Beauty: The New Clean

Spring cleaning your life means making meaningful changes to support the health of your mind, body and planet. Here’s how the beauty industry is helping to lead the way.

The products you put on your face are ultimately absorbed into your bloodstream, so it makes sense that the clean beauty movement has gone mainstream. Gone are the days of being deterred from organic, preservative-free formulas out of speculation that they are less effective – this new generation of skincare is just as powerful as its chemically-enhanced predecessors. Brands that have long championed natural ingredients are taking centre stage, like Malin+Goetz who support sustainable packaging and a cruelty-free philosophy.

Newer additions to the beauty world, including cult-favourite Byredo, are proving that makeup can also have an impact – one that is social and visual. The brand’s new line eschews an extensive list of blacklisted ingredients, and many of their products are vegan or free of gluten, GMO and pesticides. Other in-house clean beauty brands include Angela Caglia, Tatcha and Tata Harper.

CBD is one of nature’s greatest gifts in that it provides a promising alternative to chemical-heavy pain medication, and it comes in so many different forms now that it’s compatible with all sorts of lifestyles. Brands including Prima, Oto, RESET Bioscience and more offer products that assist in relieving the stress of everyday life, often preventing the need for prescription remedies or other guilty pleasures.

We’ve covered what’s inside the bottle, but what about the packaging? While it’s easy to point fingers at the beauty world for its role in producing packaging waste, many brands have now moved to sustainable options. These include single-material packaging that is easier to recycle, and an increased use of recycled materials in general; reducing packaging overall to decrease carbon credits incurred by shipping; and sourcing materials from sustainable sources.

Shop from brands like Larry King, whose haircare is packaged in glass, aluminum or recycled cardboard; or Prima, a 100% carbon-neutral enterprise with an eco-conscious approach to its packaging supply chain.

When it comes to social responsibility, it’s no longer a question of if, but what. In fact, many beauty brands, whether fledgling startups or backed by major corporations, understand that giving back to the community or the environment is crucial. Among our favourite leaders to support in this space are Purearth, with a programme that sees a tree planted for every product sold and proceeds from sales channelled into its own Pure Purpose Foundation. La Mer’s Blue Heart fund also helps to protect marine habitats through ocean conservation projects across the world.