If zero packaging isn’t completely feasible for all your beauty needs, choosing brands that minimise their use of single-use plastic packaging is another good option. Brands like Tata Harper and Aesop use mostly recyclable glass bottles for their packaging, Elate Cosmetics uses fair-trade bamboo packaging for their make-up line, local brand Coconut Matter use zero-waste cardboard and paper packaging for their all-natural deodorants, lipsticks and lip balms, and ILIA mainly uses recycled aluminium to house their cosmetics.
While many Japanese brands such as Shu Uemura and Clé de Peau Beauté have always championed the concept of having long-lasting and refillable packaging to stem the tide of single-use culture, it is becoming increasingly common amongst several other brands now. Kjaer Weis’ entire make-up line has been designed to be refillable (including foundation, blush, eye shadow, highlighter, lipstick and mascara), while Elate Cosmetics offers create-your-own, refillable bamboo palettes and compacts.
Refillable lipsticks are currently trending in the world of luxury cosmetics too—Hourglass has a line of refillable sleek gold lipsticks, La Bouche Rouge’s sustainable lipsticks come in refillable leather cases, and Charlotte Tilbury’s latest Hot Lips 2 collection uses interchangeable refillable cases.