Tips to Reduce Cosmetic Packaging Waste

Just as the clothes you wear express who you are, packaging expresses what a product is about, what it is for, why you would want it and what the company‘s values are. Society is becoming increasingly aware of the importance of eco friendly practices. Businesses that do not invest in eco friendly materials may find themselves losing out on market share. Today’s cosmetic packaging is no longer about a simple container inside a plain box, it is much more than that. The cosmetic industry witnessed stupendous growth as people are becoming more and more conscious about using environmentally friendly products.

There are many types of packaging used to wrap our cosmetics and makeup, including cardboard and paper boxes, disposables (such as airless pump bottles, puffs, sponges, spatulas, tweezers, curlers, sharpeners and swabs), fabric makeup cases, glass and mirrors, metals, plastics of various types, ribbon, shopping bags, etc. Commonly used cosmetic packages, like cardboard boxes, can easily be recycled with other packaging materials, but many makeup containers are made from less common recyclable plastics (plastics #1 and #2 are the easiest to recycle). Unfortunately, due to the fact that many types of plastics aren’t labeled with a resin number, community recycling programs will often refuse things like cosmetic compacts and lipstick cases.

Reducing your cosmetic packaging waste

The simplest way to reduce your cosmetic packaging waste impact is to choose better packaging before you bring your makeup home from the drug store or makeup counter. To make more sustainable cosmetic choices, look for these eco-friendly packaging characteristics:

* Biodegradable

* Recyclable (with a plastic resin number imprinted on the package)

* Recycled (made with post-consumer recycled plastic or cardboard)

* No extra wrapping (like ribbon, cardboard or film plastic)

Another piece of advice:

* No shopping bags (take your own reusable shopping bag!)

* Buy only what you need (don’t stock up on cosmetics you can’t consume before they expire)

* Choose refillable makeup containers that you can add different colors to as your style changes

* Take care of your brushes and makeup applicators by cleaning them so that they last a long time

Cosmetic packaging should have a huge amount of influence over what and why you buy things, whether it is made from eco packaging materials that are friendly to the earth or common traditional materials. After all, when you're in a store surrounded by a deluge of products, how do you know what to pick? The package is your biggest source of that information. Your first impression, and how it makes you feel when you glance at it, is the most important and deciding factor.