10 Best Sustainable Beauty Brands to Make Your Routine Eco-Friendly

With the eco-friendly beauty industry seemingly growing every day, it can be hard to decipher what is actually good for you and the earth. That's why we're taking the guesswork out of clean beauty and not only naming the 10 best sustainable beauty brands to add to your shopping cart and routine in 2022 but also giving you the 411 from experts on what exactly sustainable means.

What does sustainable beauty mean?

At the most basic level, the word 'sustainable' means that something can maintain or support a process continuously over time. Specifically going for the environmental definition, the word 'sustainable' has related to being a method of harvesting or utilizing resources so that the main source (typically the earth) is not depleted or permanently damaged.

The definition isn't as clear-cut when it comes to the beauty industry. Clean cosmetic chemist and found of KKT Consultants Krupa Koestline says that "Like a lot of terms in beauty, there is no regulated or industry-standard definition for sustainable beauty. Any brand can say that they are sustainable."

What makes a beauty product sustainable?

Krupa tells us that "Sustainable beauty should mean that everything that goes into making a product and getting it to consumers should have sustainable components that help reduce waste and plastic usage, and reduce soil and water toxicity," she says.

These components could include:

• Sourcing sustainable ingredients
• Manufacturing processes
• Packaging
• Refillable options
• Water-free final products

For sustainable ingredients, brands can choose to include plants that are grown and harvested sustainably (and ethically, ofc) and don't degrade the earth. Some brands are even using upcycled ingredients, meaning that these ingredients would have ended up in a landfill if not used in a product. "Another option is to source ingredients via bio-fermentation where you have microbes that require minimal natural resources to synthesize ingredients," says Krupa. "We're doing this already with squalane and coenzyme Q10, for example."

To manufacture a beauty product sustainably, the process used should aim to create less waste and mitigate water usage. The method of chemical extraction should not produce toxic waste. Krupa also tells Seventeen that water-free or freeze-dried ingredients should be considered as an option during manufacturing as water is heavy to transport and store.

What Makes Product Packaging Sustainable?

When it comes to sustainable packaging, we turned to package experts Nolan and Brandon Frank of Pacific Packaging Components, Inc. (you've definitely seen their work in big retailers like Sephora and Ulta Beauty!) for the lowdown on what makes the exterior of a beauty product sustainable.

"We approach sustainable beauty packaging by first discussing our client’s own unique sustainable goals, but almost every conversation revolves around beauty packaging that is safe for humans, creates as minimal-as-possible environmental impact, and promotes circularity through a seamless and closed-loop life cycle," they say.

While most packaging that holds the product is made out of plastic (think compacts for blushes and lipstick tubes), recycled glass, recycled aluminum, compostable packaging, Forest Stewardship Council-certified cardboards, and plant-derived or post-consumer recycled plastic are becoming the future of sustainable beauty.

Depending on each brand's green objective (for example, a brand could choose to reduce its carbon emissions or decrease its water output), the packaging types and recommendations change. However, Nolan and Frank say that they "Promote utilizing recycled plastics called Post Consumer Resin (PCR) wherever possible," as "PCR uses about 75% less energy, water, and resources to manufacturer versus new resins."

Nolan and Frank add that their Los Angeles-based company founded in 1970 has seen an uptick in brands being interested in recycled, reusable, and refillable packaging. "Sustainable beauty packaging requires small steps for [a] big change... these requests create a level of excitement and optimism as well as an opportunity for a more sustainable future."

If you have any questions about recycling makeup or skincare, the duo recommends How2Recycle to check your local recycling regulations.

What is 'greenwashing'?

Ahh yes, the word that pops up whenever internet users accuse a brand of not being eco-friendly. While it is correct that this term typically means that a brand or product is presenting itself as being green and good for the planet, there are a lot of nuances to this term.

Mia Davis, clean beauty retailer Credo Beauty's Vice President of Sustainability and Impact, says that "Greenwashing means to overstate the "eco-friendliness" of a product. For example, to use recycling arrows on a product that is not recyclable. Or imagery on product packaging to evoke “naturalness” that may not be present within the formula."

Davis also adds that "Greenwashing makes it hard for customers to trust brands, and makes it much harder for the brands formulating with safer, more sustainable materials to show they're doing it right."

Speaking of consumer awareness, Nolan and Frank agree with Mia's sentiments saying that "Consumer attitude, awareness, and education are key. The greater the awareness by consumers, the greater the action by brands. We also applaud efforts by retailers like Credo Beauty to educate consumers on the reality of packaging and how to achieve sustainability with circularity."

When did the beauty industry begin to shift towards sustainability?

"When Credo was founded in 2015, clean beauty was virtually unknown. It was referred to as a “niche” or a trend. Fast forward to 2020 when "clean" became a full-blown movement," Mia says. "After emerging from 2020 — when the world was stuck at home – we learned that customer sentiment was focused on the product safety of course, but also how their purchases and that product's end of life ultimately impacts the environment. Less plastic has been probably the loudest consumer demand we’ve heard consistently."

Ahead, find the best, expert-recommended sustainable beauty brands that offer clean skincare, makeup, and wellness products.