9 Zero-Waste Beauty Products, 100% Compostable — Reviews

There is something undeniably curative about unboxing a brand new item. (We talk for beauty fans .) It’s that mesmerizing moment when you slowly remove the outer plastic, open the box, and pull out a shiny new bottle. It can practically change your life… it’s the stuff of ASMR dreams. And yet: We are in the midst of an urgent climate crisis, and all that packaging — the plastic, the bubble wrap, the box, the bottle — has started to add up. The amount of end-of-life plastic packaging, which includes bottles, jars, bags, and “other,” surrounding US. products has increased by over 120 times since 1960. In 2018, in the U.S. alone, almost 7.9 billion units of rigid plastic were created just for beauty and personal-care products, according to Euromonitor International. So despite our best efforts, 91 percent of plastic has ended up in landfills anyway, according to a 2017 study.

But brands are working to improve these numbers — and make it easy for you to do the same. In particular, a crop of compostable (and sophisticated) products are leading the charge to make your beauty routine as waste-free as it is glamorous. 

It is a simple process: Much like composting food, these products can be tossed directly into your household compost bin or brought to your local composting facility or farmer’s market. And in just a few short months, they’ll have completely decomposed — just how Mother Nature intended them to.

Read on for zero-waste skin, hair, and makeup products that are seriously upping the bar.

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