How Green Is Your Beauty?
The Zero Waste movement has gained much momentum with many people switching to sustainable and eco friendly practices. So what IS Zero Waste?
It’s where we reduce what we need, reuse as much as we can, send little to be recycled and compost what we cannot with the aim to send nothing to landfill. Going Zero Waste will help reduce the environmental threat to our planet plus save us money in the long term. But have you ever thought about the impact your beauty products are having on the earth?
If you love to pamper your skin why not pamper the planet at the same time by taking a little bit of time to choose beauty products that will help your skin and save our planet! Here’s how:
1. Look for organic certification from the world’s leading organic certification bodies who have a global organic and natural cosmetics standard otherwise known as COSMO – a product may claim its organic or natural so look for products certified by BDHI (Germany), Cosmebio (France), Ecocert (France, ICEA (Italy), Soil Association (UK) and ACO (Australia) to be certain. (Check out Zk’in Skin Care range which is COSMO Certified)
2. Check the brand websites for details about their ethical and environmental policies. Are they Fair Trade? Do they have Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)? Are their production and distribution processes eco-friendly – do they have a carbon offset scheme for example.
3. Look at the packaging. Is there unnecessary packaging? Is the boxes and bottles recyclable or biodegradable?
4. Are ingredients biodegradable (think of those nasty beads that get flushed down the sink to pollute the ocean)? Are ingredients locally sourced which help to support Australian industries and minimise transport and pollution costs.
5. Read the ingredients. Are ingredients tested on animals or derived from animal sources (such as gelatine, collagen and animal-based emulsifiers). Is there palm oil in the product? If so, is it from sustainable sources?
Taking some extra time to green your beauty routine means you get the best beauty for your skin as well as beauty that is better for the planet.