How the beauty industry is inching towards a more sustainable and eco-conscious future

This World Earth Day, we take a look at the beauty brands that are good for you and the environment

Tomorrow is World Earth Day, and it is no surprise that most brands will have their PR in overdrive, identifying the best ways to position themselves as environmentally-conscious. While Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is part of every company’s DNA, the only ones making a legitimate difference are those going beyond the bare minimum, putting actual work into running conscious businesses. According to TRVST, an organisation driving social change, “about 70 per cent of the beauty industry’s waste comes from packaging. According to the latest reports from Zero Waste Week, beauty packaging amounts to 120 billion units every year. That includes plastic, paper, glass and metals, all of which end up in landfills year after year.”

Is refillable beauty environmentally-friendly?

How often do you find yourself actually separating waste and disposing your beauty empties responsibly? Most of us probably toss them in the trash and move on, which is why refill packs and pouches make for more actionable solutions. A lot of common drugstore brands that provide everyday basics—hand washes, detergents and sink supplies—have been creating large refill packs for a long time now. This is only fair, considering these products are some of the most consumed on a daily basis. Homegrown beauty brand Bare Necessities champions zero-waste living and has recently introduced powdered versions of a dishwashing solution, hand wash and surface cleaner. They come in 100 per cent compostable packaging and upcycled glass containers, thus lowering their carbon footprint, as the products don’t carry any water weight. Moreover, L’Occitane en Provence provides large refill packs for everything from haircare to body products like shower oils and body butters. 

Indian brand ColorBar Cosmetics is on the path to prioritising their impact on the environment. They recently launched their bestselling ‘Take Me As I Am’ range of cream and matte lipsticks in a refillable aluminium packaging that is 100 per cent recyclable. The product is super pigmented, has a vegan formula and stays on for a long time, making it a viable purchase for most. What’s also worth noting is that while each lipstick is priced at ₹ 999, the refills are at ₹499, making it a sustainable and economical purchase. The packaging feels luxe enough for its original price tag and with a formula that is comfortable to wear, manages to surpass multiple Indian and international brands that have explored the refillable beauty space, and possibly lost out due to an expensive refill. Additionally, ColorBar recently launched a vegan and sustainable sister brand called Co Earth, which retails skincare and haircare while also working with organisations such as Wildlife SOS and the Wildlife Trust of India to support and conserve endangered species and their habitats.

A handful of Indian and international brands have offered refills either since initiation or soon after. Kora Organics, owned by supermodel Miranda Kerr, retails refillable pods made of 100 per cent PCL plastic for their moisturisers and eye creams—it helps that the original glass tubs have a gemstone-inspired design that is too pretty to trash to begin with. The brand is also climate-neutral by way of offsetting carbon emissions and purchasing verified carbon credits. “Our organic farming techniques eliminate the use of synthetic pesticides and nitrogen pollution, which benefits our water systems, our wildlife and us as people,” says Kerr. 

 Additionally, Indian label ASA Beauty has championed refillable products since its inception, with almost every make-up product on their roster being refillable, from lipsticks and balms to compact powders and blushes. Chanel Beauty’s No.1 de Chanel collection is its most eco-conscious to date, with no use of plastic, no paper inserts, and a Revitalising Cream which is their first ever refillable product.

What is a B Corp Certification?

You will often find for-profit brands talk about a B Corp (or Benefit Corporation) certification as a badge of honour. It “is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials,” as the official definition states. In short, the organisations have a mindful approach towards leading positive social and environmental change, as well as functioning with complete transparency and accountability across all stakeholders, including employees and consumers.

LastObject, a B Corp-certified brand, creates reusable beauty and health products using sustainable materials to reduce the carbon footprint created by single-use products. These include reusable cotton rounds, menstrual pads, cotton swabs and even tissues. High-performance, vegan hair care brand Aveda is also B Corp-certified as of January this year, tacking onto their Leaping Bunny certification and ethos of developing botanical formulas that are good for your hair and the planet.

Meanwhile, Natura & Co is a global beauty conglomerate that consists of four brands—Aesop, Avon, Natura and The Body Shop, making it the world’s largest B Corp-certified organisation. According to the B Corp website, “In June 2020, Natura & Co announced its Commitment to Life sustainability vision. A comprehensive plan to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues, including the climate crisis and protecting the Amazon, defending human rights, and embracing circularity and regeneration by 2030.”

Is marine collagen extraction harmful for the ocean?

While collagen supplements are all the rage, the marine collagen derivative used in them may not be sustainably sourced and done so with the use of genetic modification, hampering ocean and marine biodiversity. The certification to look out for: One by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Australian brand Nutraviva, and closer home, TGM Beauty, both offer marine collagen skin and health supplements with this certification. Indian supplement brand Wellbeing Nutrition also has a Korean marine collagen peptides supplement as part of their offerings, and claims to use sustainably sourced collagen from wild-caught Korean deep sea fish without any GMOs (genetically modified organisms).

The importance of an eco-friendly product lifecycle

In an ideal world, brands would be able to have complete control over every stage, from the conception of a product till it reaches the consumer. While this is a long-term goal, a few brands have made it their reality. Greek skincare brand KORRES has a Full Circle™ seed-to-skin journey where they own and have complete control over every step from the seeds sown, to extraction wherein wastage is used as a fertiliser, ingredient development and formulation, packaging and recycling of product empties that they receive from customers. Raipur-based brand RAS Luxury Oils owns extensive farmland where they grow most of their ingredients like calendula, rose and hibiscus, maintaining quality control and then processing, packaging and shipping these the products from their own factory units. They recently introduced their Farm Fresh range of products which sells limited-edition formulas, incorporating parts of ingredients from their everyday production process that may otherwise go to waste along with other seasonal ingredients. Their first offering: a skin brightening ubtan for the summer. “This ubtan has the rarest ingredients found in our Radiance Gel Serum, Deep Nourish Butter Balm and Infinity Elixir infusions. The herbs that go into it are seeped to make the extract and the by-product of the raw, whole plant herb is what goes into the ubtan,” they say. It’s a long journey, but the beauty industry is undoubtedly on its way to a greener future.

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