Read the ingredients list
Huge topic! Here are a few easy tips:
Avoid petrochemicals, watch out for: PEGs, SLES, cocoamide propyl betaine, Propylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbates, synthetic colours (some common ones are CI 17200, CI 19140, CI 42090)
Avoid formaldehyde, disguised in precursors such as Hydroxymethyl glycinate, DMDM hydantoin
Avoid estrogen disruptors, such as synthetic musks (they are used to fix the fragrance). If they are present they are disguised by the word Parfum. The safest way is to avoid synthetic fragrances all together.
Nano Titanium: recent research is showing it causes DNA damage! It is listed as normal Titanium Dioxide. ASK the question: is this Nano Titanium?
Look at the packaging
Plastic, the price is starting to show, with the Trash Vortex in the Pacific being the biggest dump ever causing a lot of suffering to wild life. How can we promote the use of plastic when it is not from renewable sources and it does not get recycled?
Metal is another material from non renewable sources, with Aluminium running out in 50 years
Glass is the best material, despite it requires a high energy input for recycling, it does get recycled and if dumped in the ocean, it simply gets corroded away
Recycled paper is a good choice, especially if vegetable inks are used
Paper boxes are good too, but when metal foils are present (silver and gold for example), the paper can not be recycled!
Watch out for natural ingredients that may cause environmental damage
Palm oil is top on the list of ingredients causing environmental damage, as the demand grows, more rain forest gets cut in the South East Asia. The use of palm oil is only the tip of the iceberg as many cosmetic ingredients derive from palm oil. The best choice at the moment is to avoid products containing palm oil not from sustainable sources. Beware that also organic certified products may contain palm oil derivatives.
Support products containing Fair Trade ingredients
Fair trade ingredients such as the ones certified by Phytotrade are an example of how green chemistry, low environmental impact, biodiversity and fair trade all come together to give fantastic oils for the skin! Also ingredients from cooperatives or projects helping local communities in harmony with the environment are good.
Buy "Local"
With natural ingredients being shipped from all over the world, it is good to minimise air miles by buying brands that are made in your country of residence. It simply does not make sense buying in the EU products made in Australia!
Support products made with renewable energy
There are electricity sources that come from wind farms, therefore with 0 impact in terms of CO2 emissions, such as Eco Energy and Scottish Hydro Electric Power 2. Buying products made using green electricity is another contribution to keeping CO2 emissions low.
When buying green, there are many dilemmas to face, and that is why I developed a skin care range (Forest Secrets, potent and pure Skincare) that could thick all the boxes of sustainability still delivering fantastic results for the skin. So that your soul can feel good about using an ethical product, and your skin can benefit too by getting soft, radiant and toned.