By Chelsea Cunningham
Slowly we’re starting to grow out of our old "life in plastic, it's fantastic" approach when it comes to our beauty routine. Getting into new beauty products is never easy. The unpacking process usually involves tackling layers of tissue paper, bubble wrap and cardboard until you finally reach the product itself which is most likely in a plastic container. It’s no secret that packaging is the allure of any new beauty products (after all we have to capture the perfect shot).
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Despite how grammable these beauty products are, we can't ignore the impact that plastic packaging is having on our environment. Yes, recycling and reusing products is an option but unfortunately, in 2019 Australia is one of the BIGGEST producers of waste in the world. Currently, only 9% of plastic is being recycled and the other 91% is burdening our landfills, oceans or being burned.
As a society it’s easy for us to become desensitized with this throw-away lifestyle and forget that beauty products (cue tips, cotton buds, makeup up wipes) and their packaging is harming the environment. Of course, the beauty industry isn’t only to blame but it certainly isn’t helping as in 2018 the UK used over 10.8 billion wet wipes and 13.2 billion cotton buds.
Think about how many cotton items you’ve mindlessly used and thrown away over the years? All that cotton requires intensive labour, water, and nutrients to grow, and we throw away probably millions (maybe billions) of cotton balls every year!
Shocking stuff. In no way do we suggest instantly throwing everything out but instead using items you already have and changing old habits to something more simple and natural.
Learn how to make your own makeup wipes from offcuts.
Here's our recipe on making your own makeup remover
About the author:
Chelsea is extremely passionate about reporting on all things beauty, wellbeing and the environment. After completing a Bachelor degree in Business and Media and Communications, Chelsea is focused on becoming a freelance writer and collaborating with like-minded individuals on projects. If you're interested in working together, contact her via: chelsea-j-c@hotmail.com or Instagram @chelseacunningham