Shopping for beauty products in a sustainable way [sustainable skincare] isn’t an easy task – the arena is fraught with marketing jargon, misleading promises, and a surprising level of ‘greenwashing’.
For example, a glass container might be more easily recyclable than a plastic tub, but if it has been produced and imported from afar, the air miles may negate any sustainability gains. What’s more, not everything we throw into our recycling bins actually makes it through the recycling process: studies have indicated that around 9 per cent of virgin plastics produced worldwide are actually recycled.
But planet-conscious consumption needn’t be this headache-inducing. From carbon-neutral production methods to vegan-friendly formulas, refillable containers and innovative alternative packaging, there are plenty of ways to reduce the adverse effects on our planet. While none are a catch-all cure for our collective consumption problem, they’re all a promising start.
Informed by science and adopting an environment-first philosophy, these innovative brands are developing skincare that is effective, sustainable, and satisfyingly sensorial.
Sustainable skincare releases
Jojoba Ultimate Serum, 30ml, $70; thejojobacompany.com.au
Looking for a sustainable crop to grow on his farm in Yenda, NSW, Ian Turner decided on wadi wadi, a jojoba strain well suited to local conditions. When cold pressed, the jojoba nut produces a liquid wax ester that mimics the molecular structure of human skin’s natural waxes. This 100 per cent pure, golden liquid (Australian Jojoba, 30ml, $20) is deeply hydrating, packed with antioxidants and can deliver active ingredients like HumaColl21 – a vegan collagen used in Ultimate Serum – to the skin’s deeper layers.
Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil, $110; sephora.com.au
Shark liver contains squalene, an oil known for its high moisturising properties. Since it’s used extensively in the beauty industry, millions of sharks are killed each year to meet demand. Biossance’s shark-saving solution: bio-fermented squalane, produced from ethically sourced sugar cane. Touted as biology’s best moisturiser, this vegan-hydrator is the powerhouse ingredient across the Biossance range of skincare.
NIOD Copper Amino Isolate Serum 3 1:1, 15ml, $90; deciem.com
NIOD (non-invasive options in dermal science) continually evolves its products to ensure they make use of the most up-to-date technologies. CAIS3 1:1 is the third generation of its award-winning Copper Amino Isolate Serum and helps trigger skin renewal by building collagen at deep levels. Reducing its impact on the planet, the serum has evolved into a single-bottle offering (it used to be two), reducing packaging and saving CO2 emissions when shipped.
EPI-gN Serum, 50ml, $148, ellusandkrue.com.au
Ellus & Krue is an Australian, evidence-based skincare brand whose signature product, the EPI-gN Serum, is formulated to refine, repair and revitalise the tone and texture of skin while preventing signs of ageing. A certified B Corporation company – assessed as meeting the highest standards of environmental and social performance and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose – Ellus & Krue donates 20 per cent of each purchase to cancer research.
