Everything we do consumes. What we eat, how we travel, what we wear and yes even the beauty products we use. And with finite resources available from mother nature and a lot of unanswered questions on how we can live more circularly many people are trying to consume more consciously to limit the impact we have on the planet.
If you want to be more sustainably minded when it comes to your beauty products there's an up and coming term you should be familiar with - low consumption beauty.
But what does it mean?
Well, like a lot of conscious beauty terms, it's pretty unregulated so can mean different things to different people. But put simply, it's about consuming less. Whether that's the number of products you use, the number of ingredients in a formulation or the amount of packaging used for the products. Here we give you some hints and tips on how to have a more sustainable beauty regime by championing low consumption beauty and if you'd like to hear more on the conversation about low consumption beauty the check out The Conscious Collective podcast episode where we discuss the topic in more detail
Use Fewer Products
It sounds obvious but how many times have we bought that new cleanser or eye shadow on impulse or after a very flattering sales person has coerced us into making a purchase?
All of these little impulses can really add up to a serious beauty haul, but the saddest part is, we probably don't use all of these products regularly which means waste is being created unnecessarily when products go out of date or are thrown away.
Taking a serious look at your beauty collection and taking stock of what you've not used can be a very eye opening experience. To make some more conscious changes try the following:
- Go through every single product you have in your beauty drawer or make up bag
- Check the expiration dates and throw away (mindfully) anything that's out of date
- For the rest, think back to when you first opened the product. If it's outside of the recommended shelf life after opening, throw those away too
- With what you have left, create a plan to use up everything else and prioritise this by either the best before date, or the ones that have been open for a while
- Whilst you're using everything up, make a note of what types of products you're actually using on a regular basis. Do you have multiple exfoliators but only scrub once a month for example? Use this to make a list of the essential products and this will form your new, more minimalist beauty regime
If you need help with this process, then why not book a consultation with our Founder Karen who can lend a hand
Use multi functional products
Gone are the days when you needed a cream and lotion for every single patch of skin on your body. Consumers are wising up to these marketing claims and are looking for multi purpose products that will still give you great results for your skin.
Balms, powders and oils are great multi tasking beauty products that can be used in a number of ways and even customised depending on what your skin or hair needs. By using multi tasking products you're making sure that you really get the most out of them, use them all up and create less waste.
A few of our bestselling multi tasking products are Silvan Skincare's Radiance Balm which doubles up as a moisturiser and cleanser and soapNskin's Argan and Orange Blossom Elixir which you can use as a night oil, hair oil, body oil and even to customise your other beauty products with.
If you'd like any advice on some products you're looking to swap out in favour of multi tasking ones, then get in touch and we'll be happy to help
Buy from brands who use resources efficiently
Of course it's not just enough to use less if you're using ingredients that are unsustainable themselves, or emit tonnes of carbon being shipped from exotic locations.
A few ways you can know if a brand is mindful about their own consumption are:
- Look for sustainably sourced ingredients within their formulations
- Look for locally sourced or native ingredients that don't have to travel as far
- Look for certified products and ingredients, such as COSMOS to be reassured that supply chains have been verified
- Read their brand stories or ethos to understand their stance on ingredient sourcing and sustainability
Look for products that are packaged considerately
The amount of packaging used in the beauty industry is staggering, not to mention the amount of pointless packaging like outer boxes, leaflets and plastic inserts. So it's important to be minimalist when it comes to your packaging choices too.
Of course, first and foremost it's about the efficacy of the product but if you can find high quality skincare and make up that's also been considerately packaged then you can have a big impact on the amount of resources you're consuming.
Look for products that can be packaged plastic free if it's hygienic to do so and brands that are be inventive with the types of packaging they're using like bio plastic made from sugarcane or from old milk bottles.
There are lots of ways that you can be more sustainable with your beauty regime but overall it's about making considered choices. At Blomma Beauty our ethos is all about helping you find the right products for your skin type, your lifestyle and your ethics and we're definitely not about trying to sell you something for the sake of it. So whether you want some advice that's catered for your skin type, to try some products before you commit to them or a consultation on making more beauty regime more sustainable there are lots of ways we can help.
One of the ways we try to help people make the right choices and therefore create less wasted product, is through our skincare sample packs which are tailored to you and your skin needs. We'll send you some small testers of products to try so you can be sure it's right for you before you commit to the full size.