13 Beauty Brands That Really Care About The Environment

Being eco-friendly is cool.

1. Axiology

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Axiology was founded in 2014 by Ericka Rodriguez, who wanted to ensure she was packaging her lipsticks sustainably. She found a Bali-based beauty company where local women made packaging out of recycled paper which they collected themselves. A partnership was formed and every lipstick box is still hand-made and folded by that same women-only company.

2. Lush

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Lush sell a number of "naked" products which come with no packaging, and everything else they sell is made with recycled, recyclable, or compostable material. Plus, if you take five empty pots into any Lush store, they'll give you a free face mask!

3. Ethique Beauty

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The packaging for this NZ-based brand is totally biodegradable, and the ingredients of all their products are vegan, ethically sourced, and sustainable.

4. Vapour Beauty

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Vapour's warehouses and offices are all run by solar and wind power, and their flood-fill packing system cuts down on waste. Their aluminium packaging and product boxes are made from recycled materials. The products themselves are also top-quality.

5. Kahina Giving Beauty

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Kahina products use sustainably-sourced ingredients, and are packaged in recycled materials. Most of the products are made from argan oil, and come from areas in Morocco where the argan forests are under threat. Kahina are trying to preserve the local forests and encourage the centuries-old techniques of oil harvesting.

6. Edible Beauty

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The skincare products on offer by this brand are all packed in recyclable Miron Violet Glass. This protects the contents of the bottle from being harmed by light, and also works to activate and trap the energy of the natural ingredients to make them far more efficient for you.

7. Clemence Organics

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This organic, cruelty-free cosmetics company, founded by a naturopath, uses 100% recyclable packaging and the products themselves contain no preservatives.

8. L’Occitane

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All their products are made with sustainable resources, and also a lot of their soaps and shower products are available in refill packs which will save you money and cut down on plastic waste.

9. Kjaer Weis

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This makeup brand is a little on the pricey side but your skin and the planet will thank you. It's made with natural-origin, raw materials, and comes in reusable packaging. Once you're done with your eyeshadow, lipstick, blush, highlighter, mascara, or foundation, you can purchase a refill and cut down on packaging.

10. Tata Harper

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This skin-care brand is made from 100% natural ingredients and packaged in recyclable glass and paper. Plus, their facilities are all run on renewable resources, and all production and packaging is done in the same place to reduce their carbon footprint.

11. Pangea Organics

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The packaging for these 100% plant-based skincare products is totally biodegradable and recyclable. But just to take it a step further, the cardboard-like material used to package their bar soaps is laced with seeds, meaning you can plant it in your garden and grow something like basil or amaranth.

12. Noosa Basics Floss

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This floss is made with totally biodegradable and natural ingredients, so it's good for the planet but also good for you. They also have natural toothpaste, deodorants, and hair care.

13. MAC Cosmetics

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If you take six empty MAC containers in to any store for them to recycle, you'll get a free lipstick!

Bonus!

There's an amazing recycling program where you can send in your old cosmetics packaging (for free), and they'll melt them down into new packaging. If you're in Australia, get info here. If you're in the US then click here, and if you're in the UK go here. Everyone else, search "terracycle" to see if there's a program in your country.