6 ways to minimise wastage created by your beauty routine

Withthe beauty and personal care space proliferating and a climate crisis looming,  it’s high time we alter consumer behaviour in the goodwill of the planet

Today, about 400 per cent more clothes are being manufactured than 20 years ago, and over 50 per cent of the garments produced globally contain polyester (a non-biodegradable micro-plastic). Therefore, that the fashion industry—fast fashion in particular—is called out by the eco- and planet-conscious almost daily doesn’t come as a surprise. But, there’s something equally (perhaps, more) endangering the environment—the beauty industry.

The beauty and personal care industry produce over a whopping 120 billion units of products in packaging that are not recyclable. According to a Plastic Pollution Coalition report released early this year, almost 7.9 billion units of non-recyclable plastic were introduced into the environment in 2018, just in the United States of America. While the global cosmetic market is expected to grow from 341.1 billion dollars in 2020 to 560.50 billion dollars by 2030, the Indian beauty and personal care market is foreseen to double from three billion dollars in 2020 to six billion dollars in 2025. Given the numbers, to weigh the present-day (and future) quantum of beauty industry-generated plastic waste globally is alarming.

That’s not where it ends. The industry is a premier consumer of other non-renewable sources like water, oxygen and oil. Too long; didn’t read: Adapting an eco-friendly approach and sustainable lifestyle isn’t a choice anymore; it’s the only means to survive. And the first step? Reducing the wastage caused by fashion and beauty practices. Here's how you can start.

Shop mindfully

When it comes to beauty, a new milky lip gloss or skin-perfecting foundation can be an enticing purchase, but ask yourself: “Do I really need it?” and you may just be surprised. Peep into your vanity carefully, and you’ll realise that you don’t even use all of it regularly; a survey in 2015 revealed that women only use five of the 40 make-up products they own. Shopping mindfully starts with a need-based consumption and also entails studying the brand, dissecting the packaging and probing the production. “Opt for brands who think about the product’s full life cycle. It’s not enough for the packaging to be reusable and recyclable. You have to think about the ingredients and manufacturing processes, too,” suggests Megha Asher, co-founder of Juicy Chemistry. The pointers below elaborate mindful shopping practices.

Ban everything single-use

Since 1950, the year when plastic was introduced, around 8.3 billion metric tonnes of it have been interposed into the environment. Single-use plastic is the present-day villain, and we’re all contributors to the destruction. It has been banned in India since July 2022 but beauty products, razors, bottles, jars and tubs and cotton bud sticks, all contain single-use plastic. Cotton pads, wet wipes and tissue papers—consumed imprudently—are projected to soar, approximately 806.3 million dollarsby the end of 2027, according to an analysis.  For every one pound of cotton produced  there is a water footprint of about 1,320 gallons. 

“Owing to the use of organic cotton, bamboo, cellulose or microfibre obtained naturally, the durability of the reusable cleansing towels increases multifold. Given their promise of up to a thousand cleanses, the waste accumulation of cotton pads thrown per day is likely to come down significantly,” says Sargam Dhawan Bhayana, director, Makeup Eraser India. “As a consumer, non-biodegradable cotton pads are also a non-economical purchase.” Look for reusable cleansing substitutes and opt for razors and toothbrushes with a wooden or bamboo-based body and are not disposable.

Opt for refillables

Refillable beauty has a cult following of its own. According to a UK-based report, the sales of refillable prestige beauty products in the country shot up from 47 per cent in January 2022 to the end of July . “Recycling empties is one way to make sure that the empty product containers get a second life instead of contributing to landfills,” says L’Occitane India’s spokesperson. “We produce eco-refills that save up to 97 per cent on packaging as opposed to original containers to give our consumers an eco-friendly alternative to refill their favourite products with.” Brands like asa beauty, Ayca, WOW Skin, The Body Shop, Tinge and more, have already levelled up their refillable beauty game.

Multitasking products for the win

Multitasking products that address more than one need are the MVPs. Lip and cheek tints, base make-up pots, multi-active serums and dual-action moisturisers are what you should invest in. “Using fewer bottles means less dumping in landfills and also easy recycling. This action helps  reduce your carbon footprint,” shares Shamika Haldipurkar, founder, d’you. “Also, most multitasking products cater to all skin types, allowing them to be  shared with family members, further minimising your consumption footprint and ensuring every product is used mindfully .”

Indulge in recycling programmes

Only 12 per cent of beauty products’ plastic packaging is actually recycled, highlights a McKinsey & Company research, with 25 percent  incinerated, 40 per cent in landfills and 19 per cent ending up as litter.” Brands like The Body Shop, Kiehl’s, L’Occitane and Saltpetre, Vilvaah and Bare Necessities closer home, have up-and-running recycling programmes. “A majority of our products are packaged in glass bottles and tubs; our deodorants and dry shampoos are packaged in biodegradable paper tubes; our liquid shampoos and body washes are packaged in PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycol) bottles that adhere to ECOCERT standards and are highly recyclable. We also have a plastic-neutral programme,” says Asher. M.A.C Cosmetics also has a recycling programme, where they give away a full-sized lipstick when you return three empty bullets. 

Try customised products 

Enough has been said about the external-front wastage and wastage that occurs much later in the product life cycle— in the quest to create the perfect formula. A brand locks in the final formulation after several rounds of trials and tests, which is then bottled for sale. The solution? Customised products. “Brands produce, let’s say, two million units of shampoo for people with long hair or curly hair, and then they try to find them,” Arnaud Plas, co-founder and CEO of Prose told Vogue Business in an interview, pointing out the relevance of customised products.

When you use a custom-made lipstick or say, a cream, you know how it’s made, making it unique. As a by-product, it also negates the process of trying lots of options before finding ‘the one’. Skincare brand Suhi & Sego, hair care brand Bare Anatomy and make-up brand Tinge have mastered customisation to ensure the user gets what they really need.

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