Cutting down the amount of plastic in your everyday life can be challenging. Though it’s easy for most people to ditch plastic straws and single-use carrier bags, a common pain point is toiletries.
From shampoo and conditioner to toothpaste and deodorants, just about all the products we use to stay smelling fresh and looking good come packaged in plastic. They sometimes also include ingredients that aren’t particularly planet-friendly. When it comes to makeup remover and moisturiser, finding something plastic-free can be even more difficult than usual.
If you’re trying to go plastic-free, here are a few eco-friendly moisturisers and makeup removers that can help you keep the same beauty routine while also going a little greener.
If you’re looking for plastic-free soaps, shampoos and conditioners, I’d recommend visiting Sage Folk – a brand new small business run by the most true-to-the-cause, fabulous eco queen I know!
Plastic-free makeup removers
Ethique! SuperStar cleanser & makeup remover
Available at Holland and Barrett (££)
Ethique make several plastic-free cleanser bars, but this is definitely the top choice if you need to remove makeup as well as having an everyday cleanse. Like all of their products, these bars are cruelty-free, vegan, plastic-free and palm oil-free.
Working as a 3-in-1 makeup remover, cleanser and moisturiser, the Ethique SuperStar bars are made with cocoa butter, kokum butter, coconut oil, castor oil and a Sweet Orange essential oil to leave you smelling delicious.
If you’re looking for something that will break down the oils on your skin without drying it out, and which will moisturise without leaving you feeling greasy, this product is definitely worth a try.
Wearth London Flawless Micellar Water
Available direct from Wearth London site (£)
Made in the UK and packaged in a recycled glass jar with an aluminium lid, this micellar water is a good pocket-friendly purchase that also happens to be both vegan and plastic-free.
Ingredients include lavender oil and aloe leaf extract, and the end product is gentle on skin while still removing makeup with ease. If you wear heavy-duty waterproof eye makeup like yours truly, you may need a little extra castor oil to shift it – but Flawless Micellar Water does still take off hard-to-budge items like NYX Epic Ink liner without a struggle.
DIY plastic-free makeup remover
My research into products that could take off even the most stubborn makeup, which don’t come packaged in plastic, turfed up a lot of very expensive products that had just a few ingredients.
While I’m as wary of potentially damaging my skin with DIY products as the next person, there are some simple options out there that will work wonders on most skin types. A couple I rate:
- Three tablespoons of witch hazel, mixed with two tablespoons of olive oil or jojoba oil.
- Two tablespoons of cold-pressed castor oil, mixed with four tablespoons of olive oil or sunflower oil.
Rubbing oil all over your face might sound like a weird way to tackle oily skin, and remove grease and dirt from makeup products, but it can actually help to balance out oiliness and dryness!
Plastic-free moisturisers
Green Planet Beauty Hyaluronic Acid Moisturiser with Grapefruit
Vegan anti-wrinkle moisturiser, in compostable packaging? What witchcraft is this?
Available at EcoVibe.co.uk and direct from Green Planet Beauty (££)
Finding eco-friendly skincare products that have anti-wrinkle benefits and don’t cost a lot of £££ is nigh on impossible. Thankfully, the Green Planet Beauty Hyaluronic Acid Moisturiser fits that bill, typically sold at just under £20 a tub. It’s not cheap, but it’s not eye-watering either.
Sold in biodegradable, compostable tubs, this moisturiser is made with grapefruit and ylang ylang essential oils for luxury spa vibes. Cruelty-free and paraben-free, the hyaluronic acid is a trending ingredient that tonnes of beauty brands now boast about in collagen-boosting, fine line-reducing products.
Don’t let the word ‘acid’ put you off – this one’s also great for sensitive skin.
BeautyKubes / Eve of St Agnes Hydrating Facial Silk
Cruelty-free: check. Vegan-friendly: check. Full of organic ingredients: also check. Dished up in recyclable 50ml aluminium jar, this plastic-free moisturiser is a treat for normal to dry skin types.
If you have normal skin, just use it at night time. If you have dry skin, use it twice a day! Jojoba oil, macadamia nut oil and cocoa butter keep your skin silky soft, while the hyaluronic acid keeps skin hydrated all day long. Apparently, the ‘plant actives’ (such as spilanthes acmella…. whatever that is) even give extra anti-ageing benefits.
Smell-wise, it’s delicious, with scents of frangipani, blood orange and champaca flower.
BYBI Babe Balm
Available from BYBI, Boots, ASOS and Feelunique (££)
No, seriously, it is plastic free! BYBI make the packaging for this moisturiser out of sugarcane, which means it can actually be sent off in your food waste bin for industrial composting. Alternatively, it’s also recyclable.
Babe Balm is fast becoming a cult product, with beauty editors raving about it from all angles. As well as being a brilliant moisturiser, you can use this as a lip balm, cuticle cream and even as an eczema soother.
Apparently, because sugarcane absorbs CO2 as it grows, the sugarcane tubes BYBI use are considered a carbon-neutral option. Which is pretty cool.
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This post has been short but sweet: do you have any recommendations for another eco-friendly moisturiser or makeup remover to add? Let me know! It would be great to see these lists grow.
You might also like to check out my earlier updates on ethical fashion that doesn’t cost the earth, and ways to cut down everyday plastics from your lifestyle.