How to make better beauty choices: for you and the planet

How to make better beauty choices | The cosmetics industry, sadly infamous for its detrimental effect on the environment, leads to waste and drains natural resources in different ways, exasperating the issue with our daily behavior as customers.

A mystifying variety of multi-syllabic chemicals has certainly been found by someone who has ever looked at a lotion or shampoo bottle. They’re safe enough to put on our bodies, we believe, but how much do we know about the ingredients we slather on every day?

Anything from lipstick to shampoo, lotion and sunscreen is essentially self-regulated in the cosmetics and personal care industry. Today, over 12,000 chemicals are approved for use. These chemicals are not only harmful to you but the environment too.

How the beauty industry harms the environment?

Zero Waste estimates that the global cosmetics industry produces over 120 billion units of packaging per year, much of which is not recyclable. The majority of beauty goods come wrapped in plastic, which can take almost 1,000 years to decompose when talking about your typical moisturizer pot. Then there are plastic wrappings, paper inserts, sleeves of cardboard, rubber, mirrored glass and more, all of which are often included with one purchase.

For as long as this plastic exists, it will continually release these toxic greenhouse gases into our environment for as long as this plastic remains and, sadly, the lifetime of the popular plastic bottle or cosmetic packaging can be anywhere between 450 and 1000 years.

While you might now be thinking to yourself that you are buying and correctly recycling fairly harmless items, you are more than likely incorrect. Your carbon footprint may be much greater than you previously postulated, from the shockingly hazardous chemicals used in your makeup and skincare items to the micro beads that are used in today’s most common face scrubs.

However, the problem with the beauty industry is not just plastic, but also the enormous waste of water. As the most used ingredient in the industry, there are concerns that water demand could outstrip supply.

How your regular beauty products are harmful to you?

Paraben, which is used as a preservative in deodorants, moisturizers, shampoos, body washing and makeup and raises the likelihood of breast cancer, is the most common chemical used in beauty products. Its chemical composition is similar to oestrogen and, even in small quantities, it can be carcinogenic.

It was found that women had a higher body burden of certain chemicals found in cosmetics, including parabens and phthalates. Both are endocrine-disrupting compounds, which imitate human hormones. They may have effects at very small levels of unique interest to researchers and have been related to various health problems.

You may potentially be more likely than if you were to consume them (where enzymes would break them down) to absorb harmful chemicals directly into your bloodstream through your skin.

Now that we’re aware of the harmful effects of the regular beauty products, this leads us to the question:

What is a better alternative for you and the environment?

Anything healthy for individuals and the world can be called clean. Clean beauty implies that human and environmental health should be taken into account in a beauty product, using a non-toxic aspect as the basis for active results and plant-based ingredients. It provides all the vitamins and antioxidants needed for the skin and hair to be healthy and glowing.

For a product to be safe, the two most vital points are:

1. Non-toxic Ingredients

At its heart, clean beauty means that you can use a product without risking your well-being. There must be only safe, non-toxic ingredients on the ingredients list. Clinique products boast being free of parabens, phthalates and scent. And they actively continue to include their products in ingredient analysis.

2. Markings that are transparent

When a makeup company takes an effort to list all of their ingredients and label them accordingly, they are on the right path to clean makeup. minimalist. is a skincare brand that stresses transparency by illustrating the active concentration used and disclosing the trade name & supplier of the ingredient. Their drugs address the most common skin conditions in a highly successful and inexpensive way, ranging from acne marks to sunspots.

How Clean Beauty is better for the environment?

Because clean beauty goods use non-toxic ingredients, their harmful effect on the environment is greatly reduced. The harsh effects of the chemicals save both your body and the world.

Clean beauty does not use micro beads, a crucial contaminant that affects the ocean’s marine life. Micro beads are tiny pieces of plastic (usually used in scrubs or toothpaste) which, when washed down the plughole, make their way into the ocean and affect the lives and habitats of many sea creatures. Clean beauty products usually replace this dangerous ingredient with sugar or sea salt, which does the same exfoliating job but maintains the ability to break down over time.

Better still, pure beauty tends to use sustainably and ethically sourced organic and recyclable packaging and ingredients. This implies that not only are you doing a favor to yourself, but also to the world you live in.

Ananya Singh

Author Bio: Ananya is a 19-year-old engineering student with a flair for writing. Ever since childhood, stories have always been her escape from reality whether it be classic literature or the latest young adult novel. A budding content writer whose interest extends in the science, beauty and lifestyle realm. Always up for debates on topics of current affairs and a music enthusiast.

How to make better beauty choices is a guest post by Ananya Singh.