Climate-friendly cosmetics

Caring for the planet also means chooosing products that don't exacerbate climate change.

Your everyday personal products often contain pollutants, chemicals or plastic particles that are bad for both you and the environment. So why not make your own? It's more fun, cheaper, easy, and you’ll know exactly what you are actually applying to your skin. Here’s how to get started:

DIY Lip-balm

To get you motivated, we’ll start out with a simple, but much-needed product: the lip-balm. You probably use it every other day or so, which makes it that much more important to be aware of what it contains. This recipe has easily accessible ingredients, you can make it in 30 minutes, and it’s completely organic and free of chemicals.

Beat the microbead

Did you know tiny plastic particles are added to a lot of the products you use on a daily basis, such as toothpaste or face scrubs? These are bad for both you and our planet, as they become marine litter and pollute the ecosystems of the oceans. Beat the microbead is a campaign that allows you to check products to ensure that you use only those that doesn’t contain plastic.

Parabens, Phenoxyethanol, say what?

Knowing that an average American woman uses 12 products on a daily basis, being exposed to 126 chemicals gives us that much more of a motivation to produce our own stuff. These chemicals can affect hormones, fertility and even increase the likelihood of cancer. Learn more in this video by Al Jazeera and what chemicals and brands to look out for at svanemerket.no or safecosmetics.org.

Climate friendly cosmetics

Makeup made by you

Now that you’ve tried the lip balm and learned about what ingredients to avoid, it’s time to advance. All you need to make a make-up primer is warm water, sea salt, aloe vera juice, coconut oil and some drops of your chosen essential oil. Head over here to check out here more recipes by Kayla Haupt on all-natural blushes and eye-shadows.

Vote with your wallet

So, whether you prefer to buy all-natural products or dive into the universe of DIY cosmetics, be aware that you as a consumer have the power to vote with your wallet. By supporting brands the carry products without chemicals, microbeads and other environmentally damaging ingredients, you send a signal to the industry. Keep on going, and we’ll get there!