There is Nothing Beautiful about Climate Change

 

The beauty industry presents yet another challenge in the fight against the climate crisis. While we’re all familiar with the harmful chemicals in products and the ethical concerns of animal testing, this industry’s impact on climate change runs deeper than most realize.

Cosmetic is a very broad term with a wide range of products. Not all “personal care” products are considered cosmetics though. Cosmetics are items like toothpastes, shampoos, perfumes, lipsticks, skin moisturizers, nail polishes, deodorants, hair dye, and eye and facial makeup. Some products, however, are considered in the drug category like treatments for dandruff or acne, mouthwash, skin protectants like lip balm, and antiperspirants. 

Environmental Impacts

Carbon Footprint:

It’s almost impossible these days to not produce a carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide emissions associated with a product, activity, or person. Every beauty product on the shelves, lipstick, shampoo, perfume, toothpaste, eyeshadow, all have a carbon footprint. 

These emissions are produced by exporting ingredients, manufacturing, and transportation to stores or homes. Some products produce more carbon dioxide because the manufacturing process is more difficult. An example would be extracting aloe, green tea, cucumber, etc. to be placed in products to enhance the naturality or the scents. 

Pollution:

Pollution is everywhere and while some brands are working to “go greener,” it’s hard to avoid the production of carbon emissions. There are three main kinds of pollution that are concerning when considering cosmetics. 

Packaging:

The process of packaging creates pollution as well as the packaging itself that is thrown out. The creation of cosmetic packaging produces emissions from plants and factories. It requires a lot of energy to create enough product for the demand. The packaging itself creates pollution when it’s carelessly thrown away. Whether that’s the clear plastic that seals the product in the store or the containers in which the product is emptied. These small plastics, lipstick tubes, perfume bottles, mascara tubes, etc. are not biodegradable and remain in the environment for years before being picked up, buried, or eaten. “The cosmetics business is the fourth biggest plastic packaging user globally and plastic is about 67% of the industry’s packaging volume, according to Vantage Market Research. Beauty giant L’Oreal used 144,430 metric tons of plastic in its packaging material in 2021, for example, according to the Ellen Macarthur Foundation (EMF). And only 9% of the global plastic waste is recycled, according to a report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The United States only recycles 4% of its plastic waste.” (CNN) This is crazy…

Transportation:

After manufacturing the products in the factories, they are then typically shipped to a multitude of stores to be sold. Walgreens, Sephora, Ulta, Target, Meijer, Walmart, etc. all have shampoos, perfumes, nail polishes, deodorants, mascaras, and toothpastes. Trucks, trains, and planes all create an immense amount of carbon emissions when they deliver Crest Toothpaste and Old Spice Spray Deodorant to every Target in Michigan and even more if the groceries are delivered to the home. “2023 research by Statista found that mobility from land, air, and sea is still heavily reliant on polluting internal combustion engines (ICEs), producing roughly 8.4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO₂e). This accounted for approximately 16 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2023, making transportation the second-largest source of emissions worldwide.” (BeautyMatter)

Air pollution:

You wouldn’t think much about air pollution when you think of cosmetics but it’s not just the transportation that contaminates the air. Ever walk into a hair salon on the day of prom? The wafting smell of heat protectant and hair spray is intoxicating. Or walking into Victoria’s secret at the mall, perfume. The locker room, deodorant. These products also contaminate the air even if it’s not carbon dioxide. These intense scents pollute the air we breathe. 

Water Usage: 

Clean, fresh water is becoming increasingly scarce. With more cities experiencing droughts each year and rainfall diminishing due to climate change, the need to conserve water has never been greater. Yet we are using this resource in products like makeup. Water is one of the most common ingredients found in cosmetic products like foundations, moisturizers, primers, lip glosses, and highlighters. Some brands are working to develop waterless products to help reduce their environmental impact.

Many brands are actively working towards creating a positive environmental impact. By reducing their carbon footprint, they are developing solutions to minimize product waste, incorporating more natural ingredients, and using less water in their processes.

It's a step in the right direction, and change is possible.

FDA

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) cannot recall cosmetics for product contamination which allows industries to get away with more than the average product. While they do require the industries to properly label their products, they can still do what they want even if they have to do damage control every now and then. 

Greenwashing

Greenwashing is when a brand markets their products to be natural and sustainable when really, they’re not. These companies promote themselves and their products to be a better option over other cosmetics when sometimes, they use harmful ingredients like formaldehyde or even test on animals before release. It is so important to do your research when deciding to invest in a product for your health and for the environment.

Brands that are working to become greener brands

• REN

• Aveda

• Lush

• Herbivore

• Giorgio Armani

While this post is not to stop you from using cosmetic products, it is to remind you that everything you use is a risk so do your research!