Glow Without Waste: Zero-Waste Facial Moisturisers

Are you ready to give your skincare routine a green makeover? Say goodbye to overflowing plastic bottles and endless trips to the recycling bin. As the beauty industry wakes up to its environmental footprint, zero waste skincare is stepping into the spotlight—and your face is about to reap the rewards.

Transitioning to a more sustainable lifestyle doesn’t mean compromising on glowing, hydrated skin. In fact, ditching conventional packaging often means leaving behind harsh synthetic fillers, parabens, and unnecessary chemicals in favor of pure, nutrient-dense, earth-friendly ingredients.

Avoid beauty products with essential oils if pregnant/nursing. Many skincare items contain cocoa butter and/or zinc oxide (also found in sunscreens, cosmetics and deodorants). So if you live with pets, wash your skin before letting pets kiss you, or avoid items containing them.

Most kerbsides recycle plastic packaging. You can also recycle (including pipettes and hard-to-recycle items) at Boots or Superdrug stores.

Green People Organic Moisturisers

Scent-free 24 Hour Cream has over 1000 5-star reviews, ideal for sensitive skin. Dermatologically tested (with a 96-hour patch test).

This is rich in  Baicalin, an ingredient to boost skin firmness and elasticity. It also contains skin-boosting prebiotics and moisture-binding cacay oil (from an evergreen plant) and evening primrose, to support new healthy skin cells.

Hydra Glow Night Cream is an organic overnight cream for dry skin, with 35 beauty-enhancing actives, collagen-stimulating plant-based marine actives and 97% of users saying it improved skin hydration.

Designed to lock in moisture while you sleep, 100% of the tester panel says this left their skin feel smooth. Enhanced with the aroma of citrus oils (avoid use if you sleep with pets as citrus oils are unsafe near animal friends, in case they give you a kiss during the night!)

Green People Clear Skin Moisturiser

Green People Clear Skin Moisturiser contains natural plant ingredients to control breakouts, without blocking pores. No skin-drying alcohol or harsh retinols. Instead, it uses:

• Black willow bark extract (gentle salicylic acid)
• Rosehip oil (reduces chances of scarring)
• Green tea (antioxidants to protect skin)
• Ylang ylang, mandarin & sweet orange oils (for scent)

Both my teenagers use this moisturiser. It is great for their skin. They both get spots. One had dry patches, which this has resolved.

With the first use, my skin instantly cleared up.

Green People Skin Brightening Moisturiser is made with organic ingredients, and particularly suited to people with hyperpigmentation like so-called ‘age spots’ caused by too much time in the sun! It uses natural fruit acids to gently even out skin tone, and is scented with real oils of palmarosa (smells like lemongrass), mandarin and rose geranium.

As essential oils and hibiscus should be avoided for pregnancy/nursing, choose a scent-free skin cream instead.

This moisturiser contains:

• Pineapple extracts (to remove dead skin cells)
• Beech buds (to boost skin cell metabolism)
• Cucumber (reduces hyperpigmentation)
• Mandarin oil (helps skin regeneration)
• Mulberry bark extract (promotes even skin tone)
• Hibiscus flower (also promotes even skin tone)

Green People Fruitful Night Cream is a super ‘sleep cream’ made with organic ingredients, to plump and mosituriser your skin overnight. It gently exfoliates while it moisturises overnight, to wake up to soft smooth and radiant skin. Scented with red raspberry, apricot, apple and pear.

As essential oils and hibiscus should be avoided for pregnancy/nursing, choose the a scent-free skin cream instead.

This moisturiser contains:

• Pineapple extracts (to remove dead skin cells)
• Hibiscus (to promote skin elasticity)
• Bacillus ferment (to increase skin firmness)
• Inulin prebiotics (to help hydrate skin)

Green People Face and Neck Serum

Green People scent-free face and neck serum is made from natural ingredients, and sold in easy-to-recycle packaging, formulated by experts in natural beauty.

Coraline Skincare Imortelle Cream

Coraline Skincare’s Immortelle Facial Balm is rich in nutritious ingredients. To use, just apply in the evening to clean dry skin.

Contains immortelle facial oil, so check for allergies, some people may be sensitive.

Immortelle facial oil is often used in skincare, from a golden-yellow flower commonly harvested in the Meditrrranean.  Dubbed ‘ the everlasting flower’, it never fades or loses its colour, and is seen as a natural alternative to retinol.

It works by stimulating microcirculation and boosts natural collagen production by up to 70%, and also reduces red and inflamed skin, so can help conditions like rosacean and eczema, as well as heal acne scars. It contains contains a powerful antioxidant to shield the skin from daily pollution.

Upcircle Moisturiser (with discarded argan shells)

Upcircle Beauty is an award-winning brand of skin and hair care, all made with natural vegan ingredients, and sold in zero waste packaging (glass jars, metal lids and cardboard boxes). These products make use of antioxidant-rich ingredients, that would be discarded by industry.

Upcircle Face Moisturiser is made with the finely ground powder of discarded argan shells, a natural by-product of the argan oil industry, which is rich in antioxidant vitamin E. It also contains nourishing aloe vera, revitalising blood orange and skin-soothing cocoa powder.

Designed to leave skin balanced, bright, and deeply moisturised, apply to clean dry skin, and massage in until absorbed. Suitable for all skin types.

Upcircle Night Cream is designed to leave the skin balanced and deeply moisturised, made with upcycled blueberries (from the juicing industry) – natural antioxidants that are high in pro-retinol.

They are combined with replenishing niacinamide, hydrating hyaluronic acid and nourishing rosehip oil, to help promote overnight skin regeneration, and even out skin tone.

What is hyaluronic acid?

You often hear about this in beauty adverts. Hyaluronic acid a moisture-binding sugar molecule that is often used in cosmetic creams and serums.

However, be careful to choose vegan versions. First used from cow eyeballs in 1934, even today some brands source it from rooster combs (the fleshy growths on tops of birds eyes). There are plenty of plant-based versions around, so check the source before buying expensive beauty creams.

Sbtrct Solid Facial Moisturiser

SBTRCT is an excellent skincare brand, founded by the former execute at male skincare brand Bulldog. He has turned facial skincare on its head, offering a small line of vegan natural skin items (cleansers, exfoliators and face creams, with vitamin C booster).

All are sold in zero waste bamboo packaging, you just buy refills thereafter, which also saves you money. Note the squalane is plant-based (not from sharks, like some brands).

Solid skincare is now very popular, as a way to avoid the waste of plastic bottles. Although you can now recycle them, it’s good to avoid them altogether!

Around 95% of cosmetic packaging in the UK is thrown away, adding up to billions of items that end up on landfills. Small miniature items are especially hard to recycle as they ‘fall through the cracks’ of standard recycling machinery, as do black plastic items as (like black bin bags), machines don’t recognise the colour.

Sknfed Organic Skin Cream

Sknfed Organic AHA Facial Moisturiser is a deeply hydrating cream with vitamin E, antioxidants (pomegranates, roseship and gutu kola) and the soothing benefits of aloe vera). These natural ingredients work to leave skin soft with a youthful radiance, and pampered with the soothing essence of roses, for a glowing complexion.

Just smooth over your face and neck in gentle upward movements.

If you prefer or have to use scent-free, this is the other option.

This produce has been a godsend for my extremely bad eczema. It is so gentle and no irritation. It has been the only face I have been able to use.

What are AHAs?

AHA stands for alpha hydroxy acids, a group of water-soluble acids that dissolve the bonds that hold dead skin cells together, to reveal a smoother complexion, without harsh scrubbing. This can also help to fadde dark spots, sun damage and acne scars, and stimulate your own ski’s natural collagen.

Common AHAs are glycolic acid (from sugar cane) and mandelic acid (from alonds). Avoid lactic acid, this is from dairy milk.

Because AHAs remove the top layer of skin, this can make your skin more sensitive to UV rays. So keep out of the sun after use.

Zero Waste Eye Creams & Serums

Green People Rejuvenating Eye Cream (also in a scent-free version) hydrates the delicate skin around your eyes using over 89% certified organic ingredients. The ingredients (including soothing seaweed) help to smooth fine lines, and lighten dark circles. It sinks in quickly, never feeling greasy or heavy.

Eye cream is not needed for most people. But because the skin is thin and delicate, specialist creams can offer targeted ingredients to help combat ageing skin, puffiness and dark circles.

The firming eye serum plumps up skin by 26% in just 1 hour, and increases radiance after a month of use. Made to tone (not tingle!) this includes a calming chamomile aroma.

Tips to Reduce Crow’s Feet

Skin around the eyes is very thin, so be gentle (dry your face by tapping with a towel, not scrubbing). Also tap eye creams and serums gently onto your skin, using your ring finger (uses less pressure).

• Try to get enough sleep. Rest lets your skin repair itself. Aim for regular sleep at the same times each night. Eating fruit and drinking water can also help your skin stay healthy.
• Give up smoking. This also helps to prevent cigarette litter!
• Protect your skin from the sun, and wear sustainable sunglasses (they block out light, and keep you from squinting).

Reduce Puffy Eyes & Dark Circles

Again, good nutrition and good sleep are the main answers. You can use cold compresses to temporarily dilate blood vessels (slices of cucumber are the obvious remedy).

How to Prevent Eye Boogles

Eye boogles? What are they? This is the scientific name for yellow sleep, that some people find at the corners of their eyes, especially in the morning.

It can be caused by allergies or sometimes conjunctivitis (see your GP). But most of the time, it’s simply due to dry eyes, caused by lack of water (or even spending too much time on the laptop). Often people who’ve been drinking alcohol or eating junk food the night before may find them, due to the body dehydrating.

Also if you wear them, don’t sleep in your contact lenses, as this can also cause them. And discard contaminated and out-of-date eye-makeup and keep make-up brushes clean.

How To Help Eye ‘Bags’

This is when people get very obvious bags under the eyes, and eye creams and serums are unlikely to help. Some are inherited, other times it’s due to losing collagne and elastin, causing muscles and tissues that support the eyelids to weak, and the fat shifts forward.

Others have bags filled with fluid, often due to high salt intake, hormonal changes or even sleeping in the wrong position.

Like anything, best prevention methods are good sleep and nutrition, avoiding alcohol and cigarettes and keeping out of strong sun. Drinking plenty of water (and eat less salt) helps, as does sleeping with an extra pillow if you find it comfortable, as this can prevent fluid from settling around your eyes overnight.