As the environmental revolution is slowly enveloping the beauty industry, one of the most wasteful around, Rhia Williams looks at how things are changing in Cardiff.
Businesses all over Cardiff and Wales are making greater strides towards environmental sustainability. Food shops and clothing brands attract much attention regarding this issue, yet consider the beauty industry: one which consumes mass amounts of plastic and chemicals in virtually everything it does. One report states that the cosmetics industry is responsible for 120 billion units of packaging per year. And that’s just packaging!
Even though some ingredients are natural, like palm oil, they are produced at an alarming speed at the expense of the environment. Palm oil is a major catalyst for deforestation and the destruction of biodiverse habitats, but remains an essential industrial asset for developing countries and the lifeblood of many communities. It is a complicated issue, but in the long-term palm oil simply must be produced more sustainably.
There are, however, a few beauty brands in Wales aiming to be as eco-friendly as possible. Luna Organic Beauty Boutique’s own products are all palm oil-free and they’re also undergoing checks to ensure the products they carry don’t support deforestation. No method is perfect, but choices such as these may just change the way we, as customers, consume environmentally damaging materials.
Luna, located on Cardiff’s Merthyr Road, was founded by Samantha Davies, whose ethos is to “be as ethical and sustainable as [they] possibly can”, aiming to source ingredients that are organic, non-toxic and cruelty-free. Their day-to-day operations are driving towards acting more responsibly and “kinder to people and the planet”, partly by ensuring they use eco-friendly cleaning products, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified waste paper and no single-use plastic materials.
A zero-waste solution is arguably drastic, at least relative to most people’s regular patterns of consumption, but we’ve seen it introduced in zero-waste stores such as Ripple on Albany Road. Alongside recycling and renewable energy, can Luna and likeminded salons become more eco-friendly by introducing the option for refillable containers, so there’s no need for customers to dump more plastic into landfills?
Similar businesses across the UK are doing their bit, but the industry itself doesn’t seem to be changing. The huge beauty companies, most guilty of mass production, aren’t making commitments to address environmental issues and you could argue businesses like Luna are fighting a losing battle: while taking steps to reduce their impact in-store, the real damage is done in the factories. By supporting the research into sustainable beauty packaging and championing more natural ingredients, the damaging production process can be curbed.
Examples of this can be found close to home, in the centre of Cardiff. Amaryllis, an eco-friendly salon located on Cowbridge Road, specialise in hair care and carry Davines, an Italian hair care brand with a sustainable ethos. Davines is a certified B Corporation: a worldwide designation applied to brands such as Alpro and Patagonia, who to receive the certification have committed to making decisions that consider their impact on people and the environment. Davines created the Zero Environmental Impact Salons initiative, encouraging hairdressers to take steps to act ethically and spread the word to their clients.
Another eco-friendly contender; Naissance, founded in the Brecon Beacons, is an online natural beauty brand, specialising in ethically sourced ingredients. Ensuring operations are always dependent on being environmentally ethical, Naissance is partners with sustainable growers only; a commitment capable of making a difference on a larger scale if adopted by more businesses. Last but not least is Spectrum, a makeup brush brand specialising in vegan brushes – a runaway success story where two sisters from Barry kicked off a brand that’s now worth £12m.
Practices such as this have begun to pave the way for reducing our carbon footprint, from small businesses to larger commercial concerns as in the examples given above. On a micro, individual level, meanwhile, a little research can help in weighing up the pros and cons of where you spend your hard-earned money. Factories continue to cause destruction of the environment, and abuse the needs of impoverished communities, like those palm oil farms, so the need to seek out these sustainable choices has never been so great.
While the nature of the beauty industry – likewise many global industries – make full avoidance of waste and chemicals impossible, searching out great places on your doorstep, setting an example by joining the effort for a more sustainable future.
Luna Organic Beauty Boutique, 74 Merthyr Rd, Cardiff. Info: 029 2021 2605 / www.lunaorganicbeautyboutiquecardiff.co.uk
Amaryllis, 51 Cowbridge Rd East, Cardiff. Info: 029 2037 3729 / www.amaryllis-salon.co.uk
Naissance. Info www.naissance.com/uk/