Where did it all start?

Whilst the historical origins of cosmetics lie in ancient Egyptian and Roman times, it was the Hollywood film era of the 1920s that sparked a global industry; technological advancements at the time enabled a rise in production; along with regulation of products.  Companies in the US were (and still are) governed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the 1938’s Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; which was updated in 1960 to account for the growing number of side effects and carcinogenic potential within makeup products. In Europe, the EU has the 2009 “Cosmetic Regulation”. 

Post World War 2 cosmetic corporations focussed on the emerging female market; using advertisements endorsing the benefits of being “attractive” and the global makeup industry has been growing ever since, both in terms of its revenue and negative environmental impact.

Environmental impacts of makeup

Despite scientific research emerging to warn us of the dangers having synthetic and chemical ingredients in our cosmetics can have on human health; there is a lack of evidence on what they do to the natural environment.

Two particularly contentious ingredients are octinoxate and oxybenzone; known for UV ray protection in sunscreens (but which also appear in foundations, hair dye, shampoo, nail polish and lip balms). They have been labelled responsible for bleaching coral reefs by leaching from the skin of sunbathers into the ocean. As you can see, in the Chemicals of Concern list below, all 7 cosmetic companies are yet to employ a policy on these chemicals despite Hawaii’s ban on non reef-friendly sunscreen starting Jan 2021.

Along with octinoxate and oxybenzone; butylparaben has been shown to cause coral reef bleaching, whilst other parabens have been showing up in dolphin and polar bear biopsies.

Another alarming ingredient is palm oil; according to Vogue “its derivatives also lurk in an astounding 70% of our cosmetics, where they serve as emulsifiers and surfactants”.  Of course, we are no longer blind to the deforestation and devastating effects mono-cultured palm plantations have on native rainforests.

The growth of the palm oil industry has resulted in 39% of forest loss on the biodiversity-rich island of Borneo between 2000 and 2018.  Other crucial, climate regulating rainforests are also being destroyed in Brazil, Malaysia, West Africa and other parts of Indonesia; including 43% of Tesso Nilo National Park in Sumatra.  Look for the ingredient: Elaeis guineensis, to know if your beauty products contain palm oil.

Zero waste makeup

Talking about plastics, most makeup products rely on single-use plastic packaging.  The Telegraph reported the global cosmetics industry, generated over 142 billion units of packaging in 2018, most of which being non-recyclable.

Yet the big companies are committing to change.  L’Oreal is aiming to make 100 percent of its packaging reusable, refillable, or compostable by 2025, and to source 50 percent of that packaging from recycled material.

Makeup not only relies on the packaging for its products, but there is also the added step of makeup removal.  Cotton wool and synthetic face wipes are notoriously wasteful; yet there has been a resurgence of reusable cloth or eco friendly bamboo makeup pads such as Marley Monsters and Eco Panda wipes, which can be found at Plastic Freedom. To learn more, we can recommend reading our Going Zero Waste guide.

Recommended eco friendly makeup brands

It may be easy to sign off with the sentiment that those who choose to wear makeup should at least invest in conscious, sustainable cosmetic companies, who are purpose driven, with strong social values and environmental incentives; not just economic.  However, these companies tend to have a much higher price point adding to the argument that purchasing “green” beauty products are a privilege rather than a choice.

Moral Fibres, Glow Organic in Brighton and The Future Kept all have ideas and options to shop zero waste makeup, whilst here are some ethical and sustainable makeup brands to look out for that shouldn’t break the bank:

Vapour: plant-powered, organic, vegan, cruelty-free, refillable, plastic free makeup. https://vapourbeauty.com/pages/our-story

All Earth (vegan, natural ingredients, plastic free, refillable, sustainable makeup materials) available from https://www.wearthlondon.com/eco-friendly-makeup/mineral-finishing-powder

Zao: vegan, organic, bamboo packaging, refillable, eco friendly makeup https://plasticfreedom.co.uk/collections/makeup

Lush Cosmetics: vegan, cruelty-free, handmade, ethical, naked packaging https://uk.lush.com/products/cruelty-free-makeup

Thankfully, affordable, sustainable makeup brands have become more successful and transparency is starting to emerge regarding cosmetics.