If you ever get overwhelmed with complicated beauty routines, and bottle after bottle of different skin care products, then a simple minimalist skincare routine is probably going to be your saving grace.
It’s important to look after your skin, not only for aesthetic reasons but also for health reasons. So if you want to learn more about natural skincare products that are sustainable and simple, this article is for you.
How Can I Make My Skin Care Routine Sustainable?
You can easily make your skincare routine sustainable by making conscious consumer choices. You can opt for zero-waste products, DIY zero-waste ingredients, or sustainable beauty products that are specially formulated with the earth in mind.
Let’s run through some of the easiest ways to create an eco-friendly skin care routine.
How To Make Your Beauty Routine Eco-Friendly
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Stop Buying Skincare Products In Plastic Packaging
Start paying attention to how much plastic you use in your beauty routine, and eliminate unnecessary plastic wherever possible. If you can, opt for plastic-free options then transition to eco-friendly and plastic-free products, packaging, and containers.
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Make A Slow Transition
Use up the products that you already have, and aim to choose eco-friendly and sustainable products once you have finished those products. Being conscious of consumption is another aspect of sustainability. So ensure that you use your products until they are finished before purchasing more. When you waste a product before it is finished, you simultaneously waste the myriad of resources that it took to grow and harvest ingredients, produce, sell, and distribute that skincare product.
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Choose Natural And Sustainable Ingredients
Protect the waterways by choosing biodegradable packaging and natural ingredients which do not bioaccumulate in the environment, or in the body. If you’re new to bioaccumulation you can check out our post on the environmental benefits of sustainable beauty.
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Watch Out For Microbeads And Microplastics
Microbeads are banned in the UK and the USA for ‘rinse-off products’.¹ Rinse-off products are classed as any cosmetic that washes down your drain like face wash, body wash, and toothpaste.
But the legislation doesn’t cover the variety of other skincare and beauty products that contain microplastics such as sunscreen, deodorant, lipstick, eyeliner, nail polish, and more. Look out for these ingredients to check if there are microplastics hiding in your skincare product; polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and nylon (PA).
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Avoid Single-Use Products
Consider swapping out single-use products like cotton pads for reusable cloth pads. Swap plastic disposable razors for reusable razors, or sustainable metal reusable razors. Swap plastic toothbrushes and cotton buds for bamboo made options.
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Choose Brushes Made From Biodegradable Materials And Wood
There are many other products we use such as plastic hairbrushes, plastic make-up brushes, and plastic toothbrushes. Other materials can be used instead like bamboo and wood, which are biodegradable and kinder to the environment. Check the bristle material, and choose bristles made from cruelty-free materials as opposed to animal fur, or non-recyclable synthetic bristles.
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Use Zero-Waste Products
Zero-waste products are entirely plastic-free and are made with minimal packaging. Zero-waste beauty brands focus on using packaging that is entirely biodegradable and made from recycled materials.
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Build A Minimalist Beauty Routine
Do you need all the products that you use? Or can you use multipurpose products where possible? Do you use your products until they are finished, or do you have a habit of buying products when you don’t actually need them?
Sustainable brands are developing amazing products that can be used for different purposes, which prevents resources from being used to create extra packaging for unnecessary products.
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Use Products Mindfully
Quite often we use more of a product than we need. Saving your product, using the correct amount, and maximizing the bottle is a great way to look after the environment. A lot of resources go into the creation of skincare and beauty products. By maximizing your bottles usage, you prevent the overproduction of unnecessary products.
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Choose Refillable Products
Many eco-friendly brands, especially zero-waste beauty brands, now sell refillable products so you have one container to reuse instead of buying a new bottle each time you run out.
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Recycle Your Skincare Packaging
Buy from sustainable beauty brands that use packaging that can be recycled, and get into a routine of recycling whatever you can.
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Buy From Local Small Businesses
Choose to support small sustainable businesses in your location when you can to reduce transportation costs, pollution, and emissions.
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Take Advantage Of Recycling Incentives
Many mainstream brands now offer in-store recycling schemes and incentives, quite often you get a discount if you return empty packaging.
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Choose Organic
Wherever possible opt for organic skincare products that are kinder to the environment. Organic ingredients help to protect the environment from pollution and contamination from harmful chemicals.
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Make Your Own DIY Organic Skincare Products
You can use organic coconut oil as a hair serum and body oil. And organic shea butter is a great natural ingredient that can be used as a facial moisturizer, lip balm, body moisturizer, and hydrating hair butter.
Sustainable Skincare Products For A Minimalist Beauty Routine
Here are our top picks for your minimalist sustainable beauty routine.
UpCircle Cinnamon And Ginger Chai Soap Bar
The UpCircle Cinnamon And Ginger Chai Soap Bar is certified by the organic soil association. This clean beauty product is made from upcycled chai spices from the British coffee shop scene. UpCircle focuses on vegan skincare and vegan products that are 100% natural and cruelty-free.
This nutritious soap bar is hydrating and gentle enough for sensitive skin. If you like invigorating and refreshing cleansers, then you’ll love this soap bar. It’s filled with glycerin to hydrate, organic ginger root oil, and organic cinnamon leaf essential oil to refresh the skin. And pink kaolin clay that helps to detox the skin by drawing out impurities. You can use this multipurpose soap bar on the face and body to simplify your green beauty collection.
Earth Harbor Tidal Rose Crystal Hydration Toner
The Earth Habor Tidal Rose Crystal Hydration Mist can be used as a facial toner, make-up setting mist, and natural refreshing hair perfume. This beautiful rose quartz infused rose water is vegan, organic, and fair trade. It’s perfect to hydrate and soften dry skin, whilst balancing the skin’s natural pH level.
Nourish and protect your skin with antioxidant-filled organic white tea, and organic seaweed extract that helps to improve skin tone, texture, and complexion. You’ll love this luxurious natural skincare product that is filled with natural ingredients, and free from synthetic ingredients, or artificial fragrance.
UpCircle Face Moisturizer With Argan Powder
This vegan and cruelty-free facial moisturizer is great for combination skin and oily skin. It contains organic shea butter, organic cocoa butter, blood orange peel oil, and organic aloe vera.
Formulated to brighten complexion, smooth skin texture, and protect the skin from free radical damage through potent plant-based antioxidants. This product is made with 99% natural ingredients that are sourced from upcycling food waste, which prevents them from going to landfills.
UpCircle Coffee Face Scrub - Citrus Blend
Healthy skin loves regular but gentle exfoliation. And the UpCircle Coffee Face Scrub is an amazing balance of natural ingredients that soothe and hydrate whilst also exfoliating and removing dead skin cells to reveal radiant skin that glows. Coffee arabica seed powder, shea butter, coconut fruit oil, lavender flower oil, and rosehip fruit oil provide the skin with needed nutrients and antioxidants that rejuvenate tired and dull-looking complexions. Use once a week in your weekly skincare ritual to pamper and indulge in a self-love session.
Conclusion
Skin care routines don’t have to be complicated or expensive, but they do have to be effective to maintain radiant and healthy skin. Using sustainable products or sustainable ingredients to create an effective green beauty skincare routine is kinder on the environment, and on your body.
Carmen Lee is a certified yoga teacher, childbirth doula, and wellness coach. She educates on womb wellness, sacred wisdom, and ancestral-connected living. You’ll find her passionately advocating radical self-care and transformational self-empowerment through sustainable beauty and self-love rituals.
Some of the products promoted in our blog are from our online store. Many others are brands we have researched and found to be great examples of sustainable, ethical, and innovative brands in their field, and we don't make any profit from mentioning them in our blog. #CollaborationOverCompetition
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2017/9780111162118
