The Picture of Sustainability’s Grey (area). BEAUTY AND WORDS_ Lou Dartford, PHOTOS_ Karin Berndl
Make up Artist Lou Dartford gives us her view on the unsustainability of sustainable beauty.
Photographer_ Karin Berndl, Make-up_ Lou Dartford, Models_ Alex Mark and Antonia Dewbury @ The Hive Management
It is hard to visit a beauty aisle now without seeing a section on sustainable beauty, but what does that actually mean? The Oxford Languages dictionary describes sustainable as “able to be maintained at a certain rate or level; conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources; able to be upheld or defended’.
Alex wears_ Madara Lipstick in used on eyes with Madara Guilty Shades Eye and Cheek in Seduction 63 over the top
Sustainable - There are many ways that this could relate to beauty, however like many other buzzwords out there, there is no set definition or standard.
In the beauty world (or any marketing world for that matter) sustainable can mean whatever the brand wants it to mean,
perhaps using it to their advantage and not really that of the planet. Many brands are of course genuine and have strict environmental policies that they adhere too. Unfortunately, there are many that don’t, bringing more confusion to the consumer.
There are many grey areas -
refillable is a wonderful thing for example but what about the sourcing of ingredients; if they’re not being replenished or if the farming isn’t respecting the soil, then they’re not sustainable.
Another misconception is that natural always means sustainable. My ‘natural’ kit certainly didn’t feel very environmentally friendly when I had to throw a lot of it away during COVID and a long period of time away from my kit. Make-up has a shelf-life so when I came back to it, a lot of it was past its best. Of course all make-up has an expiry date, however natural make-up and other beauty products tend to have a shorter life span.
RMS Lipstick in Fire starter used for blush
One of the reasons I choose ‘greener’ beauty is because of the INCI lists, which tend to comprise of more skin and planet friendly ingredients. All products need some kind of preservative system, but most true natural brands will go for more ‘gentle’ options which often gives them a shorter shelf life. It is not uncommon for many of them to have a 6 months PAO – Period After Opening. Perfect if you’re going to be using it everyday but if you’re not – chances are you won’t finish it in time.
This has been a challenge for me over the years as a green make-up artist.
It always pains me to throw things away; come to my house and this will be confirmed – I am officially a hoarder. However, with beauty products it is different – and I have to remind myself often.
Things have a use by date for a reason; you can usually tell when a product is off, but not always and that is a risk for a reaction.
This goes for ‘conventional’ beauty as well as naturals.
Benecos red lip liner, RMS Lipstick – RMS Red
The global beauty industry is worth around £400 billion – that is a lot of products being produced and sold.
I wonder how many of those are completely used to the end, or how many are sitting at the back of a cupboard, half-used or forgotten about. According to an American survey of 4000 women, the average women owns 40 pieces of make-up but uses only 5. When these things are finally disposed of, it’s not just an old unfinished lipstick that is being thrown away – it’s the beautiful ingredients that were grown by a hardworking farmer, the hours of passion from a formulator and much more.
The first thing in sustainable beauty has to be to use things up before buying more and to buy less in the first place.
Do we really need all those shiny new product releases? This is quite a sticking point for me; as a make-up artist I need a certain amount of products to do my job, I also like to try new products and I’m often asked my opinion on them. It is exciting too - green/natural whatever you want to call it beauty has never been better - the textures and colours are amazing compared to a few years back, and I want to celebrate this. Indeed, look on my blog or Instagram and you’ll see me talking about some new favourites for sure.
When planning this shoot, I found myself thinking about what new products I needed to buy. After losing some of my kit I felt that feeling of not being prepared, I also thought the shoot might be a great way to showcase the latest new launches in green beauty as mentioned above. But then I stopped and reminded myself of the brilliant products that remained in my kit. Yes, there were less, but still a selection box of colours and textures, ready to be played with.
Merit Lipstick in Slip, Merit Flush Balm in Beverly Hills, Rms Magic Luminizer
Earlier in the year Lorraine Dallmeier of Formula Botanica launched her ‘Four Pillars of Sustainable Beauty’.
The first pillar is degrowth which encourages lower consumption and production. Perhaps not one the big corporates want to hear, but how can there even be such a thing as sustainable beauty in an industry that just keeps churning out new products all the time. Make less, take less and dispose of less needs to be a mantra for us all. The second pillar is to make the industry circular, the third imbed more green principles and the fourth a localised economy. She has a great podcast on it, and I highly recommend a listen if you’d like to learn more.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ecsZNywHIH98MQlGDce7w?si=51946d6be60840b5
Kjaer Weis lip liner in Rich , Ilia Color Block Lipstick – Ultra Violet
So, what do we do – never buy anything again?! That wouldn’t be fun – for us or the businesses who are genuinely trying to do good with their products.
We can certainly all make positive change and still enjoy the good things. Simple steps like keeping note of when you open products can avoid wastage. Using products up before buying new is such an easy one, unless of course something doesn’t agree with you and then could you pass it to a friend? Double check your make-up bag and see what gems you’ve forgotten about – if you’ve got some colour and/or textures that aren’t quite right, become your own mixologist and see what you can create. Great tips to help sustain your bank balance too! When you do buy, choose brands that really are trying to conserve natural resources, and give back to nature what they take. If you’re not sure then ask them, if they’re authentic, they’ll be more than happy to tell you what they’re doing.
From a kit point of view, there will always be those staples that need replenishing but in general I try to keep buying to a minimum. Without a doubt I get lured into shiny things and I am fortunate enough to sometimes be sent samples by brands to try which I endeavour to use (and will share news on them if I think they’re a good investment). If they’re not quite right for me, I’ll try to pass them to a friend or charity so they don’t go to waste. It doesn’t always work out as I explained before;