Get an Ethical Glow with This Summer’s Top 5 Beauty Products
Hop in the shower, hop out again. Cleanse, tone, moisturize. Grab your makeup kit, put your war paint on. But wait. Have you stopped to think about what you’re actually using putting on your face and body? What do these lotions and potions contain? How were these products made and what’s their long-term impact?
We’ve been busy researching and discovering some new ethical beauty brands to keep you looking fabulous without harming the environment. These brands are cruelty-free, sustainably made and continually working to reduce their footprint. Keep an eye on our social media and the Health and Beauty section for them!
Christy Ku
Zao Organic Makeup
Zao have created something special – refillable makeup! With most makeup, we’re trapped in the cycle of disposing the packaging and then repurchasing everything when all we want is that magical colored powder or gloopy goodness. With Zao’s products, you can simply buy the refill at a discounted price and place it into its original packaging; this reduces waste and saves you money!
Zao’s makeup is exceptional: completely cruelty/gluten/talc/paraben-free and vegan (with a few exceptions). It contains natural and organic ingredients, creating makeup that nourishes and cares for your face. The packaging is made from bamboo, a renewable and control-harvested material, to hold your makeup year after year.
Our top picks:
Concealer Stick
This concealer covers any imperfections on your skin and corrects dark circles. It contains organic babassu seed oil and gingko biloba leaf extract which acts as a skin repair aid. As it’s in a stick format, it’s convenient to take on the go to touch up your makeup.
Compact Powder
This pressed powder is travel-sized and will keep you shine-free all day! It contains rice powder, which will absorb oil without drying out your skin, and the cocoa butter will protect and moisturize (also, it’s vegan!).
Matte lipstick
Matte lipsticks are notorious for drying out your lips, but Zao’s contain carnauba wax and organic castor, olive, apricot and jojoba oil, creating a uber-moisturizing lipstick that provides a matte, velvety texture. You can buy the one tube and several colors as refills – simply switch the lipstick bullet for your choice of color! This lipstick is vegan.
100% Pure
This is another fantastic cosmetic and beauty brand. It’s free from harmful toxins, synthetic chemical preservatives, artificial colors and fragrances. 100% Pure use completely natural ingredients, so put some plants on your face!
Our top pick:
Fruit Pigmented Mermaid Palette / Fruit Pigmented Punk Princess Palette
We love these eyeshadow palettes – they’re pigmented by fruit, vegetables, seeds and flowers. You can use these palettes across your face. Dip into the colors made from ingredients such as strawberries and blueberries to create a range of naturally sweet looks.
Dr Bronner’s Organic and Fairtrade Soap
Dr Bronner’s is an amazing company with near-perfect ethics! They’ve been around since early 1900’s and are renowned for their amazing soaps. They advocate charity work, have an equitable supply chain and have created or partnered with Fairtrade and organic projects across the world.
Dr Bronner’s also use regenerative agriculture and are moving towards zero-waste production. Their products come in post-consumer recycled plastic bottles and their soaps use organic ingredients! There’s a huge range of scents so pick your favourites.
Our top picks:
Organic castile liquid soap
These are pure-castile liquid soaps, which are all-natural and chemical free. It’s bio-degradable and can be used to clean anything from dishes to laundry to you! Use as a face wash, hand soap or shampoo, floor cleaner, kitchen counter-top cleaner – the possibilities are endless.
Organic Bar Soap
Why buy multiple products for cleansing when you could just use the one? These soap bars can be used on your face, body and hair.
Pitrok Crystal Deodorant
It’s not quite BuyMeOnce, but definitely buy it less! This natural deodorant is paraben and aluminum free. You rub the Pitrok deodorant onto wet skin, or dampen the rock first to apply, and it keeps you fresh all day.
Our top pick:
100g Natural Deodorant Stick
It deposits a thin layer of pure mineral salts on your skin which kills bacteria without blocking your pores. Reviews have stated that one purchase can last them years at a time.
Badger Balm
Sunscreens can be toxic to you and the environment, with certain chemicals contributing to the death of coral reefs. Luckily, there’s been a rising demand for safe, non-toxic sunscreen that’s good for the sea and your skin.
Our top pick:
Badger Balm SPF 25
One of the most popular and highly rated natural sunscreens out there, this balm only contains five ingredients and three of them are certified as organic: non-nano uncoated zinc oxide, organic sunflower oil, organic beeswax, vitamin E and organic seabuckthorn.
It’s water and sweat resistant for 40 minutes of swimming or activity and it’s biodegradable, making it safe for the environment. It’s also cruelty-free and fragrance-free.
Christy Ku is a writer, spoken word poet and videographer based in London, UK. She recently performed in the Barbican Young Poets 2018 Showcase and is always prepared with a good GIF.