Honor Earth Day 2021 with these Eco-Friendly Beauty Switches
Beauty should be something positive. A confidence-booster, mood enhancer, or self-care moment – whatever you want to call it, it should feel good.
Yet from what statistics are showing us, there doesn’t seem to be all that much to feel positive about right now in regards to the beauty industry. Tragic!
According to Zero Waste, 120 billion units of packaging are produced every year by the global cosmetics industry, much of which ends up in a landfill or littering the environment. This must end. Now.
“Even if a woman is not willing to commit to a zero-waste lifestyle, there are little steps she can take that help the environment a great deal and can save her money at the same time,” explains dermatopathologist Gretchen Frieling, M.D.
To commemorate Earth day on April 22nd, we’re highlighting eco-friendly beauty swaps to make your beauty routine more planet-friendly.
SWITCH: MAKEUP WIPES
For: A Face Towel
Stop relying on makeup wipes as your only avenue for makeup removal. There’s a slew of options on the market that are far eco-friendlier, like face towels for instance.
As convenient as makeup wipes are for sloughing away foundation and waterproof mascara, they’re not very good for the skin. Dermatologists say these wipes merely move the dirt around. Plus, these single-use products are doing our precious earth zero favors.
Swap them out for a loyal cotton face towel instead, like Truly’s 100% Cotton Face Towel. It’s gentle on the skin, yet powerful enough to get rid of dirt, oil, dead skin cells, and leftover makeup for a clear and radiant complexion.
“You can use reusable makeup remover cloths and washable cotton rounds that you can toss into the laundry and use again and again,” says Dr. Frieling.
They can also be washed over 200 times before needing to be replaced, so you’ll be saving some serious coin with these eco-angels.
SWITCH: ANIMAL-BASED INGREDIENTS & CHEMICALS
For: Natural, Plant-Based Ingredients
If you’ve ever looked at the back of cosmetics before, you may have noticed a long list of words you’ve never heard of. Chemicals are what they are. Unless you’re fluent in the language of skincare, you wouldn’t know what you were slathering on your skin every day. That’s why it pays to pay attention.
If you want to make a change this year, try replacing your animal-based non-vegan beauty products with plant-based ones.
Truly Beauty is committed to providing vegan and cruelty-free skincare products at affordable prices so that they are accessible to everyone. We incorporate natural plant oils, extracts and butters to create high-performing products that deliver results.
Treat yourself to Truly’s TikTok Bundle to stock up on all our bestsellers.
SWITCH: RE-BUYING
For: Re-Using
If you’ve accumulated quite the collection of used beauty product containers, it’s time to put them to good use instead of just throwing them out.
To score yourself some carbon-friendly points, wash and dry your containers thoroughly. Now you can use them for virtually anything you like. For starters, how about using them to store your DIY beauty concoctions? If you love making your own skin scrubs or hair masks, there’s no more convenient place to put them than in your empties
Another great idea: hold on to them for when you travel. Especially if they’re travel size, they’ll be handy to have when you want to use your fave shampoo a zillion miles away. Donate the saved space to your beloved perfume instead.
SWITCH: DISPOSABLE RAZORS
For: Re-Usable Razors
Whenever you’re unsure whether something’s eco-friendly or not, simply identify whether it’s disposable or re-usable. As a rule of thumb, the latter is always the earth-friendly one.
Every day, we’re discarding tons of plastic – plastic toothbrushes, shampoo bottles, and disposable razors. We can all make such a huge impact just by changing our habits.
The EPA estimates that approximately two billion razors are thrown away each year – and that’s in the United States alone. What would be the figure worldwide?
“Every plastic razor you’ve ever used in your life still exists somewhere on this earth and they will outlive you!” says Banish founder and CEO Lottie Dalziel. “Which was the reason I decided to make the switch to a safety razor. I’ve had my closest shave ever and find it really easy to use. The blades are also really easy to change and I’m so excited to have a razor for life.”
So switch to a re-usable razor and you’ll find that you’re not only saving money, but slowly saving the planet, too.
SWITCH: SUNSCREEN
For: Reef-Safe Sunscreen
Chemicals in beauty products, most notably sunscreens, can be catastrophic for ocean reefs. According to scientists, up to 10 percent of coral reefs are threatened by sunscreen-induced bleaching.
“Oxybenzone and octinoxate are sunscreen ingredients that are potentially harmful to marine life,” says dermatologist Dr. Hadley King. “We need more testing to ensure safety but so far mineral sunscreens with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide seem to be safer options for our oceans.”
We also advise readers to carry out their research on a company prior to purchasing their products to ensure they are reef-friendly.
SWITCH: ORDINARY TOOLS
For: Bamboo Beauty Tools
Bamboo is a popular and attractive material used in beauty tools like hair and toothbrushes. Best of all, it’s eco-friendly as it is a replacement for plastic.
According to Dr. Frieling, “Bamboo is a sustainable and biodegradable alternative.” She also says it is “compostable and biodegradable, and it grows at around three-and-a-half feet per day, making it a totally viable and extremely eco-friendly alternative to plastic.”
Sounds good to us! So the next time you go beauty shopping, keep your eyes peeled for bamboo tools.
Earth Day only comes along once a year, but we should be honoring it daily. By making these eco-friendly beauty switches, we can all significantly reduce our carbon footprint and make a real difference to the planet.
Spread the love and wisdom by sharing this article with your nearest and dearest, so that we all can start adopting greener, earth-friendlier habits.
