If you’re a skin care enthusiast, then you probably pay close attention to the ingredient list and the skin care certifications on the outside of your skin care products package to confirm the quality of your favorite products. You want trusted, efficacious formulas that do the most good for your skin. But, what about the packaging those products come in? Now more than ever, both consumers and beauty brands alike are paying close attention to what makes up their skin care packaging and how it may impact the environment.

An alarming 11 million metric tons of plastic waste is deposited into the ocean each year, which unfortunately, likely includes beauty product packaging. This amount of waste, which is equivalent to one garbage truckload per day, has been proven to have a detrimental effect on everything from the survival of ocean life to our very own health.

Whether you are taking a look at your daily skin care regimen to see where you can make a difference or want to transition to a low or zero waste lifestyle we’ll break down what you need to know about eco-friendly beauty packaging and skin care packaging, including:

• What does sustainable or eco-friendly skin care packaging mean?
• How can the beauty industry reduce waste in skin care packaging?
• Which beauty brands can I find with eco-friendly packaging at LovelySkin?

What does sustainable or eco-friendly skin care packaging mean?

Curbing pollution at this level may seem overwhelming, but using more sustainable, eco-friendly beauty packaging with less virgin plastics and more reusable materials is a good first step. But, navigating how to become a more conscious consumer can be complex and even confusing. That’s why we’re making it simple. Here is a breakdown of three important terms often used when describing more environmentally conscious materials:

Eco-friendly: If packaging is labeled as “eco-friendly,” it usually means it is easy to recycle, made from recycled materials or biodegradable.

Recyclable: Recyclable packaging means the bottle and outer packaging can be 100% recycled. Typically glass, metal, certain papers and cardboard packaging are often fully recyclable. While plastic has the potential to also fall into this category, it can be more complicated and only 9% of the plastic put in the recycling bin is ever actually able to be reused.

Sustainable: Sustainable packaging takes the entire life cycle of a product’s packaging into consideration, including its environmental impact. You may see “closed loop system” mentioned, which means your skin care products package, in this case, can be refilled, reused or recycled back into itself.

How can the beauty industry reduce waste in skin care packaging?

The demand for environmentally-friendly skin care packaging is growing, and fortunately, many major brands are answering the call. While skin care packaging needs to maintain its functionality, there are a few things brands can do to deliver and maintain real, sustainable beauty packaging practices. We checked in with our resident dermatologist and LovelySkin CEO Dr. Joel Schlessinger to get his take on eco-friendly skin care packaging at LovelySkin and the industry as a whole:

“At LovelySkin, we have always been committed to looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint and support the environment. We continue to use recycled materials for our packing and boxes and try to reuse boxes and packing materials whenever possible. What can’t be reused, we recycle. The boxes your skin care package is packed and shipped in are made from post-consumer recycled material as well and the same thing goes for the packing materials.

We are also behind every effort for brands to offer packaging for skin care products in more environmentally-friendly ways and have encouraged brands to simplify and decrease excessive packing when possible. Fortunately, most brands at LovelySkin see the benefits in this and support a better future for us and our planet. I always like to say that LovelySkin loves you AND the planet!”

Which beauty brands can I find with eco-friendly packaging at LovelySkin?

When shopping at LovelySkin, you can find several brands that are committed to sending less to the landfill. Here are a 11 green brands that you can trust practice sustainable manufacturing processes to develop eco-friendly products both inside and outside the box to deliver some of the best packaging for skin care products available today.

Eminence Organics

Well known for their organic formulas, sustainable farming practices and general care for the planet, Eminence Organics’ green initiatives make them one of the industry leaders in developing sustainable beauty packaging. is one of the industry leaders in Eminence Organics product boxes are recyclable, made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified material and printed with eco-friendly inks. Additionally, they use containers made from recyclable plastic wherever possible and any packing chips are made of 100% biodegradable corn that dissolves harmlessly in water.

Naturopathica

Naturopathica products are formulated with green chemistry, which means their products are made in a way that reduces or even eliminates the generation of hazardous substances. Fortunately, that eco-friendly mindset translates to packaging for skin care products. They are Ecocert-certified, which means their skin care products package is already vetted to be good for the environment. Additionally, their cartons are made from 100% post-consumer recyclable materials and their caps are urea-free and made from fully recyclable polypropylene with an aluminum shell.

Naturopathica skin care bottles are also made from fully recyclable and BPA-free PET plastic or glass. This type of material is globally accepted to be safe for storage of food and beverages and is also considered safe for public use.

Allies of Skin

Committed to supporting a high level of sustainability, Singapore-based skin care company, Allies of Skin, features 100% recycled paper and soy-based ink in their skin care packages. They also never use virgin forest materials and only work with FSC-certified vendors to maintain the highest level of sustainability possible for their packaging for skin care products.

Alpha-H

Australian-owned and operated Alpha-H uses 30-35% post-consumer recycled (PCR) material in their products’ tubes and bottles. Additionally, 100% of Alpha-H tubes, bottles, cardboard and order boxes are recyclable.

bareMinerals

Known for being a pioneer in the world of clean makeup with their skin-friendly, mineral-based makeup formulas, bareMinerals has also taken steps to commit to sustainability in their beauty packaging. The popular AGELESS line of bareMinerals skin care products uses caps made from post-consumer recycled content (PCR), instead of virgin materials and the bottles are glass instead of a typical plastic pump. Additionally, their annual holiday collection is packaged in fully recyclable, plastic-free boxes.

COOLA

Deeply committed to the environment, COOLA sunscreens and skin care supports the planet on multiple levels. For example, all product tubes are made of sustainably sourced sugar cane resin and even their secondary packaging is made using recyclable materials. In an effort to further reduce their carbon footprint, COOLA uses packaging that can be flat-packed. Over 75% of their cosmetic containers are fully recyclable. However, they are working towards a goal of having 100% recyclable beauty packaging by 2023. Lastly, 80% of their bottles and jars are made from highly recyclable glass.

ColorProof

In an effort to keep more plastic out of the oceans, ColorProof bottles are made with 10% ocean-bound plastic. This type of plastic waste includes anything that is abandoned and not recycled, and eventually ends up in the ocean either by rain, wind, tides, river flow or flooding.

HUM Nutrition

Ingestible beauty and supplements brand, HUM Nutrition, works with Prevented Ocean Plastic, an organization that helps curb the amount of plastic that ends up in the oceans. At the end of 2021, nearly 70% of HUM Nutrition bottles were made with 100% ocean-bound plastic.

Juice Beauty

Organic skin care and beauty brand, Juice Beauty, is known for their clinically validated, antioxidant-rich, juice-based formulas, as well as their sustainable beauty packaging practices. 40% of their overall skin care products package is sustainable glass, and their collections have varying levels of eco-friendly packaging:

• 100% of the Blemish Clearing Collection uses sustainable packaging of recycled plastic/PCR, bioresin and glass bottles.
• 100% of the Prebiotix Collection uses sustainable packaging of recycled plastic/PCR, bioresin and glass bottles.
• 94% of Green Apple Collection uses sustainable packaging of recycled plastic/PCR, bioresin and glass bottles.
• 88% of Stem Cellular Collection uses sustainable packaging of recycled plastic/PCR and bioresin bottles.
• 80% of Daily Essentials Collection uses sustainable packaging of recycled plastic/PCR and bioresin bottles.

Sunday Riley

In an effort to support eco-friendly practices, Sunday Riley has redesigned their beauty product packaging by switching the EVA foam trays in their skin care packaging to recycled pulp board. In addition, they are committed to using eco-friendly inks and packaging their bottles in FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) materials.

KORRES

Greek-based skin care brand, Korres, created the Recycle Lab in Athens, Greece in 2020, which gathers empty product containers and repurposes them as packaging, art objects and even furniture. Its success in Greece has led to the plan for a US Recycle Lab being built in 2023. Additionally, Korres skin care products packages use 99% recyclable packaging.

Want to learn more about eco-friendly brands available at LovelySkin? Read more about Dr. Hauschka green practices on the LovelySkin blog.