ECO-SAFE BEAUTY SWAP OUTS TO SAVE THE WORLD

Look, I will be the first to admit that I was once guilty of coming home after a night out or a big day and reaching for the old single-use face wipe to rid myself of my full face of make up in the easiest possible way. However - one of the best gifts I received for Christmas last year was a beautiful Aēsop drawstring bag containing their Fabulous Face Cleanser and a set of Bianca Lorenne mini facial washcloths from my Mum (which you can get here from her shop Juniper Hearth in Berry). Let me tell you, I'm a changed woman! I've become that person who enjoys telling my uninterested partner how impressed I am that I actually washed my face the night before when we returned home late from an event.

I am still far from perfect in the beauty sustainability department, but I, like many of us, am always looking for swap-outs that are better for our planet. So, I wanted to share some easy ones with you that I've attempted to stick to, and also some beautiful brands that you can indulge yourself in without harming the world.

Say NO to single use!

Like I said, I'm a reusable beauty pad/washcloth convert. As many of us now know, most wipes are not biodegradable, meaning it could take 100 years or more for them to disappear from landfill - and don't even get me started on those who FLUSH them (incredibly harmful to our marine life). Wipes like these are also not great for our skin, many of them contain preservatives, parabens and alcohol - so they really can spell bad news, especially if you have sensitive skin!

But fear not, there are actually a LOT of reusable options out there these days. Here are some of our favourites that we love...

Consider the packaging

Plastic packaging is an obvious swap out when it comes to beauty - the plastic used is usually non-recyclable (and not recycled itself), and in such small-sized quantities, a TONNE of it ends up in landfill. An easy way to avoid contributing to this is ensuring your go-to products use glass or aluminium packaging, or going 'naked' - this is still not super popular, but brands like Lush are leading the way.

Another awesome swap out I've been loving is making the switch back to bar soap. Feels super old school (anyone else's Grandma have an everlasting stash of Imperial Leather soaps at various usage stages?!), but bar soaps tend to last longer, and often come in recyclable packaging rather than plastic.

Save the reef

Did you know that a lot of popular off the shelf sunscreens contain reef destroying chemicals?! I'm ashamed to admit that I did not until sometime last year. The chemicals you need to look out for are oxybenzone, nanoparticles, camphor, and methylparaben, with zinc oxide and titanium oxide being friendlier and safer alternatives. Unfortunately, you can't just trust the label, so make sure you're checking those ingredients lists, people! Here's what to look for (and do!):

Mineral sunscreens that contain no nano-particles
Go non-toxic, paraben free and organic
Make sure it's labelled as 'water resistant' - meaning it'll stick to your skin and not run off into the water!
Wait 10 minutes or more to ensure your sunscreen has set into your skin!

Some products we love are Mecca Cosmetica's To Save Face SPF50+ Superscreen Oxybenzone Free Formula and We Are Feel Good Inc.'s Sensitive Sunscreen SPF 50+.

Go cruelty-free

An obvious one, I'm sure, but vegan and cruelty-free products are always the best way to go (shock!). Some of our favourite brands include Hummm, Aēsop, Mecca Max & Mecca Cosmetica, Too Faced (PETA certified), and ELEVEN Australia (homegrown AND PETA certified).

Multi-use

A top-to-toe approach that minimises clutter, packaging and spend? Sounds too good to be true. I can't blame you if you're still a little skeptical about, say, all-in-1 shampoo and conditioner bars (I myself am yet to try one), but Sans [ceuticals] have these values at the core of all of their products. Also, all of their products are seriously ~aesthetic~, and I for one would be happy to have them sitting in my bathroom.