Skinimalism, or the paring back of skin care routines to essential products that make your face look so good you don’t need a ton of cosmetics to make it glow and shine, continued to make inroads last year.
This trend pairs beautifully with sustainability as we try to do more with less and stop waste before it starts. Reformulating and repackaging with this in mind is going to be important as we move forward into 2022.
Belly (and everything else) up to the bar
It turns out the bars of soap born in ancient Babylon are the most sustainable option we have. They require about 30% less water than liquid soap to manufacture, their ingredients tend to be less toxic to the environment, and they’re generally fine with biodegradable packaging like paper and cardboard, according to www.greenmatters.com.
As a result, companies are transforming everything from lotion to shampoo to shaving cream into bars, making your choices that much greener!
Gray matter
We’re giving our faces so much love with serums and lotions and facials and surgical tweaks that they’re looking better than ever — to the point where we can get away with some gray! Celebs like Jamie Lee Curtis and Andie McDowell are showing how it can be beautifully done.
The elimination of all those chemicals, plastic bottles and car trips to those expensive appointments are a savings to the planet as well as the pocketbook.
Up with upcycling
Waste products from other processes, as humble as coffee grounds, are being used to create new formulations that give us great new options for moisturizing, exfoliating and other vital steps toward feeling and looking our best. Oils, seeds, herbs, spices and other natural byproducts of other processes are being repurposed to keep your skin healthy and young.
Waterless beauty products
More producers are formulating concentrated beauty products that, unlike the bar products, don’t even need water to work. Serums, sheet masks, body washes, hair and lip conditioners and other products made this way are lighter, require fewer preservatives, cost less to ship and often last longer than their more conventional counterparts.
Renew yourself through renewable energy
Companies in every sector are switching over to renewable energy and the beauty industry is no exception. Aveda manufactures products through carbon offsets and has installed a solar array to help power the factory at its Minnesota headquarters. Many others are also using zero-emission sources or holding suppliers accountable for their practices.
Makeup with a mission
Personal care brands are teaming up with nonprofits to raise funding and awareness for wildlife caught in oil spills, regeneration of ecosystems, responsible sourcing and other global issues. Expect more of these collaborations to come to the fore as consumers demand action from manufacturers.
