These are the most sustainable haircare brands to show your hair and the planet some love
If the past year has taught us anything, it's that we need to start being more respectful of our planet and of each other. That means thinking more carefully about the foods we eat, as well as being more mindful of things like how we shop and how we travel. It also means examining our everyday habits of lifestyle choices and swapping them for more sustainable alternatives.
One obvious place to start is our beauty routines. From our makeup products to our skincare favourites to our haircare essentials, the world of beauty is full of plastics - both on the outside and the inside of our products with microplastics (like microbeads) being commonplace until as recently 2018, when they were banned by UK law.
"Plastic pollution is a planetary crisis and the beauty industry is a huge contributor to it," says Yolanda Cooper, founder of sustainable haircare brand We Are Paradoxx and climate activist. The global packaging industry for beauty is worth $25 billion in sales, and it is primarily plastic packaging. An estimated 8 million tonnes of plastic reaches our oceans every year.
"The only way to truly prevent more harm to marine life and our eco-system from plastic, is to reduce our dependance on plastic for packaging, and seek out better alternatives," explains Yolanda. "This will come at a cost for brands, as plastic is often the cheapest option; but it is critical to protect our environment."
As well as plastic, there's other considerations when it comes to product production, including freight, factory emissions and the formulas themselves. All of these factors intertwine and play a role in a product's overall sustainability rating. Whereas glass offers a more sustainable alternative to plastic when it comes to packaging, it's heavier, meaning it will require more fuel during shipping. For this reason, some brands have chosen to remove water from their formulas to create solid or powdered versions of a traditional lotion or liquid, which are light and easy to transport and package in cardboard ready to be mixed with water at home.
One sector within the beauty world that has made leaps and bounds in transforming their products is haircare, with the rise in popularity of solid shampoos, as well as refillable bottles, sustainably sourced ingredients and carbon neutral status.
Keep scrolling to check out the most sustainable haircare available to buy right now...
Hairstory
Hairstory is passionate about the environment - their New Wash is biodegradable, is free from detergents, and is refillable via a subscription system that reduces plastic consumption by 91%. Plus, the brand has signed up to contribute 1% to the planet, meaning they donate 1% of their profits to fund environmental organisations.
We Are Paradoxx
We Are Paradoxx has been championing sustainability since the get-go, proudly producing 90% plastic-free, certified organic, sustainably sourced, Peta and Leaping Bunny certified haircare products suitable for all hair types and all styling requirements. Plus, they have commited to 1% For The Planet and even established Plastic Free Beauty Day in 2019, which takes place every year on the 17th June.
Aveda
Aveda was the first company to sign the CERES Principles (Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies) in 1989, and since then they have been committed to protecting the planet and championing biopdiversity. They've also donated over $60million to charity:water to help fund clean water initiatives, source ingredients from renewable, sustainable or plant-based origins, and use 100% post consumer recycled PET to minimise their impact. Plus, the brand recently announced they were 100% vegan.
Herbal Essences
It's always tough (and costly) for an international brand to role out changes across their entire product range, which is why we always commend them when they manage to do so. In 2016 Herbal Essences, part of conglomerate Proctor & Gamble, began using renewable energy and have now reduced gas emissions by 15%. They've also reduced their water consumption by over 20%, use zero waste to landfill manufactoring sites and have started to introduce refillable aluminium bottles for their products.
Garnier
Again, it's hard for big brands to undo years of unsustainable practices, but Garnier is certainly doing the work. They've launched a Green Beauty Initiative to show their commitment to increased sustainability including eliminating zero virgin plastic in any of their packaging as well as making sure all of their factories are carbon neutral by 2025. They've also promised to use all plant and renewable ingredients from sustainable sources by 2022, and has been able to become certified cruelty-free after standing up against animal testing since 1989.
Faith In Nature
Vegan, Leaping Bunny approved, made in the UK and packaged in 100% recycled materials, hair and skincare brand Faith In Nature have been committed to sustainable beauty since they started creating products in 1974. They also use organic ingredients where possible and have a nationwide refill system with many independent stores, allowing you to refill everything within their impressive 5 Litre range.
Ethique
Ethique was one of the pioneers of solid beauty products, and now has a range of bars spanning haircare, skincare body care and more. The concentrated, non-liquid formulas mean they can be easily packaged in plastic-free and compostable packaging, but the brand also plants a tree for every order and is certified carbon neutral with total transparency on their business operations from freight to staff travel to their energy sources.
Neighbourhood Botanicals
Neighbourhood Botanicals is proudly certified carbon negative (the first UK beauty brand to achieve the status), they use sustainable packaging including a combination of 100% post-consumer plastic waste, glass, cardboard and aluminium, are vegan and cruelty-free, and make huge efforts to avoid any single-use plastics in any part of their manufactoring process. As well as skincare and body products, the brand has a range of shampoo, conditioners, hair oils and even a dry shampoo powder using all organic ingredients.
Khali Min
From the ingredients within the formulas, to the packaging, to the shipping, Khali Min considered sustainability in every part of their business. All of the products are manufactured in England, with 50% of the energy generated by solar power, they are certified vegan and their packaging is widely recyclable and they are soon to introduce refills.
