Switch to zero waste cosmetics, try to find brands packed in reusable pots or cardboard pots, rather than simple throwaway plastic containers. Many cosmetics brands use animal ingredients (like dead red beetles) for red and pink colours, so find vegan brands too. Also avoid cosmetics made with talc (an inorganic substance not good for health – better brands use arrowroot or cornstarch). Use with reusable makeup pads and vegan brushes (below).
Avoid shea butter (found in some lipsticks) for latex allergies. If choosing lipsticks made with carnauba wax, ensure they are Fair Trade, as reports have been of unfairly-treated Mexican harvesters/workers. Avoid cosmetics with zinc oxide or titanium oxide if you live with pets, as it’s toxic if licked off your face (same with sunscreens).
This make-up packed in cardboard pots is by All Earth Mineral Cosmetics, a collaboration between a make-up artist and natural skincare expert. Everything is sold in cardboard pots or sustainably-harvested beechwood pots (the liners are made from recycled fishing nets). Made in Cornwall and Kent, the items are sold with linen storage bags (the vegan brushes do contain plastic but if you purchase direct from their site you have the option to send them back to the maker in a returns envelope for recycling).
These vegan beauty tints are available in 6 lovely shades, sold in a linen storage bag (tick the box, if you prefer not to receive the bag). Made with natural ingredients, they are stored in glass jars with metal lids. Choose your favourite pop of colour to add to lips, cheeks and eyes. Also contain vitamin E, jojoba oil and lavender. Apply with a brush or dab on with your finger. Choose from:
- Nude Pink
- Burgundy
- Peach Pink
- Salmon Pink
- Candy Pink
- Cocoa
Ecolook offers a range of cosmetics in biodegradable packaging. The range includes mascara and refillable eyeshadow palettes.
Love the Planet (Scotland) makes cosmetics from ethically sourced minerals (full sourcing information on their site). These cute little tins are sold with their own compostable pouches (including the zip lock strip that is made from starch). Orders are sent out in paper envelopes, with products decanted into a container already owned by customers, and wholesale orders are sent in biodegradable packaging.
Zao makes this makeup in biodegradable bamboo pots. If you wear mascara or prefer ‘tube lipstick’, this company offers bamboo casings that you buy once, then order refills (in recyclable plastic). Industrial bamboo is not the same as the fresh green shoots eaten by pandas, but with its popularity (and the fact it’s not local) we have to ensure we don’t go overboard, in case companies start chopping down forests, to grow more plantations. But as a fast-growing grass, hopefully that’s not likely to happen.
Bomonde offers vegan mineral cosmetics, packed in refillable bamboo palettes. These are in several colour combinations, along with vegan makeup brush sets which include 4 powder brushes, and a complete eyeshadow and eyeliner kit. The range was founded by a semi-permanent make-up artist.
Badger-Friendly Make Up Brushes
Conventional make-up brushes can sometimes be made with real animal hair, often from culled creatures (mostly squirrels or badgers). These make-up brushes use synthetic bristles, and often use eco-friendly handles too. Use them if you wear make-up, a small set is usually enough for most, but there are bigger sets, if you like to plaster it on! For longer use, wash as instructed, leave to air-dry and store as recommended.
The Natural Beauty Pot offers a set of vegan make-up brushes with bamboo handles, sold in a cute cauliflower blue cotton bag. The range includes a flat top brush (to apply foundatino), a blush/contour brush, a highlighter brush, a concealer brush, a fluffy eye brush and smudge eye brush, a flat eye shadow brush and an angled liner brush.
Flawless Vegan Makeup Brushes are made with bamboo handles and vegan bristles. Conventional makeup brushes can often be made with badger or squirrel hair, and the animals are culled to make them.
- On the Go Brush Set is perfect for travel. A set of 4 brushes: angled brow/liner, flat eyeshadow, blending brush and mini kabuki brush.
- 11 Piece Set is for those who wear a lot of makeup. It features brushes for contouring, foundation, buffing, powder, highlighter, blending, diffusing, eye blending, a small flat and hard angled brush and a mini kabuki brush. Or for minimalists, there is the essentials set that just contains a flat foundation brush, a powder/blush brush, a contouring brush and an illuminating highlighting brush.
- Eye Makeup Brush Set is a set of of 4 brushes: define and line, shade, blend and paint. Trilogy Eye Makeup Brush Set features an angled blending brush for the crease of the eyelid, a blending brush for blending concealer around and under the eye, and a paint small flat brush to apply powders, minerals or creams (can also be used for concealer and contouring the lips).
- The Blending Brush is ideal for concealer and eyeshadows. The long dense bristles are designed to diffuse powder, cream, gels and liquids. You can also use it to create smoky eyes and build up concealer (including hiding dark circles under the eyes).
- Powder/Blusher Brush glides over the skin using the ergonomically designed handle, for a comfortable grip. Ideal to sweep blush or loose/pressed powder on top of foundation.
- Highlighting Brush has super soft bristles for highlighter or bronzer, with a narrow head and dense bristles for layering.
All Earth Mineral Cosmetics (UK) is a unique company that creates lovely vegan make-up using beautiful natural ingredients from the earth. Co-founder Julie grew up near the Cornish moors and so is inspired by the natural landscapes. After sadly losing her baby son at birth, she channeled her feelings into launching a sustainable cosmetics brand, after teaming up natural skincare guru Guy.
The packaging options for this range are very green indeed! You can choose which one you prefer:
- The durable ‘keep forever’ pots are made with biodegradable refills and shots, to make them good for the planet and to save you money. Made exclusively, the sifter uses minimal plastic to easily open and close, and has a decanter, to control how much you tap out at a time. This fits flush with the lid, to keep the product from spilling into the lid, during travel. The pots are made just a few miles away, with end-of-tree use in the castings. They also contain recycled fishing waste, to help clean the seas and protect the coastline and marine life from ghost fishing waste.
- The refill pots are compostable, although not waterproof, so are best stored in a dry environment.
- The ‘mineral shots’ are similar to the refills, but a travel version. Just having a ‘shot of caramel in your coffee’, you can use these for a quick make-up fox. Just add a little to darken or lighten a foundation, add a pink or peach tone, add more coverage, oil control or illumination.
Zero Waste Alternative to Mascara
First made by combining mud with khol, honey and crocodile droppings (!) in Egypt, mascara is the world’s oldest beauty product. Used to lengthen and curl eyelashes, modern versions are often full of chemicals and usually sold in plastic packaging (with some versions being tested on animals).
Ophthalmologists and make-up artists recommend replacing mascara every three months to prevent bacterial build-up, but obviously this is wasteful. So by choosing a refillable mascara, you can still do this, without harm to the planet.
Some eco mascaras are made with zinc oxide or titanium oxide that are toxic to pets, so keep these tubes out of reach of pets and children.
Izzy is the world’s first zero waste mascara. Shipped with no outer packaging in recycled materials, just one swipe leaves lashes fuller and thicker. This mascara is sold in medical-grade stainless steel tubes, that can be refilled over 10,000 times, so never have to be thrown away. Even the water used to cleanse is reused, rather than being dumped in the ocean. Made within a 400-mile radius with a 78% smaller carbon footprint after 25 refills, after 90 days you are sent a reminder to send the empty packaging back for recycling. The slight floral scent is from jasmine wax to gently condition the lashes.
