How I Choose To Shop Beauty More Sustainably
Madison is Adore Beauty's Videographer. When she's not directing and editing skincare, haircare and makeup videos for the Adore Beauty YouTube channel, you'll find her rocking a bold eyeshadow look, usually with matching statement earrings.
Shopping beauty ethically can be challenging.
With fashion and homewares it’s easy to shop second-hand but beauty products have expiration dates and bacteria to worry about.
However, there are definitely some decisions we can make to be a little more conscious with our beauty, so if you’re like me and trying to do your bit for the planet, I have some tips for you today.
First a quick disclaimer: you know that old saying “there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism”? Well that does apply here.
Typically the way to be fully sustainable is to make your own products from your own resources - however that’s not really a safe way to go (please put down the coffee grounds, it’s not time to destroy your skin barrier with a DIY face scrub). So while there are things we can do, the ultimate way to do your part is just to buy less.
Second disclaimer: I fully understand there are larger forces at work here and it probably isn’t your individual choice of shampoo at fault for the world's woes.
However I believe there is power in the way we purchase, and the more people that choose to shop ethically, the more we can influence the supply and demand of big brands, companies and superpowers.
Final disclaimer: I am not an environmentalist. I am just a gal working at a beauty company who tries to do the right thing. Reader’s discretion advised!
Read on for some more sustainable shopping practices you can impliment in the new year...
Shop Your Own Cupboard First.
Since we aren’t constantly looking at the back of our bathroom shelf, we may forget what's in there.
This particularly applies to makeup e.g. before you buy a new individual eye shadow pot, check the drawers to make sure you don’t already have that shade in a palette! And so on and so forth.
And here's a handy hack: actually finish your products before buying new ones. This is where participating in TikTok beauty trends like #projectpan is an excellent idea.
I am guilty of getting super excited about new products and forgetting about the old ones still sitting in my cupboard.
Do your wallet a favour and completely use up your products before you get excited about the next ones.
If you’re the kind of person to squeeze out every last tiny bit of toothpaste before you buy a new one … well do that with your beauty products too!
Whip out the scissors and cut the tube so you can scoop out the last bit (only if it’s malleable plastic, of course).
Shop for Your Individual & Personal Needs.
Buying less is simply the best thing you can do, in my opinion.
At Adore Beauty we really encourage people to avoid buying products just because they’re popular or because it’s going viral on social media (although we do love testing products here on Beauty IQ to see if they’re worth the hype) - we’d rather you buy products that actually work for you and your beauty needs.
For example if you have dry skin and your mate has oily skin, a product they're obsessed with may not be right for you.
Figure out your hair type, skin concerns or any other beauty needs you have before you start shopping, then select products that actually cater to those needs. (PS if you need help with this, our friends on live chat are always available.)
Buy Australian-Made Products.
How often do you consider the greenhouse gasses omitted by the boats or planes shipping your products to you?
Products that are made close to where you live will have less distance to travel, meaning less energy exerted in making its way to you.
Plus, we love supporting our smaller, Aussie owned and made brands.
Think Ultra Violette, Alpha-H and The Jojoba Company for skincare, or Nak, Eleven and Davroe for haircare.
We talk about some cool Australian made skincare brands in this video:
Utilise Supersized Products and Refills.
It’s time for a double whammy because this tip is gonna save your wallet as well as your conscience.
A lot of popular products are being offered in jumbo sizes, which in theory use less resources to package up instead of replenshing your original size which is going through two bottles.
For example NAK Hair Nourish 500ml duo in the large size uses less plastic than it would if it was separated into two smaller bottles, and also costs less per mil.
Then we have refills, like KORA Organics Turmeric Glow Moisturizer Jar 50ml, so you can buy the fancy glass bottle once, and continue to buy the little sachets ongoing. Just make sure you actually use your refillable cosmetics up before they expire!
Keep Sample Sized Containers for Travel.
This is my favourite beauty hack ever, I have talked about it on multiple of our social channels and no, I will not shut up about it.
If you're a loyal Adore Beauty shopper, I’m sure at some point you would have received a sample size or mini product.
My advice is to use it up, wash out the bottle or tub, and then when you next travel, decant your favourite product in there so you don’t have to purchase dedicated minis for the plane, or mess around with protecting your large bottles in your suitcase.
You can of course buy travel-sized bottles if you need, but the ‘“reduce, re-use, recycle” way would be to use what you already have.
Buy Products Made Sustainably.
Now I’ll be completely honest, this is relatively hard to decipher as brands may have different definitions of “sustainable” and parameters of measuring it.
But if you’re choosing between two similar brands, maybe compare if they have any sustainability claims.
Perhaps one is made from partially recycled plastic, like our very own brand Viviology, or perhaps one is made from ethically farmed ingredients like Davines (or the Jojoba Company as mentioned before).
Some use renewable energy in their offices and warehouses, and others might use fully vegan ingredients.
You can also look for B Corp Certified brands (which means they have been verified to meet high standards of accountability and transparency.)
Conscious Beauty Brands:
Here is a list of just a few brands that take sustainability seriously:
- Davines - Utilises renewable energy, has carbon neutral product lines and ingredients sourced from small family farms in Italy.
- Eco Tan - All packaging is made from sustainable sources (glass, sugar cane plastic & PCR), their warehouse is plastic free, and they participate in a reforestation program.
- Kora Organics - Climate neutral certified, produced in glass or PCR resin, organic farming practices involving less pollution, less soil erosion, and less energy than non-organic harvesting practices.
- Lumira - “Thoughtful” packaging (no single use plastics), Australian owned and made, and utilises eco-friendly ingredients (coconut and soy wax) that are responsibly sourced through Fair Trade partnerships.
- Weleda - Powered with 100 percent green electricity, operate an emissions free logistics centre and 98% of all manufacturing waste is recycled.
How Is Adore Beauty Championing Sustainability?
So what are we doing at Adore Beauty? Most of our sustainability efforts take place at our Customer Fulfilment Centre where we package up all your favourite products.
Recycling.
Suppliers send us products safely packaged in primary, secondary & tertiary packaging, also known as boxes.
Some have plastic which we remove where it is part of manufacturing or shipping, we then recycle both plastic & cardboard packaging in a compactor to shrink the volume down.
From here we transport to a recycling company to be made into new packaging and recycled content. In FY 2024 (aka from July 2023 to June 2024) we recycled 3.37 tonnes of plastic and a whopping 79.94 tonnes of cardboard (which BTW is roughly 14 African elephants).
Additionally, all of our boxes we send to customers are made from recycled materials as well, and a few years ago we changed to a 100% recyclable carton type for our orders, which means that you (our loyal customer) can easily recycle your Adore Beauty boxes. Just remove the tape and pop it in your curb-side recycling bin.
Box sizes.
One piece of technology I find incredibly cool is our Cubiscan, which we use to reduce the amount of cardboard wastage with our boxes by choosing the right size to a tolerance of 99.99%.
Basically, you know when sometimes you order something small online and it comes in a ridiculously massive box? We control that as best we can. We measure every product size once on the Cubiscan, so our system can choose the perfect box size for the products of your specific order. This also saves “void fill” (which is a cool, edgy name for packing paper) and in the long run lowers greenhouse gasses.
Locally made options.
At Adore we stock a huge variety of brands (around 300+, actually) so that you get the best selection of products to choose from. However, our own skincare products from AB Lab (AB as in Adore Beauty) and Viviology (made in partnership with dermal clinician James Vivian) are made in Australia, so that earlier point we mentioned about shopping local is ever prevalent.
As so many of our skincare products require a unit carton to protect them in transit, we made the decision to only use cardboard that supports responsible forestry practices (certified FSC), this means we can track the supply chain of our packaging and support the re-plantation of trees used for paper and cardboard.
Also up to 30% of our plastic packaging is made from repurposed material, and we work with local manufacturers as much as possible to ensure we are supporting local supply chains for beauty in Australia
Finally...Be Mindful.
Of course we have a long way to go at Adore Beauty, there’s still so much we can do, but every small step is an important one and we’re dedicated to improving our systems.
So that's my slightly long guide on how I like to shop more sustainably.
One last note I'll leave you with it in general, it’s great to be mindful of what you’re using.
Mindfulness and gratefulness also helps us appreciate the things we have.
Let's work towards a brighter future y'all! ✌️
Check out some recent articles featuring sustainable brands below:
