How To Buy Sustainable Beauty

Don’t know how to search for sustainable beauty brands?

Are you struggling to shop sustainable beauty products?

Can’t figure out what brands are (or are not) sustainable?

Then this post is a guide on how to do just that.

Shopping for sustainable and eco-friendly beauty can be a challenge because it’s hard to figure out what counts as sustainable.

Sustainability has become a ‘hot topic’ in the industry over the last couple of years, there are plenty of brands that will jump on the sustainable/organic/natural/eco beauty bandwagon when their actual stance is far from the truth. This is also known as greenwashing.

But how do you buy sustainable beauty? Well, this simple guide will explain how.

What is sustainable beauty?

To shop for sustainable beauty, it’s important to start off by understanding what the term means.

According to the Sustainable Beauty Network, sustainable beauty practices address the following practices:

Company assessment for carbon, energy, water and waste, environmental impacts
Development of overall strategic sustainability plan and mission
Reduction of energy and water usage
Waste reduction in company operations and/or manufacturing
Community outreach and involvement
Partnerships with nonprofit environmental organizations and other key stakeholders
Culture of sustainability within the organization
Sustainable purchasing & packaging practices
Green building design and facility improvements.

Implementing every single measure on this list is challenging and it takes a lot for a brand to do these things. However, by addressing at least several of these issues at once and taking a massive step in the right direction, a sustainable beauty brand is doing its bit for the environment as well as cementing its place in the eco-beauty industry.

Some beauty companies attach ‘eco’ or ‘sustainable’ labels to their brands for marketing purposes, which can be misleading for consumers. Just because a product is listed as ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ doesn’t mean it’s sustainable.

The Sustainable Beauty Network says, “In order for a product, business or brand to be truly sustainable all facets of sustainability must be addressed. In addition to using environmentally friendly ingredients, there are many dimensions to being sustainable. Are eco-friendly packaging and designs being used? How green are the internal operations, distribution and marketing practices? What is the level of involvement in community outreach and socially responsible programs?”

In the world of sustainable and eco beauty, it’s not enough to talk the talk - a brand has to walk the walk. In order for a beauty company or product to be truly sustainable and eco-friendly, it has to satisfy a series of sustainable principles.