Ethical Skincare: How to Choose Products That Are Good for You & the Planet
This article will educate consumers on ethical skincare, help them identify the best ethical skincare brands available in the UK, and guide them toward making sustainable beauty choices that benefit both their skin and the planet.
Ethical skin care prioritizes company products from start to finish that minimize harm done to the environment, animals, and people. Your skin care choices all affect personal health, animal welfare, and the environment.
For that reason, there is a rise in consumer demand for ethical skincare brands, brands that they know avoid harsh chemicals, use responsible sourcing, and reduce waste, all while avoiding animal testing.
What Makes Skincare Ethical?
So, what makes skincare ethical or unethical?
- Cruelty-Free: It is important that skin care products be cruelty-free. Cruelty-free means no animal testing is done, and this is verified by third-party certifications such as PETA and Leaping Bunny.
- Environmental Impact: You also want skincare brands that reduce their environmental impact with things like minimal plastic and other eco-friendly packaging, recyclable materials, or refillable containers where you might purchase a skincare product with a plastic pump and be sent recyclable refill containers that you can use with that same pump.
- Safe Ingredients: Safe ingredients are important, and these ingredients should avoid harsh chemicals and focus on natural things that are safer for your skin. Moreover, they should fall under vegan in many cases with no animal derived ingredients like collagen, lanolin, or beeswax.
- Social Responsibility: Equally important is the social responsibility and sustainability that a company has, prioritizing Fair Labor practices, supporting the communities in which they source ingredients, and using responsibly sourced, biodegradable, or fair trade ingredients. Under this umbrella, you want to find a company that uses ethical labor practices to ensure fair wages and safe working conditions for all of their employees.
With each of these, you can know that purchasing a product from an ethical skincare line means purchasing something that is safer for the environment, something that supports workers' rights, and something that is cruelty-free.
How to Identify the Most Ethical Skincare Brands
So, how can you identify ethical skincare products? You'll want to make sure that you look for clear information from each company on manufacturing processes, labor processes, and environmental impact.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to look for key certifications within the industry.
Certifications to Look For
There are many certifications you can look for to help you confirm whether you are buying from the most ethical skincare brands.
Leaping Bunny certification
The Leaping Bunny certification for ethical skincare brands UK-based recognizes that companies use products that are cruelty-free. This confirms they have never been tested on animals.
In order to qualify for this certification, ethical skincare brands have to provide details about their entire supply chain, from ingredient sourcing to manufacturing, and prove that no products from themselves or their suppliers have ever been tested on animals at any point. Regular and unexpected audits will happen independently as well.
Vegan Society certification
The Vegan Society Certification confirms that no ingredients in ethical vegan skincare products contain animal ingredients or animal byproducts, nor have they been tested on animals. This is a certification that proves all of the best ethical skincare brands offer cruelty-free and truly vegan products.
ECOCERT
The ECOCERT Certification proves that the ethical skincare products you choose meet environmental and social standards. This requires that they remain committed to environmental and social responsibility in terms of things like farming practices, forestry practices, and cosmetics.
B Corp
A B Corp Certification is one that confirms social and environmental transparency and accountability. Some of the best ethical skincare brands have this certification to confirm that they meet the impact assessment requirements of at least 80 out of 200 points, remaining committed to having a positive impact on the planet and on people in addition to making a profit.
Fair Trade
Fairtrade certification for ethical skin care brands means that the skin care products you use were made in accordance with environmental, economic, and social standards, all verified by a third party.
Companies that have this certification must meet minimum requirements and increase their compliance year over year to prove that they are continuing their efforts to meet those requirements.
This requires an annual audit and confirms that the companies treat their workers well, use environmental protection and sustainability where necessary, have transparent supply chains, and support their community.
Red Flags to Avoid
Just as there are certifications that you should look for, there are some red flags to avoid.
Greenwashing Tactics
The most common red flags are greenwashing tactics. Greenwashing is where a brand falsely claims that they are sustainable. The best way for a brand to prove that they are an ethical skincare brand or an ethical vegan skincare brand is to have the certifications above, but if they can't prove any of that sustainability, they may not be the company they claim to be.
Unclear ingredient sourcing
Another red flag is when your skincare products have unclear ingredient sourcing. Reputable products should be open and honest about where they get all of the ingredients in their supply chain, even if you have to look a little bit deeper. If you have looked deeper and can't find any information on where an ingredient comes from, be aware.
Lack of transparency
Moreover, companies should be transparent. The most ethical skincare brands will be transparent about where their ingredients come from, what certifications they have, what their goals are, and how they prioritize the welfare of sustainable practices and employees. If you can't find any of that information, it may not be as reputable a company as you think.
Best Ethical Skincare Brands Available in the UK
There are four key ethical skincare brands available in the UK:
Codex Labs, for example, provides supplements and skin care products that use modern biotech and genetic science to make the best match possible without compromising on environmental or social requirements.
Botanycl uses evidence-based botanical supplements to help with skin care products, using 100% plant-based derivations without any animal-based products.
If you are looking for the most ethical skincare brands, all four of these companies have the right certifications, they have transparency, and they have clear ingredient sourcing.
Summing Up
Overall, consumers can make informed choices by choosing ethical skincare brands that prioritize sustainability, cruelty-free practices, and clean ingredients. Start your ethical beauty journey today and find your favorite brands at Dermoi.
Dermoi is a cutting-edge skincare store specializing in scientifically-verified products. Our in-house scientific experts meticulously evaluate each product to ensure it meets our stringent standards of efficacy. At Dermoi, every product you purchase is thoroughly researched and hand-selected for its ability to deliver remarkable results for your skin.
If you have questions about your skin or need advice on skincare products, our team of scientists is available to assist. Contact us via email at [email protected] or call (0)20 3963 9930 between 11am and 4pm, Monday to Friday.
