The planet or convenience?
Yes bestie, I know. This understanding of sustainability paints many of us as anti-environment.
Yet we are just people.
From chronic illness to being a single parent or even rushing around with multiple jobs, it’s not always possible to choose something that takes hours to mix and make. I spoke at length about this in my blog on why sustainable products need to be convenient to use. When fulfilling needs, most of us tend to choose items that are competitively priced and convenient to use, as stated in The Next Economy.
Body care, being both self-care and hygiene, is one such need and that’s why I have chosen that as a means to show how sustainable necessities has the space to become more user-friendly. Especially since, the conventional cosmetics industry has turned body care into an environmental ill.
See, just because it’s bad for the environment doesn’t mean us green folks can’t or shouldn’t do skincare. We just have to look for planet-friendly options and if possible, advocate for change. Question is, can those eco-skincare products be convenient and healthy for the skin?
Making sustainable body care products convenient
Raw Materials
Here’s the tea. From ingredient sourcing to circular disposal of empty containers, a sustainable personal care company tries their best in all areas. Zoobop is a website which definitely spills all these details when it comes to cosmetics.
It begins with whether a product is “clean” and toxin-free. Next, it checks whether the product is naturally sourced. While natural skin care isn’t always better according to a few doctors and green skin care sellers I have spoken to, many think “natural” is necessary for a product to be eco-friendly. Best to know whether it is if that’s important to you but here’s the biggie, if a product is farmed, it has to be organic, almost always. Otherwise, the pesticide usage is harming our waterways and soil. No one needs that.
The challenge here is that obtaining certificates isn’t always easy for small companies. Many also outsource their ingredients, thus losing control over the supply chain. So they could have organic or eco-products, but there’s no way to verify that.
The solution?
Buy from trusted vendors, and as locally as possible. If you are a brand, please share the information about where your ingredients are from on your website in lieu of certifications. It builds trust, bestie. Brand loyalty is low now because companies conned us. In time, you brands can reverse that with honesty and great service.
Another way to do generate brand loyalty in the skin care industry?
Give us products that work well on our skin.
And it helps combat the price hike many sustainable products face. Also, ensuring your formulation uses low-impact eco-safe and human-safe ingredients is essential.
For consumers, once again, Zoobop looks at whether the product is safe for the ecosystem and humans while also being cruelty-free and vegan as these ideas are important in today’s climate. Not affiliated with Zoobop, and they aren’t perfect- take back programs, but, they are a good source. Which is why I have a guide on how to use Zoobop.
See brand owners, at the end of the day, we understand that sometimes sustainability and fast-acting active ingredients in the same formulation might not always be an option. But effectiveness that has been dermatologically tested is a must, right? And if sustainability means that your product doesn’t cater to the latest raw-material trends, so be it man. Customer loyalty towards an honest, effective, ethical, and safe product might just make up for it. Don’t take my word for it, look at the stats below.
And if we have a planet at the end of all this that we can live on, it’s best for everyone. Just saying.
But a product isn’t just its ingredients. Packaging makes 10% of it, after all.
Packaging in Sustainable Personal Care
Since cosmetic plastics are difficult to recycle, looking at packaging is crucial. As a brand, you should try and avoid small plastic bits that cannot be recycled in your packaging. And while glass is infinitely recyclable, it comes with its own nuances. Thus, it is best to have reusable packaging made of recycled materials, instead of greenwashing us with green packets. Though priority should always be protecting the product inside.
Many brands show that they have take-back programs where they recycle their “recyclable” packaging. Yet, the details are often vague and sometimes misleading. Why would you do that? After all,
An About Us page without an impact page is like a car with illegally tinted windows.
Simran Sood, marketing professional.
So what does that make an “Earthcare” page without adequate information? A one way highway to loss of customer trust.
And consumers, this is where I have beef with Zoobop. It does not investigate these programs, even if it does look at whether the materials used can be recycled and if other greener packaging such as tin and glass are used. We can still use it, but if packaging is really important to you and you have the time, look at the take-back and reuse, and refill programs. Raise questions, like I did for Dot & Key.
Yet, the onus should not be on us. It should be on the companies. To make sustainable and mostly affordable choices.
And to make sustainability accessible, we require packaging that isn’t easily breakable. It must be something that can be carried and used on the go. Which means more recycled flexible packaging and recycled aluminum.
Yes, these materials can be difficult to source materials. Not all products may remain safe in them, and of course, there is the price to consider because we can’t make sustainability and safety a luxury item. Yet, innovation and increasing consumer awareness about the benefits of these packaging materials can help. I mean, it’s worth a shot for the planet and people, right?
And while using containers and jars that can be easily recycled is a good move, many people need tubes and easy-to-open products. For marketing, body-care brands puts colors on their packaging that can be difficult to recycle, which I can understand from a branding perspective. But then it’s the company’s responsibility that there is a way to adequately dispose these items.
To ensure these tubes and bottles don’t end up in landfills, companies need robust refill and take-back programs. Yes, they have their transport emissions and yes, sanitization is an economic burden, but in my unprofessional opinion, it can be managed with proper infrastructure. Especially for local consumers, as many sustainable brands and bulk shops do in their refill programs.
Honestly, sharing a voucher in exchange for empty containers and tubes isn’t enough. We need take-back programs that are more focused on reuse. Similarly, replacing bubble wrap, when possible, with recycled honeycomb paper and ensuring shipping emissions are kept as low as possible is something green brands need to be aware of.
But if there’s one think almost every brand can do, is the one thing I have mentioned before.
Give Consumers Options
This is important so that brands can make products accessible. For example, not everyone can use soap bars. Hence many brands such as Future Tabs have shifted to sending their products as powders or pills. The consumer can add water at home and use bottles they already have, thus reducing waste and transport emissions. This is because water-based products are heavier and thus less can be transported at a time. Powders and bars, on the other hand, can be shipped in bulk.
I know a brand that does this. They have strict rules about the raw materials that go into their products. Zoobop has thus given them a high rating. I used one of their Ayurvedic face wash and while the product had a great feel when used, there were problems. It couldn’t be stored after being mixed with water. Meaning, I had to make a new batch of face wash every time I needed to use the product. Exact measurements were needed each time to ensure the product was at the right consistency.
As someone who gets fatigued at the drop of a hat, this was impossible to sustain for me. Despite loving the product and its environmental impact, I had to let it go.
But what could have been done?
Well, not to be repetitive, but the solution is giving consumers multiple sustainable options. For example, Kamarkattu Ecostore has shampoo bars, mix- and make shampoo powder, and a liquid shampoo. Yes, the last increases transport emissions and people are paying for water. But the green ingredients and packaging make it greener than conventional products.
And realistic sustainability, as I have said again and again, my friend, is imperfect. It is ethical, provides fair-wages and safe working conditions to workers, eco-friendly, and financially viable. But it is also dependent on your lifestyle, wants, and needs. As Shelby Orne says, “do your best, and advocate for the rest.”
What do you think? Did I succeed in showing you that if we try, there’s a chance that body care be sustainable and convenient? Should I do more thought experiments like this? Let me know in the comments!
Oh and do check out how my company Muses_Saga. has tried to make eco-friendly books both sustainable and convenient by giving people the options of free reading, green paperbacks, and e-books.
Author’s Note: Hopefully, this added value to your life and maybe your business. If it did, you can share, review, or pay what you will for the piece. Thanks.
Editor- Shubhr Aakriti
Topic Idea- Ecoideaz
