The Future of Sustainable Skincare
By Mala McAlpin, written for The Skincare Company
Historically, skincare and other beauty and cosmetic products have been one of the largest sources of waste materials globally. Thankfully, skincare has come a long way over the past decade, embracing more opportunities to recycle, decrease waste, and reduce overall carbon footprints. In celebration of Earth Day, April 22nd, we reflect on just how significantly sustainable beauty has developed over the years, and with it, our own sustainable strategies for both the present and future.
Skincare Packaging
A key indicator of how sustainable a beauty brand is often its packaging. Traditionally, most beauty products have been packaged in plastic containers, many of which also contain elements which are non-recyclable. Once these bottles and containers end up in landfill, they can take decades to break down. However, over the past several years, we’ve seen a noticeable shift towards eco-friendly skincare packaging, including:
Recycled & recyclable containers – as this is the largest source of waste, it’s wonderful to see changes to traditional beauty packaging. Our professional range (used by our stockist clinics) are fully recyclable, with amber glass bottles and HDPE2 plastic pumps. Our product development is well underway for our entire skincare range to become fully recyclable by 2028.
Compostable postage satchels – eco-conscious brands not only package their beauty products sustainably, but deliver them sustainably too. We ship our online purchases in biodegradable and compostable packages, including the postage satchel and packing beans. We have also introduced tissue paper made with soy-based ink, with one tree planted every time an online order is placed!
The Skincare Company is committed to reducing our impact on the planet, with plans to improve year on year. We are proudly working towards a goal of 100% recyclable packaging by 2028, in line with APCO’s national targets.
Sourcing Sustainable Ingredients
Aside from packaging, there are countless opportunities for sustainable practices to extend through to the skincare – in particular, the ingredients and formulations.
Clean formulations – Our products are not only good for the skin, but good for the planet. They do not contain parabens, dyes, artificial fragrance or colours. All of these substances end up back in our soil or waterways, which can be harmful to the plant or animal species residing there. And of course, we are cruelty-free, and never test on animals.
Australian ingredients – We believe in the sourcing of nutrient-rich Australian-grown ingredients, which also lowers our carbon emissions through reduced importation. These carefully-selected plant ingredients are high in potent skin-boosting compounds to reduce inflammation, improve barrier function, and provide antioxidant protection. For example, the hydroxtyrosol in our Vitamin C serum, which is derived from olive, and mangosteen extract in our HB5 Serum, derived from the mangosteen fruit. Also, the Kakadu Plum found in our Daily Defence – a flourishing Australian fruit with extremely high levels of vitamin c, antioxidants, and brightening phytonutrients.
Longer-lasting products = less packaging waste. We have placed a large emphasis on the development of airless packaging. This not only improves the efficacy and potency of the skincare formulation inside the bottle, but increases its shelf life by reducing oxidation. Longer-lasting products means less waste, which is a win-win for our customers and our planet. We only formulate our products in small batch runs, using high levels of multiple active ingredients. This means you’ll only need to use 1-2 pumps per product, and only a small number of multifunctional products in your regime. This combination not only makes your routine more simple, but reduces your frequency of purchases AND the number of empty bottles you dispose of.
