This is the time when beauty industry has to recognize the importance of giving something back in exchange. It’s not about just selling the product anymore – many beauty industries donate a part of their profit and have become highly aware of eco-consciousness.
So what does it mean to buy eco-conscious beauty products? This term includes many factors to be considered when you’re looking for just the right beauty product. Here’s what you have to have in mind:
1. Organic ingredients
This term tells us how a certain ingredient was cultivated. Similarly to organic foods, organic ingredients used in beauty products are grown without using chemical fertilizers, pesticides or growth hormones. A beauty product can contain organic ingredients or it can be labeled as organic. In order to be labeled as an organic product, it needs to have 95% or more of organic ingredients.
However, be careful – whether a product can be certified as having organic ingredients is a grey area in Australia, while things are much transparent in the US. A manufacturer can claim that a product is made with organic ingredients even though it can be only one ingredient, while the rest of them are artificial.
2. Cruelty-free products
More and more people are becoming aware of the fact that many animals suffer during testing of certain products or ingredients on them. Consequently, many of them are choosing to buy and use only cruelty-free products from brands that do not perform any testing on animals.
If you have decided to say “No” to animal cruelty, you need to read the labels carefully. There are always some loopholes that certain brands resort to by using the phrase “third-party testing”, which is actually hidden animal cruelty.
A similar case is with the statement on the package that says “the finished product wasn’t tested on animals”, which doesn’t mean that individual ingredients weren’t tested on animals.
So, you should also consider checking PETA Bunny list of cosmetic companies that will show you if a product you’re using is really and completely cruelty-free.
3. Natural products
These days, everybody is trying to avoid chemicals in beauty products they use, and natural products have become hype. Natural products are created from botanical, animal or mineral ingredients. This doesn’t necessarily mean that every artificial product is harmful, but natural products are healthier and good for the environment.
When it comes to products, they can be partially or 100% natural but if the package says the product is “natural”, it can be misleading. It’s safer to read the label carefully – any word that is too long or too complicated to read is not of natural origin. The secret is: if you’re looking for a natural product, the fewer ingredients there are, the better.
4. Health-conscious products
In general, there are four types of ingredients that are considered to be potentially damaging to our health:
– parabens – they are easy to spot on the package because they all end with the word paraben (for example, propylparaben).
– phthalates – they are used in many products, such as deodorant, hairspray, and perfumes.
– sulfates – they are usually hiding under the terms such as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) or Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES).
– petrochemicals – they’re usually listed as mineral oil, petrolatum, petroleum jelly, and liquid paraffin on the label.
Of course, sometimes we want to help the nature and use the advanced medical knowledge to change something about us that a beauty product can’t do. In this case, our health should again be our priority, as Silkwood Medical experts always stress out, so be sure to consult a professional before any esthetic procedure you want to undergo.
5. DIY beauty products
Sometimes, it’s just easier to take a look at your kitchen and come up with a home-made face mask or remedy. You’ll be sure that the ingredients are all natural, and it can be an alternative to expensive, as well as toxic ingredients found in many products. Here are just a few of the home-made remedies:
– you can use cooled tea bags to remove puffy eyes
– coconut water is excellent for hydrating dry skin
– mineral makeup powder can be turned into a natural sunblock
– if your skin looks tired, chamomile tea ice cubs can freshen it up
– arnica can eliminate dark circles under your eyes
6. Sustainable beauty brands
The term sustainability in the beauty industry refers to protecting the environment and the planet’s natural resources. These industries advocate for minimizing their carbon footprint and they employ green practices, for example using recycled materials for the production of packaging. They also give away a part of their profit to support the development of local merchants and harvesters.
All in all
Conscious beauty products are not easy to find and they are rarer than we think. Still, if you strongly feel that you should do your part regarding the environment and your own health, then take some time to get familiar with this idea of choosing products.