Our friends at Pebble Magazine and Reboxed invited our founder Karen to be a panellist on their 15 ways to make an impact talk which focussed on how we can incite positive change in our travel habits, fashion and beauty products by being more sustainable. Here's Karen's Top 4 Tips on How To Make Your Skincare Routine More Eco Friendly...

Use Less, Buy With Intention

It's a pretty simple first tip, but if we use fewer skincare products, we're consuming fewer resources and helping to minimise the 120 billion pieces of beauty packaging that are produced each year - more than 15 products per person. We've all got a little bit of creams, lotions, shampoos and cosmetics lurking at the back of the bathroom drawer or cabinet that have seen better days because they were replaced by a shiny new product that promised the world - use them up (if they're in date of course) and don't succumb to the skincare junkie, beauty haul badges of honour social media and marketing tout on the daily. 

Of course, a basic skincare routine is important. Building a simple, effective regime that keeps your skin clean, protected and hydrated are all you need to take care of your skin. Let's not forget those 5 minutes of self care per day can do wonders for our mental wellbeing. So when you do need to replace items, do so consciously and with intention and consider the following to lower your footprint:

• Getting advice on which products would be best suited to you (come see us in store or book a virtual consultation) before buying 
• Try as many products as you can before you buy them (our beauty sample service is a great way to do this!)
• Choose items that use less packaging; without outer boxes or plastic free options
• Consider where your items are coming from. Do you buy from websites in other countries, or brands that make their products elsewhere in the world? Switching to UK made products and shopping with natural beauty stores in the UK can have a positive impact. 
• Opt for multi tasking products like oils that work on your hair, face and body; balms that can be used as cleansers and moisturisers or powder exfoliators, cleansers and masks

Choose Reusable Products

With 11 billion wet wipes being thrown away in the UK each year and non organic cotton using up to 10,000 litres of water to produce 1kg, it makes sense to reduce the amount of face wipes and cotton pads we use and your beauty routine is a good place to start. Switching to face cloths and reusable make up remover pads are some quick wins that won't break the bank. 

Then there's your periods; 1.5 billion period products are thrown away annually in Britain. And with many mainstream period care brands offering tampons and pads made with a synthetic material called rayon which is a fibre made from bleached wood pulp that takes hundreds of years to biodegrade it makes sense to be as low impact as possible during your monthly cycle. This could be by switching to a period cup, period pants or even using organic cotton period products which are biodegradable, don't involve chemical pesticides in the growing of the cotton and also use 91% less water and 62% less energy to be grown. Plus organic cotton is better for your body than conventional period products. 

Consider Your Water Footprint

As of 2018, 14 out of 20 of the world's mega cities experienced water shortages or drought. You might think that living in a place where you have regular access to water means the world water crisis isn't going to affect you but in the UK we're reliant on other water scarce nations and high water footprint (the amount of water used to produce or grow) for many of our imported foods like soy, coffee, almonds and wine. So that we can prioritise expending water to grow essential foods, you might want to consider limiting the amount of water being used in your beauty products. 

Opting for concentrated products gives you more bang for your buck and doesn't waste water unnecessarily like cleansing balms, shampoo bars and natural handmade soaps. 

Choose Organic Skincare

We're obviously biased on this one but choosing organic skincare products is a win for biodiversity and soil health. Organically grown ingredients don't use synthetic herbicides, pesticides or fungicides, which is important as the UK is considering reintroducing neonicotinoid insecticides which were banned back in 2013 and can be fatal to bees and insects as well as harmful to water ways and the environment. We are proud to be part of a petition organised by Annabel Kindersley, co-owner of Neals Yard Remedies that called on the Prime Minister to reconsider the introduction of this harmful insecticide. 

When you choose organically certified products too, you're also gaining surety that the whole supply chain has been vetted. Brands must not only use organically grown ingredients that are biodegradable and non toxic to aquatic life but use certain cleaning products during manufacture, packaging that is recyclable and have an environmental management plan they work on annually to continually improve on their environmental goals. 

 Certified Organic Skincare