Sustainable Beauty: Eco-Friendly Skincare by Beauty Thinkers

You’re doing your best to live sustainably, making choices that support your health and reduce environmental impact. Whether it’s recycling, buying local, or cutting down on plastic, small changes add up. But when it comes to beauty and skincare products, knowing where to start can be tricky. We’ve all seen beauty brands make “eco” or “natural” claims that don’t quite hold up. So, what does sustainable beauty really mean, and how to find sustainable beauty products? 

What Is Sustainable Beauty? 

Sustainable, or eco-conscious, beauty focuses on reducing environmental impact at every stage of a product’s lifecycle—from ingredient sourcing to packaging disposal. For a skincare brand, this means considering how ingredients are harvested, ensuring packaging is reusable or recyclable, and reducing waste and energy consumption. Sustainable beauty champions transparency, so consumers know exactly what goes into their products and how they impact the planet.

For example, Beauty Thinkers is a sustainable beauty brand. All Beauty Thinkers products are fragrance- and silicone-free and formulated with less than 25 ingredients, carefully chosen to be gentle on skin and responsibly sourced. Our main ingredient, olive-derived antioxidant, hydroxytyrosol for skin, is sustainably produced from upcycled from olive mill water. Our products come in partially recycled glass bottles, most of which are refillable, and we use minimalist, reusable, and recyclable shipping materials without fillers or inserts to reduce waste. 

Sustainable Beauty vs. Clean Beauty: What’s the Difference?

Sustainable beauty and clean beauty are distinct concepts based on similar principles. Clean beauty prioritizes safe, non-toxic ingredients free from harmful chemicals, such as parabens, sulfates, and synthetic fragrances. Sustainable beauty goes a step further to include eco-conscious practices like renewable and cruelty-free ingredients, biodegradable or reusable packaging, ethical sourcing, waste reduction, and using green energy in manufacturing. 

Beauty Thinkers combines both approaches, ensuring our products are safe for your skin and kind to the environment. We use upcycled natural ingredients and sustainable farming techniques on our zero-emission certified farm, and all of our packaging is zero-waste. All while keeping our formulations minimalist, clean, and skin-friendly in line with both clean and sustainable beauty principles. 

Why Sustainable Beauty Matters

Our planet is in crisis and we all have a duty to minimize our footprint. With every purchase, we have the power to support brands that align with our values. By choosing eco-friendly skincare, you’re making a difference. Each sustainable choice—whether it’s a refillable bottle or a responsibly-sourced ingredient—contributes to a cleaner, greener world.

Tips for Choosing Sustainable Beauty Products

With so many options available, it’s essential to look deeper into a brand’s claims. A good place to start is the sustainability section of a brand’s website (ours is here). Here’s how to make informed, eco-friendly skincare choices: 

1. Fact check claims: Greenwashing is when companies exaggerate their sustainability claims. Look for brands that are transparent about their practices. For example, at Beauty Thinkers, we openly share information on sustainable sourcing and carbon-neutral production. 
2. Review ingredient sourcing: Sustainable beauty brands are transparent about where their ingredients come from. For instance, Beauty Thinkers sources hydroxytyrosol from a single olive farm in Italy, ensuring sustainable practices throughout the supply chain.
3. Look for eco-certifications: Certifications like USDA Organic, ECOCERT, and Leaping Bunny provide assurances that the product meets sustainability and cruelty-free standards. 
4. Choose multitasking products: Sustainable beauty isn’t just about what’s in the product, but how it’s used. Beauty Thinkers’ skincare routine is minimalist by design, and our products like Antioxidant Boost Facial Oil can be used on both face and body.
5. Check packaging: Opt for brands that use glass, recycled plastic, or compostable packaging. Refillable options, like those offered by Beauty Thinkers, are a great way to reduce waste and can save you money over time.

How Beauty Thinkers Embraces Eco-Friendly Skincare

At Beauty Thinkers, we believe sustainable beauty goes hand in hand with high-quality skincare. Here’s how we approach sustainability as a brand:

• Reduce: We advocate for minimalism in skincare. Our formulations use fewer than 25 ingredients, ensuring that they’re safe, gentle, and effective, without unnecessary fillers. We focus on simple, effective products and minimalist skincare routines that support skin health and minimize overconsumption, benefiting both you and the environment.
• Reuse: Recycling is the last resort; we aim to avoid single use strategies. We source hydroxytyrosol from olives grown on our estate, using upcycled olive by-products. Our product bottles designed with the airless pump technology are reusable, and even our shipping materials are made to be reused.
• Refill: Our airless pump glass bottles are designed to be refillable, offering a premium, waste-free experience. They maintain formula stability and ensure every drop is used. Our refill technology reduces packaging waste and minimizes shipping emissions, while saving you money.

Located in Umbria, Italy, our olive tree farm has been carbon-neutral since 2009 (the first in the world!) without using carbon offsets. By sourcing locally, we reduce emissions and support the local economy.

Join the Beauty Thinkers Community

Sustainable beauty is a journey, and we’re excited to share it with you. Our commitment to sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, from our Italian estate’s upcycled ingredients to our minimalist formulations and eco-friendly packaging. Join us in redefining beauty with skincare that’s luxurious, innovative, effective, and kind to the earth. Discover Beauty Thinkers’ sustainable skincare and experience the power of nature without compromise. 

Hydroxytyrosol benefits in skincare include protecting skin from free radicals, calming inflammation, moisturizing and supporting skin barrier, and helping minimize the visible signs of aging.