Beauty: Shop greener with planet-friendly brands
More beauty brands are shaping up to cut down on plastic and create products that tread gently on our planet. Lisa Millard welcomes the change
Beauty Kin Hydrating Body Bar, £11, beautykin.com
Developed specifically to target the body, Beauty Kin bars are manufactured to use 70% less water than gels and liquid soaps, are made in the UK, are vegan, cruelty and soap free and contain no palm oil. Lovely to use too, the Hydrating Body Bar will nourish even very dry skin and the rich and creamy bar contains high quality active ingredients. Simply create a rich thick lather, leave on for 60 seconds and then rinse off for hydrated supple skin. All packaging is made from fully recyclable materials too.
Vintner’s Daughter’s Active Botanical Serum, £185, SpaceNK, Trinity Street, Cambridge and spacenk.com
A slow beauty product (there is a 21-day process to infuse the botanical-rich ingredients) from this carbon-neutral brand that works with the farmers supplying the 22 nutrient-rich botanicals, ensuring a sustainable wage and using otherwise unused fruit to make the serum. This multi-use product (stimulates cellular renewal, maintains skin elasticity, inhibits melanin production, delivers oxygen to cells and nourishes and protects against pesky free radical damage) streamlines skincare routine to reduce consumption and waste. Pricey, yes, but you might not need to buy much else?
Kjaer Weis Cream Blush in Blossoming, £18 refillable metal compact, £28 refill blusher, naturismo.com
Refillable cosmetics cut down on waste and Kjaer Weis is known for conscious luxury beauty that delivers – all products are made with a certified organic or certified natural formula to benefit skin. The Cream Blush is award-winning, celebrated for creating a dewy touch of colour with a formula that melts into the skin. Customers can choose packaging –refillable, for-life metal compacts or lightweight, recyclable, refillable and biodegradable Red Edition packaging. Btw, many Kjaer Weis products are plastic free.
L’Occitane Oil-to-Milk Facial Make-up Remover, from £22, L’Occitane, Rose Crescent, Cambridge, arc, Bury St Edmunds and uk.loccitane.com
One of the brand’s Clean Charter products which all contain more than 95% natural origin and/or readily biodegradable ingredients, the Oil-to-Milk Make-up Remover is a delight to use, smells divine and scooped Silver in the Beauty Bible Awards 2022. The creamy oil is enriched with anti-ageing ingredients and soothing calendula flowers to remove make-up and leave skin cleansed, smoothe and supple. L’Occitane runs a handy recycling scheme for its own and other brands – see all details on the website – with money off certain products on the day you drop off your empties.
NAYA Everyday Glow Serum, £55, nayaglow.com
An award-winning serum that boasts cacay oil, NAYA is the brainchild of Sarah Zimmer who set out to develop a skincare range with zero compromise between the environment and performance. Sustainably and ethically sourced from indigenous communities in the Amazon, cacay oil powers all of NAYA’s formulas. Refillable too, the biodegradable packaging contains a serum designed to promote skin radiance and hydration and reduce inflammation.
Only Curls Curl Cleansing Shampoo Bar, £12, onlycurls.com
A nature-friendly formula – no sulfates, no silicones, no drying alcohols, no parabens, no mineral oil, no paraffin, 100% vegan and made in the UK – this creamy lathering shampoo bar for curly hair comes in a box that is made from Forest Stewardship Council mixed card and is 100% recyclable. No plastic in sight and the blend of avocado and kukui nut oils cleans and moisturises hair and helps to reduce frizz. Smells delicious too. After using the bar, place it on a dish or bath shelf or rack if you have one and allow to dry out until next time.
Skin Proud Sleep Hero Overnight Sleep Mask, £14.99, Boots, Cambridge, Ely, Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds
A leave-on mask that gets to work while you sleep sweetly, the raspberry extract and cranberry seed oil formula helps to moisturise and nourish skin, banishing dull complexions so you can wake up and look radiant. It’s a no-nonsense brand that aims for results and is vegan, PETA approved cruelty free, comes without parabens, and packaging uses eco-friendly soy ink and 100% recyclable packaging. It’s pleasantly priced too.
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Lisa Millard