November 21, 2021
Easy Ways to Make Your Beauty Routine More Sustainable
You’ve probably heard about the clean beauty movement. More consumers are seeking out cosmetics and skincare products developed with natural ingredients than ever before. There’s a good chance you even have a few clean beauty products in your own cabinets. What you might not know about, however, is the role that carbon plays in modern beauty product formulations.
The beauty industry produces approximately 120 billion units of packaging each year, contributing to a loss of 18 million acres of forest. A good portion of the cosmetics and skincare products we use are single-use products, meaning that we use the product once and then discard the packaging. Single-use product packaging is often made of materials that cannot be recycled, or are too small to be recycled.
Before you write off carbon neutral products as another passing beauty fad, you should know just how big a role carbon plays in our environment. Carbon neutral products are designed to have no net release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. When carbon dioxide is produced by manufacturers, it’s trapped in the earth’s atmosphere, leading to the climate changes we’ve all been warned about. For consumers who are concerned about reducing their carbon footprints, the development of carbon neutral beauty products is a big step forward in helping them to live more sustainable lifestyles.
Addressing the carbon emission problem by developing carbon neutral products is helping to make the beauty industry healthier and more sustainable.
What Makes a Beauty Product Carbon Neutral?
Cosmetics manufacturers can make their products carbon neutral in a few different ways. The most common approach is to use more raw materials in product packaging and shipping containers. Opting for sustainable packaging, recycled packaging, and searching for plastic-free alternatives are all ways that cosmetics manufacturers are working to make their products carbon neutral.
Another strategy is for the beauty company itself to make sustainable changes in its business practices. By purchasing carbon offsets, or carbon credits, and enacting more environmentally-friendly business practices, cosmetics manufacturers can work toward achieving carbon neutral labelling. Some natural beauty brands have even been certified carbon neutral by partnering with environmental groups and planting trees to absorb the carbon dioxide that’s emitted during their manufacturing processes.
Are Carbon Neutral Products a Sustainable Alternative?
What does carbon neutrality mean for your makeup bag? Are carbon neutral products really healthier than traditional cosmetics?
Although there is not currently a legal definition for what qualifies as a carbon neutral beauty product, industry standards dictate that these products must be developed in a way that reduces carbon emissions. Whether a skincare line qualifies as carbon neutral depends on its packaging, and the manufacturer’s business practices, as well as the formulation of the product itself.
For consumers, choosing to support carbon neutral beauty brands is a matter of ethics, rather than a matter of product quality. Carbon neutral products are a more sustainable option, but they are not always better for the skin. Regardless, carbon neutral beauty is a huge trend that will continue well into 2022, as consumers are growing increasingly savvy about how the products they use each day impact global climate change.
To learn more about the latest skincare trends, including carbon neutral beauty, contact Omya Kinetik at (732) 335-5775.