filtering other substances.

Environmental Impact of Certain Chemicals

Aside from the physical aspects of these products, they also cause environmental damage.

Many skincare products are placed into plastic waste, which isn’t that biodegradable.

Microplastics along with a handful of chemicals can be found in these, which can cause issues for the environment.

Additionally, skincare products use ingredients that aren’t eco-friendly, such as palm oil.

By pushing sustainable and eco-friendly products, one can reduce the amount of waste that accumulates due to unsustainable skincare products.

Responsible consumption amongst skincare companies can help push a change for the better.

Not only does skincare correlate with makeup sales, but it can help push the need for more eco-friendly products in the industry.

The Different Types of Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Skincare

Clean Ingredients & Sourcing

The largest sustainable and eco-friendly movement was through clean ingredients and sourcing.

Many beauty products tend to contain a lot of fillers and harmful chemicals, which is why the focus is on changing this.

With new research, many skincare products are avoiding adding specific chemicals, as they can be harmful to the body and environment.

Sustainable sourcing is also a huge issue, as many products use ingredients that are harmful to the environment through sourcing.

Certain products, especially those that contain oils tend to contribute to the destruction of forests.

This can affect everything from the ecosystem to the surrounding cities.

So, companies are doing their best to only use ethical sourcing and fair trade companies.

Eco-Friendly Packaging

Chemicals can be found in more than just the product itself.

The packaging holds just as many harmful chemicals, which can impact the sustainability of the product.

There has been a huge shift towards using recyclable materials that don’t end up wasting away in a landfill.

Plastic containers tend to be non-biodegradable and many skincare products come wrapped in plastic.

That’s why more companies are making the switch to biodegradable materials, which also can be refilled.

That way, these materials aren’t clogging up landfills and contributing to waste.

Some companies such as Aveda, Lush, REN, and RMS Beauty have made the switch to only using sustainable packaging.

Cruelty-Free and Vegan

Often, we think of sustainability as moving closer to cruelty-free and vegan products.

One of the many criticisms of the cosmetic industry is that they largely did animal testing.

Brands are working hard to banish this, as around 80% of cosmetic companies still do this.

That said, there are more wide-stream cosmetic brands that are taking the initiative to move away from this.

Some of the brands that don’t test on animals include:

• Dr. Bronner’s
• Bare Minerals
• E.l.f. Cosmetics
• Schmidt’s
• MAC Cosmetics
• CeraVe

Currently, the global vegan skin care products market size is valued at 16.60 billion and is expected to grow 8.9% in the coming decade.

With efforts from big brands and also PETA, more companies are making the switch to sustainable vegan-friendly products and packaging.

Transparency

Social media have made a push for more transparency in companies’ products.

With more brands having more transparency, other ones are following suit.

This was considered the rise of the clean beauty movement, as more consumers were pushing for awareness and transparency with how brands are making their products.

Not only that but also retailers and supply chains put pressure on cosmetic companies to help combat the rise of harmful chemicals and pollutants.

To avoid losing customers, brands started to comply with certain regulations, as their competitors did.

That led to The Cosmetic Supply Chain Transparency Act, which helps suppliers provide information about products to consumers.

Skin Care Market: Everything You Need to Know

Now that we’ve delved into what has made the rise of sustainable and eco-friendly products more popular, let’s organize our thoughts.

Essentially, there is only a handful of information you’ll need to keep in mind when navigating your next skin care product.

Ingredients & Packaging

As stated earlier, one of the best ways to tell if a product is or isn’t sustainable is to check the ingredient list.

Many brands are trying to sneakily make misleading claims that end up not being true.

To avoid this, it’s important to go through the ingredient list before purchasing a product, regardless of the claims on the bottle.

One of the best resources for this is to check the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.

However, the list may become a little too confusing.

In that case, then apps such as the Think Dirty app can help you navigate skin care products that have ingredients to avoid.

Brand Values

You’ll also want to choose to purchase skincare from brands that align with your values.

Sustainability isn’t always just about the ingredients or packaging.

Instead, you’ll want to find brands that align with your values.

Many companies provide information on their website about their brand values.

So, checking their presence online can be a good way to gauge if it aligns with your views.

Certificates

Lastly, certificates are a must when it comes to sustainability.

Many brands like to make claims that their products are sustainable or eco-friendly.

However, if they don’t have any certificates, then it generally doesn’t mean anything.

Certificates you want to keep an eye out for are the Leaping Bunny, which is for cruelty-free products.

In addition, USDA Organic and Climate Neutral are also good ones.