A 2021 survey found that out of 10,646 active beauty consumers, 76% seek out sustainable beauty brands andd products. Nowadays, consumers are not merely looking for products that are best for themselves, but also the planet. Another study by the British Beauty Council found that out of 23,000 beauty consumers, 48% searched for more information, clarity, and transparency regarding the values of a beauty company and their commitments to bettering the environment. The term “sustainable beauty” has been thrown around by both consumers and companies, but the term “sustainable” is difficult to define because of its broad scope.
The eco-friendly, sustainable beauty industry is becoming more popular each day, but it may be difficult for the everyday consumer to understand what is really good for both yourself and the environment. According to Merriam-Webster, “sustainable” means, “of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.” When speaking about the environment, “sustainable” is associated with using resources that do not either exhaust or permanently damage the original source.
However, in the beauty industry, the term “sustainable beauty” is not regulated nor is there an industry-standard definition, so any brand may claim that they are sustainable. If you’re looking to clean up your beauty routine, we’ve rounded up 10 sustainable beauty brands.
- ILIA
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ILIA believes “in skin that looks like skin” and beauty from within and believes in transparency with its consumers. They create products that have “safe, potent formulas,” which “protect and revive the skin,” according to their website. The brand envisions skincare and makeup as one category, and their formulas are created with “active levels of skincare ingredients” that protect the skin from environmental stressors. These ingredients degenerate when exposed to light, so ILIA prioritizes the use of SPF “as it is what protects and powers these actives,” and it makes these ingredients up to 200% more effective. Their sunscreens, like the C Beyond Triple Serum SPF 40 or the Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40, include a combination of titanium oxide and non-nano zinc oxide, making them 100% natural SPF.
ILIA does “everything [they] can to simplify and source materials” that are both friendly for the planet and safe for the user. ILIA consumers may mail up to 10 empty beauty products per month, whether it be theirs or another brand’s, and Pact Collective breaks these products down, ensuring that it doesn’t end up in a landfill. All you have to do is fill out a form on their website to receive a prepaid shipping label and then package and mail your items.
- Tower 28
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Tower 28 likes for their products to be “clean, full of sunshine, and for everyone.” Tower 28’s products are non-toxic, free of sensitizing irritants and full of “calming, nourishing ingredients” that avoid both irritants and allergens for users with sensitive skin. Tower 28 is the only makeup brand to 100% follow the National Eczema Association’s ingredient guidelines. The brand is cruelty-free and does not conduct animal testing, and they do not include either animal-derived ingredients or byproducts like fats, oils and musks. Their products, like their SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen or SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray, are free of synthetic or natural fragrances, essential oils, talc, mineral oil, petrolatum, paraffin, resorcinol ingredients, urea, hydroquinones, SLS, toluene, or propylene glycol (PEGs), which are harmful for both your skin and the environment.
Further, Tower 28 products are made according to cosmetic GMP requirements, which assist businesses in knowing and navigating the risks associated with production, which may affect product safety and quality, and all product components are BPA-free, which means that they’re free of the organic compound Bisphenol A during construction. BPA has been utilized to manufacture plastic products like baby bottles, plastic plates and cutlery, storage containers and drink bottles, which has been linked to interfering with the brain cells that correlate to memory, mood and learning.
- Osea
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Osea’s “high-performance formulations have featured naturally-derived ingredients with clinically proven results” since 1996, according to their website. Inspired by the ocean, the brand utilizes seaweed for its superfood properties like its vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Seaweed is filled with minerals, antioxidants, amino acids and omega-3 fats, making it a vital ingredient in Osea’s products. Different seaweed species offer various properties and benefits, like moisturization. Osea sources their seaweed from around the world and is based upon scientific data.
Osea creates their products “without artificial colors or dyes or questionable, synthetic ingredients” like undaria, Japanese miru seaweed, red seaweed, and brown seaweed. These ingredients alone can be found in their products like their Seabiotic Water Cream, Undaria Algae Body Butter, Undaria Algae Body Oil, Hyaluronic Sea Serum, and Seaglow Overnight Serum AHA Treatment.
- Milk Makeup
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Milk Makeup is a 100% vegan brand that does not conduct animal testing and is cruelty-free Leaping Bunny Certified, which means no products include animal-derived ingredients like fats, oils, or musks. All Milk Makeup products are also gluten-free and do not contain mercury in any of their ingredients. Unlike many skincare brands, Milk Makeup prohibits plastic microbeads in their rinse-off formulas. Their sunscreens also do not have Avobenzone, Benzophenone or derivatives, Oxybenzone, or Octinoxate, making them Coral Reef Safe.
The brand is also actively working to make their packaging more sustainable. In January 2021, Milk redesigned their online shipping system and started utilizing boxes printed with petroleum-free plant-based ink, and their bags are created from 100% post-consumer waste. The boxes and bags are 100% recyclable after removing the adhesive strip on the box. Milk also is introducing refillable makeup where possible, which reduces plastic by up to 66% and 60% when you purchase a refill for either their Sunshine Skin Tint SPF 30 or Sunshine Under Eye Tint + Brighten.
- Saie Beauty
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Following sustainable measures is the standard at Saie Beauty. Saie Beauty is Climate Neutral Certified, and have been committed since the beginning to offsetting their carbon footprint by “investing in various carbon drawdown projects.” The brand donates 1% of all sales to multiple non-profits that aim to reverse climate change. The brand also supports The Coral Restoration Foundation and The Rozalia Project, which both focus on preserving coral reefs and educating people on the significance of keeping the oceans clean.
Further, for every product sold, like their Slip Tint or Glowy Super Gel, Saie gives a portion towards vetted impact programs that remove more plastic waste from the planet than the brand creates in their packaging and operations. The brand funds forest conservation projects through the Carbon Neutral Club, and they don’t conduct any animal testing nor do they collaborate with companies that do. Their products include ingredients like jojoba oil, organic beeswax, squalance, murumuru seed butter, vitamin E, coconut oil, shea butter, sunflower oil, caster seed oil, and safer synthetics to meet the standards of the EU for clean beauty products.
- Kosas
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Kosas uses as little ingredients as possible to make their products as simple as possible. They make their products without silicone, which clogs your pores and traps things like bacteria, impurities, dirt and sebum by forming a barrier on the skin. They also run clinical safety testing on all of their products and formulate them to support people with sensitive skin. Kosas is free of PFA, which may cause itching and rash, and bans over 2,700 ingredients including parabens, sulfates, formaldehyde and more. Their Cloud Set Setting Powder is made with bamboo stem extract, passionfruit leaf extract and Chinese peony, and their Tinted Face Oil Foundation is made with avocado oil, meadowfoam oil, red raspberry oil and jojoba oil.
- Merit
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Merit creates beauty products that are safe for your body, skin, and the planet. They do not use hormone or endocrine disrupting ingredients in their body products, and they are EU- and “Clean at Sephora”-compliant. Their skin products have ingredients like plant-based squalane, vitamin B5, and antioxidants. In partnership with Hollywood-favorite esthetician Biba de Sousa, Merit has eliminated 73 ingredients, like coconut oil, that are clean but potentially acne triggering. Certified by Leaping Bunny, Merit is vegan and cruelty-free, and they work to eliminate as much virgin plastic as possible from both their products and operations. Their shipping packaging is also recyclable, reusable, or biodegradable.
Looking for product recs? Their Day Glow Highlighting Balm has plant-based squalane to lock in hydration and alive fruit oil to nourish skin. The Clean Length Lengthening Mascara has fatty acids and olive oil esters to condition lashes as vitamin B5 adds shine.
- Haus Labs by Lady Gaga
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Haus Labs by Lady Gaga combines “science with nature to create clean, high-performing products of the future,” according to their website. Every purchase supports Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, which focuses on the mental health of young individuals and works with them to “build a kinder and braver world.” All of their products, like both their award-winning PHD Hybrid Lip Oil and The Edge Precision Brow Pencil, are clean, because they exclude over 2,700 questionable ingredients like PEGs, phthalates, petroleum, mineral oil, and more. They are cruelty-free and vegan. The company has a goal to be 100% carbon neutral by 2027, and they use glass, aluminum, cellulose, and post-consumer recycled materials when possible as well as FSC-certified paper from sustainably harvested forests to lessen their climate impact.
- Bite Beauty
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Bite Beauty has ingredients that are “superfoods for your skin,” like antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and more. They use ingredients derived from plants like agave nectar, orange peel wax, grape skin extract, passionflower oil, and more. Their scents are naturally derived and less than 1% are synthetic fragrances. Licensed toxicologists evaluate all ingredients and final products for safety, allergens, and efficacy, and they utilize dermatologists and other professionals whom their send their formulas to for third-party clinical testing. Their Agave + Nighttime Lip Therapy was awarded the Best Overnight Lip Treatment in Women’s Health Beauty Awards 2019, and their Changemaker Flexible Coverage Pressed Powder won Cosmopolitan’s 2020 Holy Grail Beauty Awards.
- LYS Beauty
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LYS Beauty is clean beauty for under $30, like their Triple Fix Serum Foundation that won Allure’s Best of Beauty Award in 2021, and products like their No Limits Cream Bronzer Stick target common skincare concerns like blemishes, hyperpigmentation, excess oil, and uneven texture and tone. The company is also the first Black-owned Sephora Clean Color Cosmetics brand. LYS Beauty is 100% cruelty, gluten, talc, fragrance, mineral oil and SLS free making this a vegan brand. Their formulas use plant-derived ingredients, like green tea extract and rosehip oil, which betters overall skin health for all skin types. Their packing also includes FSC-certified folding cartons and materials like glass using 30% post-consumer recycled materials.