Sustainable Skincare: What to Look For

What exactly should you look for in a sustainable skincare brand? Is it enough if it's labeled as "planet-friendly" or uses earthy colors and nature-inspired logos? Or should you dig deeper?

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This quick guide explores four key areas: ingredients, sourcing and manufacturing, packaging, and certifications. By examining these aspects closely, you can make informed choices that benefit both your skin and the environment.

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Ingredients

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To identify a sustainable skincare brand, carefully examine the ingredients list. Truly sustainable brands prominently display their ingredient lists on both product packaging and website product pages. If you need a magnifying glass to read the ingredient list or have to click through multiple pages to find it, that's a red flag. Be cautious of brands using terms like “fragrance”, “other ingredients”, and “naturally derived ingredients”. These are often used to mask potentially harmful ingredients. It's advisable to steer clear of such products.

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Sustainable skincare brands like Iota take transparency to the next level. Iota provides a dedicated ingredients section on its website, detailing not just the ingredients used but also its sources and purposes. Instead of adhering to the more permissive North American standards, Iota follows the stricter EU standards for safe, clean beauty, emphasizing natural wellness in its formulations.

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Read also: 8 Animal-Derived Ingredients to Avoid in Your Vegan Skincare Routine

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Sourcing and Manufacturing

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Transparency is equally crucial for sourcing and manufacturing. Seek out brands that openly discuss their factories, manufacturing processes, and worker rights. Rather than making vague claims, reputable companies support their assertions with reports and statistics. It's even more impressive if they measure and actively reduce their water and energy usage.

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Several sustainable skincare brands exemplify these practices. Acure, for instance, manufactures in U.S. factories with high ethical standards. Glow Recipe ensures responsible ingredient sourcing, while KORA Organics sources from organic farms, promoting both sustainability and quality.

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Packaging

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The cosmetics industry generates about 120 billion units of packaging annually, with 70% of the industry's waste coming from packaging alone. Look for brands taking action to combat this issue.

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‍KraveBeauty, for example, uses recycled materials and ensures recyclability. Saie has partnered with Pact Collective to recycle its empty bottles. Common Heir focuses on biodegradable and recyclable packaging, offering carbon-neutral shipping. Glow Recipe provides refillable options, while KORA Organics uses sustainable materials and refill pods to reduce its carbon footprint.

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Certificates

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Brands often use words like "organic," "natural," "cruelty-free," "vegan," and "biodegradable" on their products, but these terms have no legal definition or accountability. These vague terms, sometimes appearing as images or logos, can mislead consumers about a product's sustainability. To ensure authenticity, look for brands with respected certifications such as B Corp, Carbon Neutral Certified, ECOLOGO, Leaping Bunny, Plastic Negative, Plastic Neutral Certified, and Fairtrade. These third-party verifications offer concrete evidence of a brand's dedication to its stated values.

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Other green flags include brands that prioritize sustainability through mindful production and consumption. KraveBeauty for instance, limits product launches and supports environmental projects while promoting conscious consumption through its Anti-Consumer Consumer Club. Similarly, Vintner's Daughter embraces a "Fewer, Better" philosophy, consistently making decisions that reinforce its commitment to quality over quantity. These approaches demonstrate a genuine dedication to reducing environmental impact and encouraging responsible consumer behavior.

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