Sustainable beauty

Each product listed conducts no animal testing, and has a focus on organic ingredients, as well as featuring recyclable or recycled packaging – and we have tried them at Saga HQ to ensure the quality of each one.

Sustainable beauty

German based company Lavera’s organic products are designed for sensitive skin; they pride themselves on using raw plant materials from certified organic agriculture wherever possible, and ensure their products are 100% free from synthetic perfumes, colourants and preservatives.

The limited edition Pastel Shades make up is subtly pigmented but applies very smoothly; the lipstick is particularly nice with its creamy formula, and the gorgeous floral packaging is made from durable cardboard wherever possible. This wonderfully eco-friendly packaging is a tiny bit incongruous at first glance, as the tube itself is ever so slightly reminiscent of a small but heavy duty Smarties tube, in a pretty lilac colour rather than garish primary hues – but that incongruity quickly turns to a warm glow when you realise that after the lipstick is all used up, you won’t feel bad about throwing away the tube.

The Pastel Shades range starts from £13.90 on pravera.co.uk 

We love the Lavera Lipstick Natural lip Colour in Rosy Pastel.

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Sustainable sun care

In June 2019, luxury sun care company Soleil Toujours announced its plans to replace all its current tube packaging with bio-plastics sourced from sugarcane by 2020, in order to support the company’s goal of 100% sustainable packaging. The products inside are naturally sourced and organic; founder Valerie McMurray says ‘Our formulas are combine skincare and suncare, incorporating advanced anti-aging ingredients, peptides, ceramides, antioxidants.’ All Soleil Toujours’ products are 100% coral reef safe; in many sheer sunscreens you’ll find oxybenzone and octinoxate, which are thought to be responsible for bleaching, DNA damage and death of corals, but you won’t find either of these chemicals in the ingredients list.

The Soleil Toujours range starts from £23 on spacenk.com

Lilikoi Mineral Defense Sport Sunscreen SPF30 by (146ml £46) contains passion-fruit seed oil and raspberry seed oil to provide vitamin C and reduce the appearance of aging, as well as aloe vera to soothe the skin, which goes some way to explaining the gorgeous scent that accompanies each application, but its eco-friendly credentials really seal the deal. The farm Éminence uses to harvest ingredients is powered by solar and wind energy, and geo-thermal heating is used in the laboratory; all their plastic containers are both recycled and recyclable, and the company has also committed to planting a tree for every product sold - by March 2019, they had planted over 12 million trees!

Super sun creams

Sustainable hair care

We’ve already raved about haircare brand Guava and Gold in our round up of the best sulphate-free shampoos. Not only does this luxurious range of shampoos and conditioners come in fully recyclable bottles, the company also pledge to make regular donations of a selection of their bath and body collection in order to help alleviate hygiene poverty.

But of course, when discussing hair products that leave you with barely anything to recycle, it would be unfathomable to leave out Lush. Famous for their bathbombs and a slightly overpowering scent when you walk in (if this really bothers you, simply order online), Lush has been working hard on reducing their plastic packaging for years. From solid deodorant bars to solid foundation, you’ll be surprised at what can come without plastic packaging – but my favourites of the packaging-free products are the solid shampoo and conditioner bars. They work slightly differently: rub the shampoo bar between your hands and then work up a lather in the roots of your hair, and apply the conditioner bar directly to your hair and smooth it through your tresses. Admittedly, it takes a bit more time than just squeezing the contents of a bottle into your palm, so perhaps keep a bottle of conditioner in the shower as well for those occasions when you’re in a rush, but even skipping the plastic every other wash will help do your bit for the planet. And each of the shampoo and conditioner bars smell divine, with a hit of scent throughout the day every time you move your head.

We love the Honey i Washed My Hair shampoo bar (£8, 55g) paired with the Jungle conditioner bar (£7, 50g)

Sustainable pampering

Noble Isle luxury bath and body products are vegan, and focus on authentic, ethical British producers to source the gorgeous scents that go into their lotions and potions. The beautifully packaged sets are ideal for a Christmas gift for anyone a little bit difficult to buy for, although you'll find the contents hard to part with. Featuring rhubarb from Yorkshire, sea oak from Ireland, malted barley from Scotland and beetroot from Wales amongst other fragrances, you'll smell good and do good, as the brand also has an emphasis on reducing waste and carbon emissions. If you've ever felt guilty about using half your toiletries when staying in a hotel, you'll love the fact that Noble Isle has partnered with Clean Conscience, a charity that ensures as much used Noble Isle soap and toiletries are recovered from hotel bathrooms, repurposed and redistributed for the benefit of those most in need of toiletries, both in the UK and internationally. 

What are your favourite sustainable beauty products? We'd love to know - tell us on web.editor@saga.co.uk

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