Fact: sustainable skincare, makeup and hair care is having a moment. As well as benefiting the environment, these ethical beauty brands can be better for your skin, too. Discover our master list for the best sustainable beauty brands for 2020 below, and do your bit to make an eco-friendly difference...
FLORAL STREET
For Recycle Week, September 21-27, fragrance brand FLORAL STREET is calling on the fragrance industry to work collaboratively for a more sustainable future. Paving the way, their vegan fragrances come tucked inside an innovative ground-breaking pulp carton which is biodegradable. We just love this Wild Vanilla Orchid fragrance - and here's a tip: reuse the compostable fragrance carton to grow seeds or herbs!
Wild Vanilla Orchid eau de parfum, £60, Floral Street
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Farmologie
Ideal for adults, Farmologie uses naturally derived ingredients that are suitable for dry, sensitive skin. The brand has an ethos built around sustainability, and takes its carbon footprint very seriously. In fact, product bottles are made using 100% recycled prevented ocean plastic bottles, and tubes are made with 50% post-consumer recycled plastic. Wow!
Pink Grapefruit Body Wash, £4.79, Boots
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Jurlique
A commitment to sustainability has always been fundamental to everything Jurlique does. From sustainable practices on its biodynamic and organic farm in South Australia, to an active reduction in carbon cycle and water usage, sustainability is at the core of the business.
As part of Jurlique's 35-year anniversary celebrations, and in conjunction with National Tree Day in Australia, for every bottle of Jurlique Activating Water Essence sold in August, Jurlique will nurture a tree seedling on its farm and plant it at Cudlee Creek, to help rejuvenate the affected area that was badly hit in the devastating Australia bushfires earlier in 2020.
Activating Water Essence, £46, Jurlique
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The Body Shop
The Body Shop are committed to tackling the plastic crisis by using Community Trade recycled plastic from India. By empowering waste pickers who work tirelessly to pick up rubbish in India’s streets, The Body Shop can provide them with access to more sanitary working conditions and a fair working salary. In store, you can also return your empty plastic and glass tubs, pots, tubes and bottles for recycling purposes. Win-win!
Satsuma Energising Body Butter, £16, The Body Shop
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Lush
Famous for their pretty bath bombs and tasty lip scrubs, Lush is also big in the sustainable sphere and has made steps to become more eco-friendly. Firstly, they try to use ingredients that are produced in a sustainable way and avoid those that aren't, like palm oil. Secondly, about half of their products can be taken home with no packaging, and when they do use packaging, it’s made from recycled materials. And thirdly, Lush have been working to reduce the amount of energy used to produce, transport and sell their products, which in turn will reduce their carbon footprint.
Bubblegum Lip Scrub, £6.50, Lush
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Origins
Origins has dedicated their skin, body and makeup product range to benefitting both our wellbeing and the planet’s! The brand supports reforestation projects and will have planted one million trees by 2020. Plus, the goal for this year is to have a net zero carbon emission, which will limit a negative impact on the environment during the manufacturing process. We adore their face cleansers and moisturisers, which are soothing on the skin.
Origins Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Face Cleanser, £30, Boots
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Balance Me
Skincare brand Balance Me are renowned for their natural formulations that are made in the UK from responsibly sourced ingredients, and most of their products are vegan friendly. We recommend their lush body creams and oils – they smell divine!
Balance Me Rose Otto Body Cream, £22, LookFantastic.com
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Éminence
Organic skincare brand Éminence are dedicated to giving back to planet Earth – they plant a tree for every one of their products sold. Their skincare products are also grown in their very own Éminence Certified Organic Farm, which uses sustainable farming practices to grow organic ingredients that are kind to your skin. We love.
Firm Skin Acai Moisturizer, £45, Éminence
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Ethique
Exclusive to Holland & Barrett, this new beauty brand is both ethical and sustainable, producing natural beauty bars that are free of plastic, cruelty-free and are entirely plant-based. Suitable for vegans, their product selection ranges from shampoo and conditioner bars to makeup cleansers. Best of all, their beauty range uses biodegradable ingredients as well as compostable packaging, so once you finish using your product, dispose of the packaging in a compost bin to reduce waste – simple!
Ethique SuperStar! Face Cleanser & Makeup Remover, £14.99, Holland & Barrett
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Alumier MD
Medical grade skincare brand Alumier MD are passionate about protecting and preserving natural resources, and have reduced their carbon footprint by making packing recyclable, choosing ingredients that are sustainable and suppliers who work to protect and maintain the environment. You can order products via a professional salon or by signing in to their website.
Clear Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 42, Price dependant on retailer, Alumier MD
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Weleda
Weleda has been committed to sustainability for over nine decades – yes, really! They stock a wide range of beauty products from face creams to body wash and shampoo. More than 75% of the brand’s plant ingredients come from biodynamic or organic farming, and controlled wild collection, which is a brilliant sustainable initiative.
Weleda Skin Food, £12.95, LookFantastic.com
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UpCircle
UpCircle is making waves in the beauty industry for elevating leftover natural ingredients, bringing them back to life as beauty products for you to use. After discovering that one third of all food produced is wasted, and that food ingredients can have powerful effects on the body both inside and out, the founders of UpCircle decided to do something about it. The result? Beauty products that are created from discarded food ingredients. Genius.
UpCircle Coffee Face Scrub - Citrus Blend, £12.99, Holland & Barrett
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Rituals
Rituals has created eco-friendly refills for some of their most popular products (like the day and night creams, body creams and fragrance sticks) to help reduce waste materials. So, if you buy a refill instead of a completely new product, you can help save up to 70% on CO2, 65% on energy and 45% on water. That's a pretty big difference.
Rituals 'The Ritual of Namaste' Hydrating Gel Cream, £29.90, Debenhams
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Aveda
Aveda produces vegan beauty products which reflect on the brand's mission of sustainability. As well as carefully picking the ingredients that they use, Aveda was the first beauty company to use post-consumer recycled materials in packaging. But best of all? They've raised a whopping $60 million for environmental initiatives since 1999.
Aveda Damage Remedy Intensive Restructuring Treatment, £30, LookFantastic.com
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Burt's Bees
Beauty brand Burt's Bees - who are known for their moisturising lip balms and natural product range - work with TerraCycle® and have launched two recycling programmes to put an end to product packaging waste. Now that's what we like to hear.
Burt's Bees Botanical Blend Nourishing 2 Piece Hand Kit, £13.99, Amazon
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