Beauty Boy: Cosmetics with the earth in mind

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: LUSH.CO.UK
Proceeds from the Charity Pot go toward environmental causes such as animal rights and environmentally conscious projects.

Being one of the biggest industries in the world, the cosmetic industry has quite a large impact on the environment. Some of these are negative, with packaging and the processes of creating certain cosmetics being some of the biggest contributors to excess waste. Some companies are having extremely positive impacts, and some of the biggest cosmetic companies are doing quite a lot to reduce their environmental footprint. There are certain brands and companies that have created various recycling programs and continue to strive to use more eco-friendly ingredients.

MAC Cosmetics has a fantastic program called “Back to MAC,” where they accept empty cosmetic containers to recycle and reuse. To further promote this program, when any customer returns six empty MAC containers, they receive a free lipstick. Along with the recycling program, MAC also tries to use minimal packaging so there is less waste in the first place. Another added bonus is that MAC uses a vegetable-based ink for printing on most of their packaging and promotional material.

Another huge contributor to making the industry more ecofriendly is Lush Cosmetics; from their ingredients to their manufacturing to their packaging, they try to be as green as they possibly can. All of Lush's product ingredients are organic, made from fruits and vegetables with essential oils, and all their products are vegetarian friendly. Additionally, they are completely against any form of animal testing; while this isn't directly related to the environment, it is definitely an added bonus and quite a commendable one.

Lush sells a product called the “Charity Pot,” where 100 per cent of the proceeds go to helping humanitarian, environmental and animal rights causes locally and around the world. Since the Charity Pot launched in 2007, they have raised almost $3 million!

Another company that uses cleaner, natural products and also helped protect and support the environment is Chantecaille. They first started the campaign in 2006 where they sold Les Papillons eye shadows and a percentage of the proceeds went to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary Foundation. The program was so successful that Chantecaille was able to raise over $20,000. Since the program flourished, they have continued it to this day, creating makeup products dedicated to a certain part of nature, including the coral reefs, elephants and dolphins.

While there are so many other cosmetic companies out there who are contributing to the environment and having a “go green” attitude, these three companies definitely deserve an honourable mention. We can only hope that one day in the near future, the entire cosmetic industry will be on board to making a positive impact to the environment and all of its beauty.