These beauty brands are paving the way for a greener future

RE:ERTH

Credit: Instagram / @re.erth

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RE:ERTH is a Singaporean skincare label that prides itself on creating efficacious products through the balance of nature and science. The brand’s green ethos begins with the sustainable sourcing of key ingredients such as Japanese spring turmeric and Japanese white turmeric. And once you’ve finished a RE:ERTH product, or any beauty product for that matter, you can bring it back to them and the brand will recycle and convert the plastic packaging to virgin-quality recycled plastics and non-fossil derived fuel.

P.S.: You don’t have to dismantle or wash the packaging before recycling it. RE:ERTH will reward each recyclable with Reward Petals that can be redeemed for one of the brand’s skincare products.

For more info, click here.

Beauty influencer Liah Yoo founded Krave Beauty to create timeless skincare products that cut through all the marketing noise in the industry. Sustainability has been part of the brand’s core from the beginning so Liah Yoo has made it a point to craft intentional products that actually provide the result they claim while being sustainably made. For example, the Makeup Re-Wind oil cleanser is made with sustainably-sourced, upcycled grapeseed oil.

The packaging used by Krave Beauty comes from post-consumer recycled materials that can then be partially or fully recycled when finished. The brand donates at least one percent of its yearly sales to environmental conservation efforts such as the 1% For The Planet initiative. In 2020, Krave Beauty was Climate Neutral Certified and has also achieved plastic neutrality. According to its website, the brand’s next goals are to achieve sustainable tracing and sourcing of ingredients and create community education programs.

For more info, click here.

Nicolas Gerlier founded La Bouche Rouge in 2017 with the aim of showing the world you can create quality, luxury beauty products with clean formulas in refillable, recyclable plastic-free cases. As such, you can expect lipsticks made with 97 percent natural origin ingredients housed in upcycled leather or vegan leather casing, with refills being sold in paper packaging. Conversely, the mascara is a glass tube while the brush and wiping ring are made from plant-based fibres instead of plastic.

The recently-launched perfume collection also incorporates new innovations in the field, made with 93 percent natural-origin ingredients and 30 percent upcycled ingredients suspended in organic-based alcohol, which are then housed in glass, aluminium and handmade leather packaging. Finally, La Bouche Rouge’s laboratory and production building in France purports to be powered by solar and geothermal heating.

For more info, click here.

Aromatica

Credit: Instagram / @aromatica.life

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With essential oils as the foundation of their products, the Korean beauty label Aromatica has made it a policy to source their raw ingredients directly from sustainable producers. The brand also sought external certifications such as COSMOS, Ecocert, EWG and Vegan Society to ensure that their products can be certified natural, organic, vegan and safe for both the consumers and the environment.

In addition, glass containers are used as packaging instead of plastic so that they can be recycled at the end of their life. Aromatica’s retail spaces in Korea also claim to lead the charge in zero-waste practice by allowing customers to purchase and refill the products with any clean empty containers and purchase as much as they want. Consumers can also drop off PET plastic, which the brand will recycle.

For more info, click here.

Dutch-Iranian beauty influencer Negin Mirsalehi combined her two loves – honey bees and haircare – and started Gisou in 2013. Coming from a family of beekeepers, the mighty insect is prized above all else in Gisou’s sustainability approach. For starters, only surplus honey and propolis are extracted from the Mirsalehi Bee Garden, where the bees feed on various flowers to expand pollen and nectar sources. Raising awareness of the importance of bees through education and outreach programs is also a key focus.

Moreover, Gisou claims to make its formula greener with as many natural ingredients as possible, especially using COSMOS-approved organic or natural active ingredients. The brand also uses recycled, recyclable and biodegradable materials as much as possible for packaging and shipping. Lastly, Gisou’s main manufacturing site brands itself as fully carbon-neutral and powered by solar energy, as the brand actively works to reduce carbon emissions along its supply chain.

For more info, click here.

This article was originally published in Harper's Bazaar Singapore.