By Liz McNamara, HealthPost’s Cosmetic Chemist and Natural Health Expert
Taking care of your complexion doesn’t mean you can’t care for our planet too. Too often we prioritise the value of our favourite beauty brands, but at what cost to the planet? Value is important, but now more than ever, a brand’s values can’t be ignored. And with more brands recognising their responsibility, you don’t have to sacrifice your skin ritual to make conscious choices.
- Look for refill options where hygiene is still #1
Refilling food is simple – take a clean container to your bulk food store and fill! Easy, right. Refilling beauty products takes more consideration and hygiene is essential. Look for brands offering send back packaging options, or, if they offer refills, make sure you can sterilise the bottle you’re refilling. - Choose packaging that’s recyclableÂ
Unfortunately, NZ’s recycling system isn’t perfect, so we have to make sure that we are choosing products with the best possibility of being recycled.
Glass and aluminium can be endlessly recycled and types 1, 2, and 5 plastic are recyclable in NZ. Better yet, choose brands using Post-Consumer Recycled material for their product’s packaging. And what about that excess packaging? Don’t be afraid to let your favourite brands know if you think there’s unnecessary waste. - Support brands that are transparent about their sourcing
Does your favourite beauty brand share where they source their ingredients from, and do they guarantee that it’s free of child or slave labour? We should expect brands to care about the wellbeing of their people, but sadly that’s not always the case. If it’s not clear, ask the hard questions. - Waste less with waterless beautyÂ
Water makes up between 50% and 80% of most of the products in your bathroom. Shipping those products around the world is a drain on the environment – water is heavy! Since most of us have access to water at home, we reckon it makes sense to back brands formulating waterless beauty bars for our skincare and clean beauty routine. - Back brands that are carbon neutral or carbon positiveÂ
All brands produce carbon as a result of their day-to-day running. Being carbon neutral means they’re supporting the environment by balancing out the amount of carbon produced. If they’re carbon positive, they’re going above and beyond with activities (like tree planting) to draw more carbon from the atmosphere than they produce. Being committed to reducing carbon means the brand cares about reducing greenhouse gases and a reliance on non-renewable resources like petroleum. - Choose Mindful Brands
Every ethical business doesn’t just talk about putting their people and the planet first, they’re living and breathing their values. Responsible retailer HealthPost has launched a new ethical way to shop beauty: Mindful Brands. With Mindful Brands, you can shop brands that share your values. So you can make conscious choices without giving up your skincare or makeup ritual.
Shop brands that share your values with HealthPost’s Mindful Brands.Â