by Michael Lorence (https://linktr.ee/melorence1)
A majority of consumers look for sustainable products when shopping for cosmetics and personal care. However, the challenges of reducing environmental impact are many.
Several companies are currently changing their ways to adapt to the green trend. So let's take a look at what companies are doing to reduce their environmental impact.
Big Brands Develop an Environmental Impact Scoring System
Some of the biggest names in the personal care industry are developing an environmental impact assessment and scoring system for cosmetics products. The companies spearheading the project are Henkel, L'Oréal, Unilever, LVMH, and Natura & Co.
The project's goal is to develop a brand-agnostic scoring system that allows consumers to tell a product's score at a glance to simplify comparisons of sustainability amongst brands and cosmetics.
The system factors a lot more than just ingredients, packaging, or manufacturing processes. It takes into account the whole product life cycle.
Waterless Cosmetic Products
The cosmetic industry uses lots of water when manufacturing personal care and cosmetic products. Yet, at the same time, consumers demand cleaner manufacturing methods to decrease their impact on the environment regarding water usage.
The cosmetic brand Susteau heard the consumers and worked hard to develop waterless cosmetics. After they experimented with 50 different formulas, it resulted in products like the moondust hair wash and waterless power-to-lather shampoo.
The waterless trend is still growing and has been for several years now. As a result, brands like Chanel, Tropic Skincare, MONO, and LUSH are developing more waterless products, incentivizing the market to produce sustainable cosmetics.
Reusing Discarded Ingredients
Some companies are going above and beyond when it comes to sustainability by giving their waste a new purpose.
The idea is excellent because it takes ingredients considered junk, like fruit seeds and coffee grounds, and gives them a purpose as a new product.
The perfect example of uncycled beauty done right is by UpCircle Beauty. The company made its mission to give a purpose to what other companies may consider waste.
UpCircle Beauty has a complete catalog of exfoliators, face scrubs, soap bars, and more, using discarded ingredients like brewed chai tea spices.
Zero Waste Manufacturing
Companies with the zero-waste philosophy as part of their core concept want to reduce their environmental impact by avoiding plastic. These companies are using biodegradable packaging and making products with all-natural ingredients.
Antonym Cosmetics makeup is an example of zero waste cosmetics. The makeup sold by the company is cruelty-free, made from natural ingredients, and the packaging is either recycled or made from FSC-certified paper.
Locally Sourced Ingredients
Companies using locally sourced ingredients can cut their environmental impact by reducing carbon emissions, avoiding product damage during transportation, and fostering the local communities.
Reusable Packaging
Using refillable packaging is a great way to reduce waste production while reducing costs. There's no need to create new bottles and packages when the consumer can buy biodegradable refills for their products.
Everyone wins with reusable packaging. The consumer pays less for refills, the company reduces waste production, and the environment gets preserved.
Sustainable Cosmetics with Flex Cosmetics
Flex Cosmetics built a network of manufacturers, chemists, farmers, logistics experts, and marketing managers to build a complete production pipeline for our customers that worry about sustainable personal care and cosmetic products.