Whether you want to keep your dresser out of harm's way or want to improve the lives of marginalized practitioners when you buy beauty, these are the brands you should look forward to.
2019 is the end of an exciting decade for the beauty industry - tolerance, sustainability and environmental awareness are no longer the buzzwords of marketing hype, but the standards consumers are holding all brands to.
While this change may seem like a major decision for boards and merchants, as the end consumer, you have a hand in making it happen. This may not be true for all thinking people, but when it comes to protecting the planet and its ecology, every effort is worthy of hope.
The cumulative ripple effect of putting empty bottles and cans in recycling bins instead of landfills, or signing online petitions to end animal testing, could make a big difference. Look for brands that fight for beauty and make your skin clear with a clean conscience.
No harm beauty
You don't have to be a die-hard animal rights activist not to want the chemistry lab to test the latest eyeshadow palette on innocent rabbits.
In essence, no harm makeup is a total ban on any form of cosmetic animal testing, whether it is before or after the market.
Collective public awareness of the harmful and potentially fatal consequences of such experiments has sparked an industry-wide revolution in the once unsavory side of the global cosmetics industry, with some local brands and luxury goods makers resisting the practice.Before you check out your shopping, take a moment to check out the Leaping Bunny symbol on the product label, the brand's no-harm identity sign. PETA, the world's largest animal rights organization, also provides an approved list of brands that support the idea.
So, if a brand claims to be harmless, how do you experiment with a product? Advances in technology now allow these brands to have a wide range of relatively new alternatives - from computer-assisted analysis to artificial skin tissue and medically supervised controlled user experiments.
TheBody Shop has been making further pleas to stop animal testing. The London-based brand has collected 8 million signatures on various plans to call for a global ban on animal testing at the United Nations.
A commitment to minimizing harm to animals also means that some luxury brands, such as Marc Jacobs Beauty, will refuse to list in countries where animal testing is legally permitted.
This moral awakening has also extended to animal products, leading to a new vegan beauty community that refuses to use any products from animals.
Celebrity favorite Kat Von D opted for a radical change, sticking to an all-vegan stance, which included discontinuing some products and reformulating others.
Kat Von D Shade +Light Face palette removes carmine because it comes from insects; Synthetic fibers are required to replace animal hair used in makeup brushes.
Sustainable beauty
The word "sustainability" is popping up more and more in the fashion world, but what does that mean for beauty products? Simply put, the Sustainable beauty movement aims to ensure that all stages of manufacturing, production and distribution do not harm the ecosystem.
It starts with raw materials: the misuse of palm oil remains a persistent culprit, responsible for 50% of Borneo's rainforest deforestation. In order to ban the product without affecting the livelihoods of Asian farmers, industry giants such as L 'Oreal and Estee Lauder have adopted a more suitable alternative: a commitment to sourcing palm oil responsibly. Similarly, Innisfree has been sourcing skincare ingredients on Jeju Island, while making sure to minimize the impact on the island's fragile ecosystem and carefully planting trees.
Fair trade beauty
The same idea of protecting the earth's environment applies to its inhabitants. The Fair Trade movement has moved from the food sector to the beauty industry, demanding fair wages and treatment for those involved in the production of beauty ingredients. Under this agreement, producers agreed to provide fair wages to marginalized industrial workers and gradually improve working conditions.
The interests of these groups are further protected by agreeing on minimum prices, which they can pay even if the average market price falls below this level. This manufacturer-to-market model is championed by Lush Cosmetics, who seek to work directly with their suppliers to ensure fair working conditions.
TheBody Shop introduced its own "Community Trade" practice of sourcing ingredients in 1987, buying at a premium to support local communities, such as shea butter from Ghana. L 'Occitane, for its part, has taken the unusual step of sourcing its ingredients from Provence and producing shea butter in partnership with a women-run factory in Burkino Faso, West Africa.
Eco-friendly beauty
According to Zero Waste Week, we live in a world where the global cosmetics industry produces 120 billion packages per year. Belatedly, beauty brands have taken collective action to become environmentally friendly and strictly control packaging waste.
Lush Cosmetics' commitment to naked packaging has led to a variety of beauty innovations, including deodorant bars, sunscreen powder and solid body wash, all wrapped in reusable paper made from organic cotton and recycled plastic bottles. Meanwhile, AetherBeauty has released its first zero-waste eyeshadow palette, made entirely from recycled paper, water-based soy ink and without any landfilling-clog magnets or lenses.
Closer Home, M.A.CCosmetics and The Body Shop have been encouraging consumers to return empty packaging to stores for recycling.
Forgiving beauty
In 2017, Rihanna successfully launched her tolerant Beauty line Fenty Beauty and broke sales records. The collection comes in up to 40 base shades, covering all skin tones.
Her namesake product quickly hit $100 million in sales in its first 40 days, proving that inclusivity is not just the marketing buzzword of the moment, but a standard that all brands will soon adhere to. EsteeLauder has gone one step further by appointing an internal cultural-relevance team to adapt to the pace of progress in the multicultural markets served by its subsidiaries.
As consumers increasingly identify with multiple gender identities, cosmetics brands need to adopt a less binary approach. Genderless beauty aims to avoid the traditional labels "male" and "female" and blur the lines between the two. Founded in 2018, Fluide Makeup is one of the first pseudo-feminine beauty brands, focusing on the inclusion of all gender identities and expressions. The No-harm range includes liquid lipsticks and brightening powders with high natural color.
The beauty industry has traditionally marketed its products directly to the lucrative 18-34 demographic, but the conversation about tolerance spans all ages. In 2017, a few months after signing James Charles to become its first male CoverGirl, the brand re-signed 69-year-old Maye Musk as its face.
