With an estimated 14 million tons of plastic ending up in our oceans each year, and huge amounts of news headlines and media attention focused on creating a more environmentally friendly world, it’s no wonder that consumers are looking to the small changes they can make in their day-to-day lives that will have a positive impact on the world for generations to come.
The reality is that with just a few simple tweaks, everyone has the ability to make their skincare and grooming regime much more sustainable for the planet, without compromising on quality or having to spend a fortune.
Nada Ward, founder of soap bar brand Beauty Kin shares her tips and tricks for anyone looking to make small and ethical changes to their beauty and skincare regimes that will have a positive outcome for the environment too.
- Say No to Plastic Packaging
One of the best ways you can boost the sustainability of your grooming regime is to ditch as much unnecessary plastic packaging as possible.
Instead of using plastic bottles of shower gel or liquid soap for your body, why not try incorporating a skincare bar into your regime. The products within our Beauty Kin range all contain active ingredients, and all packaging is fully recyclable. Our bars use 70% less water to manufacture than gels, and we are continually looking for ways to become a more environmentally friendly company.
- Use Eco-Conscious Brands
When it comes to stocking up your bathroom, do your research before deciding which products to buy, and go with the ones that are the most eco-conscious.
An eco-conscious brand is one that uses natural ingredients produced from raw materials. Eco-conscious brands will also consider the packaging their products come in, how it was resourced and whether it is recyclable.
Beauty Kin is a brand that does both, with natural ingredients and raw materials such as ground olive stone and grapefruit used in our Exfoliating Body Bar, and simple paper packaging made from sustainably managed and FSC certified sources.
- Avoid Disposable Products
The endless disposable plastic products seen in most British bathrooms can seem so small that it is easy to forget that they can have a significant impact upon the environment.
It is estimated that 5.5 million plastic razors end up in UK landfills each year, plus another 200 million discarded plastic toothbrushes to add to that.
You can help to reduce this by switching to an electric razor and toothbrushes made from recyclable materials, such as bamboo. Although you may need to swap these grooming products from time to time, that will have nowhere near as big of an impact as your discarded plastic waste is having.
- Avoid Unnecessary Packaging
Some skin care products can come packaged in multiple unnecessary layers of plastic. Most of the time these sorts of packaging are made using non-renewable materials.
Consider the packaging that your products are coming in. For example, is your moisturiser packaged in a plastic tube or a recyclable aluminium tin?
Here at Beauty Kin, we are committed to reducing their own carbon footprint by using packaging that is sourced from sustainably managed and FSC certified sources.
Our range of products, from the Hydrating Body Bar to the revitalising Shaving Face & Body Bar come packaged in paper, giving users peace of mind when using this product as part of their skincare regime.
- Control Your Usage
For some products like shampoo, it can be difficult to find a brand that does not use plastic in their packaging.
It is therefore important to regulate how much of a product you are using at a time, making it last longer and reducing how often you need to re-stock this product.
Not only will this save on your waste, but it will save you money in the meantime.
- Don’t Waste Water
With 71% of our planet made up of water, plus the fact that we can access it with a turn of a tap, it can be easy to forget just how precious and finite a liquid it is.
Not only will wasting water brings up the cost of your water bill, but it can more importantly put a huge strain on the planet’s resources.
Avoiding wasting water during your grooming regime is a simple skill to learn and can be done in a number of ways. For example, not leaving the taps running while you are brushing your teeth or washing your face. Even running shallow baths, or better yet, showering rather than bathing – and spending less time in the shower when you do.
- Read Your Labels
Get to know what ingredients are in your grooming and skincare products and learn how sustainable these ingredients are. Sticking to products that you know are eco-conscious will help you to remember that you are doing your bit.
The best time to read a product’s label is in the store – just before you buy it. However, for products you already have in your home, why not make use of those couple of minutes spent sitting on the toilet to get better acquainted with your product’s ingredients.
That’s why our packaging contains QR codes so that you can scan them and see exactly what each ingredient is and why it is included.