Learn how conscious beauty can benefit not only you but the environment as well.
1. What is conscious beauty?
The term “Conscious Beauty” points to how people choose their beauty products aligning with their personal values, this means choosing products that contain fewer chemicals and pesticides, are cruelty-free, and are often vegan.
It feels good when you find yourself a good beauty product that works, but it’s an even better feeling when the product on hand checks out everything that you want in a bottle. Shopping with intention is always applaudable, rather than mindlessly purchasing everything without stopping for a second to evaluate what you are buying.
2. Consumerism vs conscious beauty
The simplest definition of consumerism is a social and economic system that promotes the acquisition of increasingly large quantities of products and services. Basing your goals, well-being, and social status on marital possessions on buying and purchasing everything.
Consumerism is one of the biggest problems in our world right now, especially in the beauty industry.
When fast fashion items are created by micro trends along with the continuous release of makeup products, it seems like there is always something new for you to enjoy every day due to the content constantly generated by social media. However, this is not always healthy. We can safely assume that this is one of the main reasons why companies are so obsessed with developing new products so quickly so they can cash in on the trend.
It’s disappointing to say that we cannot escape from the grasp of consumerism due to the rise of social media and even outlets popping up that cater to these things, but here are some ways for us to combat this. Shop with mindfulness whenever you are buying something, read the ingredients, and only purchase items that you need can somewhat lessen the effect of consumerism.
Conscious beauty promotes a better lifestyle and shopping habits, it forces you to think about both sides of the coin before finalizing your decision. As a consumer, we need to know that we have more power than ever, and our decision can have a powerful impact on everything we do. Our actions have consequences, both directly and indirectly affecting the world around us.
One might argue that conscious beauty does not help the world as much as we think, but if we don’t start from the littlest thing that we do now, how can we manage it on a larger scale once things get difficult?
3. What should you look for in a conscious beauty product?
Each brand has its own definition of what conscious beauty actually is, while we cannot force every brand to be more environmentally conscious to your liking, you need to be on the lookout for these signs as you continue to purchase or support them in the future as they do play a crucial role:
● Zero waste or refillable packaging
● Ethical sourcing
● Resource and waste management
● Charitable donations
● Cruelty-free status/vegan
● Local/national production
● palm oil exclusion
● Thoughtful packaging
Keep in mind that some companies can monetize and keep up their appearance under the guise of being environmentally friendly, this is called “greenwashing”. Greenwashing can do more harm than good because the business leaves a negative impact on the environment. Remember to do your own research before supporting companies that promote any kind of “green” or “sustainable” projects by visiting websites, reading sustainability reports, or reaching out to professionals that have more experience on the topic.
Fighting against consumerism and other malpractices is a constant uphill battle that we face, but with the right mindset and we can make our world a better place.