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The interest in clean skin care has grown over the years. Plenty of new brands have popped up on the beauty shelves but we should be aware of what it is that is being promised. Just as greenwashing flows in the fashion industry, it also exists among beauty brands. Natural and organic are common words used but what do natural and organic mean? And how do we as consumers balance sustainable skincare choices good for nature but also for ourselves? Just because a product has been produced in an environmentally sustainable manner does not necessarily mean that it is the most sustainable product for us. We hope that this article can help you understand the environmental challenges of beauty but also find products that suit you according to your needs and that are kind to the planet.

The dark side of skincare

The beauty industry has a turnover of 17 billion US dollars every year in the US alone! It is considered an unsustainable industry partly because of the unattainable ideals and pressure it mainly puts on women regarding how they are supposed to look but also because of the unregulated industry that it actually is. Many products contain chemicals that can be dangerous both for the user's health and for nature. The customer rarely knows what the product they are buying actually contains and many times clinical studies have been done on people with perhaps a different skin type and different needs than your own (Maupin 2018).

There are many chemicals that can harm people and nature. PFAS is the chemical that in animal experiments has been associated with the formation of cancer, impaired immune system, reduced fertility and negative impact on the liver. In a study from Stockholm University, 16 out of 31 products contained PFAS (Schultes et al. 2018). It can be difficult to find PFAS, because on the ingredients list it can be written as polytef, perfluoro, polyfluoro or something similar. Other chemicals that are harmful to the hormone system and often used are Benzophenone 1, Benzophenone 3, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, Cyclomethicone, Cyclotetrasiloxane (Naturskyddsföreningen).

Packaging is another problem where many beauty product packages are made of plastic. According to an EU study, the beauty industry produces 120 billion packages every year and a large majority are never recycled (Zero Waste, EU). Regarding plastic, it takes hundreds of years before the package breaks down if it ends up in nature or in a landfill. Even if the plastic goes to incineration, which it often does in Sweden (if the user does not recycle themselves), we need to consider that the use of plastic that comes from crude oil is still unsustainable.

Several brands have started to use packaging that are either recycled plastic, natural materials (such as paper) or biodegradable materials. In the latter case, you should review what possibilities you have to compost and whether industrial composting is required or if homemade composting is sufficient. When choosing paper, the packaging should come from sustainable forestry, otherwise, there is a risk that the product may be plastic-free but still contribute to the destruction of forests and, in the worst case, rainforests.

Checklist for sustainable choice of skincare

Buy only the products you think you need and will help your skin! Avoid advertisements that claim you must have a product or that trigger your fears of ageing or something similar. You are beautiful as you are, no product should be bought based on fears or anxiety.
Test yourself patiently! It takes time for the skin to get used to it and there may be different products that are suitable for different seasons. Think of yourself as a scientist, trying one product at a time to find what works for you.
Ask the experts! If you have the opportunity to go to a skin therapist, it can be a good alternative if you find it difficult to find the right product. But you can also ask in a store, at a clinic or email a company that has products about what they think would be suitable. Ask many and see if you get similar answers. Keep in mind that the seller's interest is there and no one needs five products, so stand by the fact that you might only be looking for one skin cream and are not interested in a series of products that you will use morning and night.
Buy environmentally friendly! Such as BraMiljöval (Swedish organic certification), Svanen (Swedish organic certification), USDA Organic, EcoCert or Soil Association Organic Standard. Each standard has its own requirements and rarely are they 100% natural and 100% organic, but they are definitely better than the commercial products you usually find in the stores. Organic means that the ingredients are organically grown and produced, while natural means that they are not chemically produced but come from nature. You can therefore have a product with natural lavender (for the lavender scent) but does not come from organically grown lavender.
Avoid the brand's own statements! When it says Green, Natural or Nature with a green logo or a green leaf on it, it doesn't actually have to mean anything at all. This design is usually meant to attract conscious consumers and is called "greenwashing". Look for certifications or a clarification of what it means. It is not unusual that the product may contain 1% organic Aloe Vera but the company makes it appear to be a completely organic product.
Recycle packages, buy products you can refill and check if they are produced in recycled and recyclable materials. It is seldom you find the perfect organic natural product produced in recycled packaging. Sometimes we have to choose one criterion over the other. Packaging might not be the most important thing, but in the long-run, it matters and we should all strive for zero-waste living. More and more companies are now offering refill products, so keep an eye out for them.
Make your own beauty products. You don’t have to buy products, you can actually create your own based on what’s in your kitchen. You can use olive oil as a make-up remover or shea butter or organic coconut fat as Body Butter. Test and see what works for your skin. You can also mix your oils with essential oils. Lavendel is known to be calming, peppermint to be energising and camomille to be calming. Don’t put essential oils directly on the skin and make sure to protect your clothes, sofa and bedsheets directly after application of homemade oily products.
Buy products made on demand! Just like brands in the fashion industry starts to offer made-on-demand clothes, so does now the beauty industry. This means that the products are only made after you have placed your order. It is good for the environment because supply meets demand without any waste happening due to over production. One of the companies that are offering made-on-order is Ellure Lipsticks. They have several lipsticks in different colours such as Peach Papaya, Blueberry Lavendel och Mango Passion. How cool is not that?

HUMLE Facial oil Lavendelblom, HUMLE from KALVSVED, 259,00SEK – 729,00 SEK

Luxurious skin care routine according to your needs

Fast and simple

After a long day at work or after a day of leisure, clean your waste with Zao Solid make-up remover which lasts for a long time and also works as a cleaner despite not wearing makeup. An organic deodorant that keeps you fresh throughout the day and when the skin feels a little bit try you can apply Bodylotion från Moonsun. Products for those of you who would like to keep it simple.

Moonsun Organic of Sweden Bodylotion, 299,00 SEK

2. “Lagom” and wonderful

Lagom, is the Swedish word for not too much and not too little. Besides the organic above, those of you who are looking for something extra can apply rosewater after your cleaning but before using a serum. Rosewater is perfect for the skin that has been exposed to sunlight. After the rosewater, apply the serum from Moonsun which contains C-vitamins. C-vitamin is famous for protecting the cells of the body and strengthening your immune system. End the routine with a facial cream from Melvita.

Moonsun Organic of Sweden Vitamin C Serum, NORDIC NATURAL BEAUTY, 335,00 SEK

3. Luxurious and glam

Besides the routine above you can also try out different facial masks. Find your favourite and use what works best for you. There you can find smells and ingredients such as Beta Glucan, Coconut, Cacao and much more. Niki Newd Gourmet Mask Set costs 1735 SEK.

You can also use a wonderful Body Scrub or an eye serum that gives your eyes that extra. Regardless of what routine you choose, make sure it is suitable according to your lifestyle. These are just a few examples of products being more sustainable compared to the ones you normally find in the stores. But there are plenty of products at Green lille heart and many of them are focused on certain areas of sustainability. Dear to try something new and more sustainable, for your skin and the planet.