Hawthorne's Desert Runway

The planet’s plastic consumption is getting out of hand. According to National Geographic, “the amount of plastic packaging on U.S. products (not just on personal care items) has increased by over 120 times since 1960—with almost 70 percent of that waste piling up in landfills." The packaging ends up as waste that floods our landfills, or even cluttering our oceans and harming sea life. 

What is single-use-plastic, you might ask? In your beauty routine, it is any kind of packaging as well as plastic cotton buds, face wipes, and sheet masks for example. 

Another extremely concerning place to find plastics is within your products; Pesky plastic microbeads are also used in the products as well in soaps, face scrubs, and toothpastes. Beginning in the U.S., the use of microbeads has since been banned in various countries. However, there are still liquid plastics, or synthetic polymers, that pose a serious threat to water sources in the environment. Sixty-four percent of haircare “products contain at least one liquid plastic,” according to CodeCheck, Europe’s largest product database.

So, you can make a difference by simply changing or ridding some products in your personal daily beauty routine. Let’s do better, together.

BAR SOAP

"JUICY ORANGE SOAP" and "FENNEL & CHARCOAL SOAP" by Rocky Mountains Soap

Rocky Mountains Soap doesn’t use any ingredients that lead to the destruction of animal habitats, any species or the environment; for example, palm oil, derivatives of talc or lanolin. Handcrafted, hand-mixed, hand-poured and expert-tested, their soaps also don’t use secondary packaging, which is the packaging that companies use to transport and distribute products, like cardboard boxes and so forth.

DEODORANT

"BAKING SODA FREE deodorant stick" by Meow Meow Tweet

Meow Meow Tweet is a small-batch skin care company that creates vegan products with pure, all-natural and organic ingredients. Their deodorant stick in biodegradable packaging is to die for—and every product is hand-wrapped in PCW (post consumer waste, or re-purposed at a recycling facility) paper. They pride themselves in being transparent and supporting environmental protection foundations with a monthly donation.

SHAMPOO + CONDITIONER

"Moisturize Shampoo & Conditioner Set" by HiBAR

“Getting rid of plastic in your shower is one small step in the right direction,” says the HiBAR founders. They create vegan products without sulfates, parabens, silicones, phthalates and cruelty—while specializing on solid shampoos and conditioners that skip the need for plastic packaging.

ORGANICUPS + TAMPONS

Cups by Organicups

Tampons are a struggle. They’re inconvenient and produce a lot of single-use waste, every single month. Tampons are made from bleached cotton and can contain small parts of plastics in the absorbent part. Your vaginal mucous membrane is able to transmit these additives into your bloodstream faster than if you were to eat them. So, instead of using potentially toxic tampons, cups are here to revolutionize the way women menstruate. Organicups are made without hazardous chemicals, BPA, latex or dyes. Formed from only 100 percent medical grade silicone, they reduce waste and save you a lot of money at the same time. And just as the company states, cups are “small in size—big in impact.”

TOOTHPASTE

"CRUSH & BRUSH MINT CHARCOAL" by Nelson Naturals

Biting on a tablet and brushing your teeth with its crumbly mush may seem strange at first. But trust us—not only will it switch up your monotonous brushing routine, but the environment will thank you for it. Nelson Naturals produces toothpaste tablets in glass jars with a tin lid. All shipping and packing materials are paper-based, and they only use clean, food-grade ingredients.

BODY LOTION

"Healing Body Cream" by Butter Me Up Organics

Founder of Butter Me Up Organics Jillian Haddad made finding the healthiest and most sustainable body butter her personal mission, up to the point when she chose to simply create her own. Be part of her journey, and check out her amazing zero-waste vision. Here are some surefire arguments for her body butter: organic, non-GMO, cruelty-free, no sulfates, no phthalates, no parabens, no synthetic dyes or fragrances, packaged in recycled glass and tins with labels and packaging made from recycled paper with soy inks in sustainable printers. Convinced?

SUNSCREEN

"Surf Mud Pro" by EiR

Ever heard of oxybenzone? It’s in almost every sunscreen that you can buy in a drugstore and functions as sun blocker. Apart from that however, toxicology experts believe oxybenzone is linked to hormone disruption and even skin cancer, according to CNN. EiR is a natural, unisex skincare line for people with active lifestyles. Locally produced in New York, the company’s “Surf Mud Pro” is reef-safe and contains non-nano zinc for UV sun protection.

SHAVER

"The Flagship Butterfly Extra Long Razor" by Albatross

When thinking about plastic, shaving does not immediately come to mind. But think about it, how often do you switch your razors? How are they packaged, and how much plastic do they contain? A steel razor is not only pretty much unbreakable—with Albatross, its packaging is also completely plastic-free.

TOOTHBRUSH

"BAMBOO TOOTHBRUSH" by Brush with Bamboo

And while you’re changing your teeth routine, you can also throw away your plastic brush and replace it with an organic bamboo one. Bamboo is the fastest growing woody plant worldwide—it can grow up to four feet a day which equals about six toothbrushes, according to Brush with Bamboo. The bristle is composed of 62 percent castor bean oil, 38 percent nylon. The company claims it to be the latest and most advanced bio-based bristle in the world, and it is certified by USDA and Green America.

LIPSTICK

"CRUSH Natural lipstick" by Coconut Matter

Coconut Matter makes lipstick in paper tubes, rolled by hand using cardboard lined with food-grade wax paper on the inside. The products are also vegan and cruelty-free, with no petroleum-based ingredients or synthetic dyes. Their mission is to set an example for the beauty industry with full transparency of ingredients and how products are made and packaged. “We want to support the circular economy for a better planet and a better you,” says the company.