(Whether your beauty regimen consists of two steps or ten, it could be causing tremendous harm to the environment. The cosmetics and skincare industry contributes to a large number of environmental issues that range from deforestation and damaged coral reefs to air pollution and plastic waste. Ahead, we break down the good, bad and ugly along with best beauty practices that will keep you looking great while saving the planet.
Single out Single Use
Convenience is great but disposable products like cleansing wipes, face pads and cotton buds are not. According to Arcadia Earth, the average life of a disposable face wipe is just 10 seconds, but once tossed away, that wipe can take up to 100 years to break down. And that applies to nearly all single-use items as they are not biodegradable. Face wipes also contain chemicals such as phthalates, triclosan, and parabens, along with other ingredients like fragrances that can actually irritate your skin. Your skin and environment can benefit from reusable muslin or silk washcloths instead that are not only gentler and better value for money, but are a lot more effective at removing dirt and grime.
Inner Beauty
There are toxic chemicals hiding in plain sight within your beauty cabinet that could be wreaking havoc on the environment. Not only can some of these ingredients affect your health and skin, but once the product is washed off they build up in our ecosystems and end up in our oceans, rivers, and water supply. Toxic chemicals like parabens, triclosan, oxybenzone, octinoxate, dioxane and products with microbeads in them have all been linked to causing water pollution and affecting the reproductive cycles, population, and growth patterns of aquatic life. If reading up on those pesky ingredient labels seems like a lot to take on, then let the Think Dirty app do all the work for you — consider it your one stop shop for all things clean beauty.
Swap the Bottle
According to data from eco-campaign Zero Waste Week, the global cosmetics industry produces more than 120 billion units of packaging annually, most of which is plastic, not recyclable and ends up in the landfills. Cosmetic packaging also contains phthalates and BPA that are known hormone disruptors which can cause serious health effects such as infertility. Opting for smart packaging like refillable makeup palettes or recyclable packaging, such as a glass, metal, or cardboard can go a long way in shielding your skin from toxins and keep the landfills free from plastic.
Published by: Vibhuti Vazirani/ 2020-09-02