Six Easy Swaps to make Your Makeup Bag More Sustainable

Animal agriculture has a huge environmental impact on our planet so by choosing vegan alternatives you are already making a positive difference in so many ways. Cruelty-free and vegan beauty products are also usually more sustainable because they tend to use natural ingredients rather than chemicals that are harmful to the planet (and our skin).

All of our products at Greener Beauty are chosen with their sustainability in mind, we look at company ethics, manufacturing processes and packaging and we provide all of this information on our product listings so you can shop with confidence.⁠ We also have a filter that means you can choose to only browse products that are made in the UK or a little further afield, made in Europe. All you have to do is click on our ‘Eco Friendly’ filter and select what you’d like to see! This filter also allows you to highlight plastic free, refillable and palm oil free products.

REFILLABLE MAKEUP

This works really well for mineral makeup such as the range from Love the Planet. But what about makeup that is not in powdered form?

Don’t worry, there are still options.

I am yet to find a range of refillable nail polish, but honestly, who would want that mess! I think I would honestly get it everywhere. So best we accept that nail polish will never be refillable. However you can select options that have less of an impact, what is the bottle made from? And the lid? Traditionally the lid is made from plastic but there are more sustainable options out there such as the Zao Bamboo lid. It still contains a plastic brush but this is definitely a more sustainable and lower impact option.

So what about other types of makeup like mascaras and lipsticks?

COTTON BUDS

Cotton buds can be so useful in getting those wings absolutely perfect or tidying up some eyeshadow that might have fallen on your cheeks while you were getting those fabulous Smokey eyes. But what is the impact of using these on a daily basis and how can we make this step in our daily makeup routing more sustainable?

Luckily these plastic cotton buds were banned from sale and distribution in the UK on the 1st October 2020 so the hope is that there are no more of these available anywhere.  However a quick google at the time of writing this and I have found that the plastic versions are still available to purchase online. I know, I am as disappointed as you are!

Here at Greener Beauty we have never sold plastic cotton buds even before the ban and instead we have a few more sustainable options available.

CHOOSE REGULAR OR LARGE SIZES AS OPPOSED TO MINIS

Choosing miniature products means that these products will not last as long and will need to be replaced sooner. Choose full size bottles or large sizes so that the packaging lasts as long as possible.

SUSTAINABLE SOURCED INGREDIENTS

The sustainability of the ingredients used in your makeup bag can have a big long term impact on how sustainable your makeup bag is. Whether its the use of unsustainable palm oil in products that is causing deforestation and the extinction of species of animals or that the product you are using contains petrochemicals such as paraffin wax (this is a by-product of petroleum).

REMOVING YOUR MAKEUP

You can make a huge impact on your own sustainability by using a reusable make up remover. We all know that lots of the face wipes just move makeup and grime around your face but did you also now that lots of them contain plastic?

A great alternative is using a washable or reusable cloth to take off your makeup. Here we share the options we have here at Greener Beauty.

DONATING MASCARA WANDS

When it comes to mascara wands there are currently no sustainable options alternative to the plastic wands, that I am aware of. So what to do with these plastic wands?

The best thing you can do is clean them off with warm soapy water and then donate them to a wildlife hospital where they can be used in the care of small animals. Research where you can send them local to you.

So there we have it five easy swaps to make your makeup bag more sustainable! Don’t forget that any and all small swaps can make a huge difference so rather than getting overwhelmed with where you are and where you might like to be, you can always just pick one or two things to focus on and add in more when you feel ready.

Another important piece of advice we can give is to start slowly and just replace things with a more sustainable option as you finish them. It would not be sustainable to throw out a full makeup bag full of products to just replace them with more sustainable options.

Don’t be hard on yourself. If you can only make one swap now that is amazing. If everyone on this planet made just one swap imagine the impact that would have on this planet.

If you need any more advice or help with swaps or anything greener beauty related please do get in touch via info@greenerbeauty.com or our live chat and we will always be more than happy to help!