A genius new dissolvable body wash and 23 other plastic-free beauty products that are the ultimate sustainable swaps

Having plastic-free beauty products should be a priority for all of us by now. According to Zero Waste Week, 120 billion units of packaging are produced by the beauty industry every year. If it’s not the bottles, it’s the exterior wrapping each product comes in. Let that sink in: 95% of this is thrown out after one use, while the rest ends up in landfills and the ocean.

The publicising of such rabid plastic consumption means that consumer demand to take sustainability seriously is high. Especially now that new research had found microplastic pollution in human blood for the first time. Yep, the scientific discovery acts as proof that the particles can travel around the body and may lodge in organs and while the health impacts of this are still unclear, researchers have warned us of their concerns. In fact, The Guardian reported that scientists have revealed in the past that “microplastics cause damage to human cells in the laboratory and air pollution particles are already known to enter the body and cause millions of early deaths a year.” 

This is why we’re keen to showcase plastic-free beauty products not just now, but going forward. 

It's the mounds of plastic beauty waste that inspired the founders of PLUS the first-of-its-kind, dissolvable body wash. In the UK we use 7.7 billion plastic bottles a year, that's 117 per person, and bath and shower products account for 10,000 tonnes of plastic waste, reveals PLUS co-founder Cathryn Woodruff. "Shower products are one of the worst offenders with up to 90% water in the bottle. We couldn't help but think - why ship a natural resource in plastic? So we set out to find a tangible solution."

The answer? Dehydrating SLS-free cleansers and skin conditioning ingredients (including aloe leaf, sweet almond oil and shea butter) into a single use, waterless format that means you can lather up by just adding water. The outer pack is made with a dissolvable water pulp paper and food-safe ink so you can literally drop in the shower and it dissolves, before disappearing down the plug hole. "There are no microplastics and it's all non-toxic to aquatic life. The type of paper in the sachet was used by spies to send notes before dissolving," reveals Cathryn. The pad inside foams ups in your hands for a gentle clean. Use with a cloth or loofah to make the bubble spread further. Having tried the drop and wash sachets we can confirm it's a novel and fun way to freshen up. "We knew if we wanted to change people's behaviours it needs to be fun."

Read More

We looked at the effect of plastic on our oceans - and what we discovered will shock you

By Lottie Winter

If you're on the hunt of other plastic-free beauty switches for your routine, aluminium is also an alternative to plastic that many brands favour. We Are Paradoxx, a label whose founder Yolanda Cooper also founded Plastic Free Beauty Day which takes place annually on June 17th, uses aluminium packaging which can be infinitely recycled without losing its form and grade (unlike plastic). And subscription deodorant service Wild offers completely natural deodorants housed in anodised aluminium cases.