December 22, 2021

Green Cosmetics: The Push for Sustainable Beauty 

If you’ve walked into a cosmetics store lately, you’ve probably noticed the growing number of beauty products with terms like “clean,” “natural,” and “sustainable” on the label. These terms are widely used to describe all sorts of non-toxic cosmetics, often packaged with reusable, biodegradable materials.

The push toward using more sustainable beauty products is a long time coming. As the number of chemical ingredients used in commercial cosmetics grew over the past decade, and researchers began to understand more about the potential dangers of using some of those ingredients in high doses, consumers began seeking out more natural alternatives.

What started out as a whisper quickly developed into a roar, with more consumers demanding clean, natural beauty products. Top cosmetics manufacturers have rushed to meet that demand by launching sustainable beauty products featuring non-toxic ingredients and healthier formulations.

The Green Beauty Boom

Terms like natural, green, and sustainable are often used interchangeably, but when it comes to cosmetics, they don’t all mean the same thing. Terms like “clean” and “green” describe beauty products with simple product formulations. These products often contain ingredients you’ve heard of before — some of which might even be growing in your own backyard garden.

Sustainable beauty products are developed using less plastic or toxic chemicals, often with recycled packaging and creating less waste during the manufacturing process. Although the push for sustainability has its roots in the natural beauty movement, larger cosmetics manufacturers have followed suit in recent years. A growing number of mainstream cosmetics brands are launching sustainable product lines featuring beauty and skincare products with non-toxic ingredients and packaging made from reusable, biodegradable materials.

With the global beauty industry now worth an estimated $532 billion, and the global market for natural and organic cosmetics reaching $18.5 billion last year, top cosmetics manufacturers are pushing to increase their share of the market by launching more sustainable beauty initiatives. 

What’s Inside Sustainable Beauty Products?

When it comes to sustainable beauty products, what’s on the outside matters just as much as what’s on the inside. Like other products in the clean beauty category, sustainable cosmetics are developed using natural, non-toxic ingredients. Parabens, synthetic fragrances, and phthalates are bad for the environment and dangerous for human consumption, so these ingredients have been removed from nearly all the sustainable beauty products you see on store shelves.

Sustainable beauty products also feature eco-friendly, biodegradable packaging. It’s not uncommon to see sustainable cosmetics packaged in paper, glass, or bottles made of beeswax. These materials are recyclable and biodegradable, and they don’t include animal byproduct.

Consumers are seeking out sustainable cosmetics in an effort to support the environment and develop healthier beauty habits. Investing in green cosmetics means taking responsibility for the environment and protecting the body from preventable disease.

Omya Kinetik is a leading supplier of sustainable beauty products. To learn more about the clean cosmetics movement, get in touch with our top beauty specialists.