If we talk about sustainability in Hair and Makeup – what do we actually mean? What is the breadth of the opportunity here?
We hear a lot about how wasteful the fashion & textile industry is, but what we seldom think about is our end use of hair and makeup products – and what impact they are having on the planet, animals (including biodiversity loss) and our very own health. There is so much (mis)information out there that it is easy to get overwhelmed and become complacent about making sound social, environmental and health choices. So, when we talk about sustainability in hair and makeup, we need to consider various aspects and make informed decisions based on a number of different factors, which will change from production to production.
From the actual ingredients used in the products (how they are extracted, water usage, what feedstock they come from, how they are tested, how they are synthesised and if they are safe to use – both on our bodies and if they are bioaccumulative in the environment), the container, additional packaging, freight and shipping, product use (whether it’s something we are able to finish or does most of the product gets wasted?), how we dispose of product and what we manage the recycling of the packaging.