If the environment, clean beauty, and being cruelty-free are important to you when choosing your favorite beauty, skincare and hair care products, here is everything you need to know about conscious beauty.

Organic, Cruelty-Free and More

When we talk about conscious beauty, it generally means hair and beauty products that are organic, formulated with fewer chemicals; and also eco-friendly, vegan, and sustainably sourced, without any animal testing or animal by-products. But conscious beauty sometimes also means there is a social component to the manufacturing and sourcing of the products and ingredients. Are workers being compensated fairly, is the packaging environmentally friendly, etc.?

In today’s mindset, transparency is not only encouraged but absolutely necessary when it comes to choosing a brand or a product. After all, you want to know it’s the right fit when it comes to how the brand, and their manufacturing processes, align with your personal values. Because, for some, truly practicing self-care means being aware of how others and the planet are treated, in the process.

Some Key Differences

Despite them being sometimes used interchangeably, cruelty-free and vegan are not exactly the same thing. Cruelty-free means the products have not been tested on animals, while a vegan label indicates they contain absolutely no animal products, animal by-products or animal derivatives. That means no ingredients such as honey, collagen, gelatin, or alike.

When it comes to packaging, let’s face it: most of our beauty products are covered in plastic. Recycling? Not always. Only two out of seven types of plastic can actually be recycled. So most of it ends up being single-use and tossed in a landfill, where they can take an average of 500 to 1,000 years to decompose.

To offset their carbon footprint, some beauty brands have started implementing programs to give back to environmental causes, whether that means replanting forests or getting involved in programs to remove plastics from our oceans.

True ethical green brands offer alternatives through reusable packaging or use plastic alternatives that can be 100% recycled. Better yet, some companies have gone back to packaging made from bamboo, paper, or are using bioplastics (made from plants) making them completely biodegradable. 

For example, because it believes in a totally sustainable, circular mindset, the Lakme Teknia line of hair care and hairstyling products is entirely packaged in bioplastic made from sugarcane.

How sweet for the protection of our planet and natural resources!