What does it mean to be a sustainable beauty brand?

Beauty brands that are committed to sustainability focus on minimizing environmental impact and promoting ethical practices in the formulation, production, and distribution of their products. Some key elements of sustainability to consider when assessing a brand are:

Ingredients and formulas

• Do they prioritize the use of natural and/or organic ingredients?
• Do their products contain harmful chemicals and toxins?
• Do they responsibly source raw materials that promote biodiversity, as well as fair trade practices?

Packaging

• Do they use recyclable or biodegradable packaging (materials that break down naturally)?
• Do they minimize the use of unnecessary secondary packaging to reduce waste?

Production and manufacturing

• Do they work with a product manufacter that utilizes energy-efficient practices to reduce their carbon footprint?
• Do they minimize water usage in their production processes and/or implement water recycling systems? 

Animal welfare

• Are their products cruelty-free? In other words, do they avoid testing products on animals?
• Do they provide vegan product options and avoid animal-derived ingredients?

Supply chain transparency

• Do they provide customer transparency through all stops in their supply chain, allowing consumers to trace the origins of all elements of each product (ingredients, packaging, formulation and production methods)? 
• Do they support fair labor practices? A brand that supports fair labor pays their employees fair wages, provides safe conditions for them to work in, and treats them ethically. 

Social responsibility

• Do they engage in initiatives that contribute to their local communities and address social issues at the heart of the brand’s mission?
• Do they embrace diversity and inclusion in brand marketing, hiring, and representation?

Recycling programs

• Do they implement product take-back programs that encourage customers to return empty containers for recycling?
• Do they offer upcycling initiatives that explore ways to repurpose/upcycle packaging materials?

Certifications

• Do they possess any eco-certifications to verify the brand’s commitment to sustainability?
• Do they showcase any Fair Trade Certifications that exemplify they pay their employees fair wages and use ethical practices throughout their supply chain?

Educational initiatives

• Do they offer consumer education about the brand’s sustainability practices?
• Do they provide ingredient transparency on product labels, company websites, social media accounts and other marketing materials?

Commitment to continuous improvement

• Do they invest in research and development initiatives to stay up to date with the most innovative sustainability practices?
• Do they perform regular audits to assess areas for improvement?

Now that you know how a beauty brand is assessed for its ‘sustainability’ stamp of approval, let’s take a look at some brands that are leading the way.

Here are 9 sustainable beauty brands setting a great example for new industry standards in 2024

1. Ilia

Ilia Beauty uses sustainable packaging through the use of recycled aluminum, glass components, and responsibly sourced paper. But it doesn’t stop there, as packaging is only the beginning of the product’s lifecycle. Ilia believes end-of-life is far more important and cares that products don’t end up in a landfill. To showcase this commitment, the brand has recently partnered with Pact Collective to offer a consumer recycling program to account for all of its empties.

2. Lush Cosmetics

Lush Cosmetics are 100% vegetarian, handmade products that are sourced ethically from start to finish. Learn more about its commitment to sustainable sourcing and the environmental impact its products have here.

3. Sunday Riley

Sunday Riley products are powered by science, and balanced by botanicals. This brand is certified as cruelty-free by PETA and Leaping Bunny, collects 110,000+ pounds of plastic (that’s over 5 million water bottles!) annually, and is B Corp certified, meeting the highest standards of verified environmental performance. Learn more about the sustainability efforts at the heart of this brand here. 

4. Dermaquest

Dermaquest is a professional skincare brand that offers extraordinary results to skin salons and spa professionals. They ensure dermatologists and medical spas have clean, high-quality products to work with that deliver real results during treatment sessions. Dermaquest products are made with sustainably sourced ingredients and packaging and ensure fair trade practices in every step of the supply chain.

5. Tata Harper

The mission of the Tata Harper brand is to engineer products that are good for people and the planet. This concept is the very DNA of every product and guides every initiative the brand partakes in. Learn more about how Tata Harper encompasses sustainability at every step here.

6. RMS Beauty

RMS Beauty demonstrates its sustainability efforts by using recyclable and biodegradable materials for packaging their products. More specifically, it uses glass jars for its cream-based products, avoiding plastic as much as possible. Learn more about the brand’s ever evolving sustainability initiatives here.

7. Kiehl’s

Kiehl’s formulates all products using sourcing and manufacturing processes that help conserve resources, minimize waste, and ensure key natural resources are replenished and kept healthy. Designed with respect and empowerment for their community, this brand does a stellar job of showcasing how sustainability is done in the beauty industry.

8. La Mer

La Mer is a pioneer as it relates to environmental protection and sustainability. By minimizing the use of natural resources, energy, and greenhouse gas emissions, the brand takes particular care of recycling and processing waste to ensure its environmental impact is as low as possible. Learn more here.

9. Derma E

For seventeen years, Derma E has been manufacturing its products using wind power and reducing its environmental footprint by offsetting 100% of conventional electricity use via wind energy certificates, and that’s just the start of its sustainability showcase. Learn more on their website. 

Conclusion

In practice, a truly sustainable beauty brand holistically integrates these principles into every aspect of its business practices to demonstrate a commitment to environmental and social responsibility. Consider these nine brands the star examples for emerging sustainable beauty brands in 2024.

This article was authored and approved by Sam Dhatt.

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