13 May Is the Cosmetics Industry Cashing in on Climate Change?
My London Voices 2019 competition entry is a feature regarding the cosmetic industry and climate change.
Is the Cosmetic Industry Cashing in on Climate Change?
The cosmetics and beauty industry is currently booming and it isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. The industry is now worth a whopping $445Bn thanks to entrepreneurs such as Kylie Jenner (Kylie Cosmetics), Huda Kattan (Huda Beauty) and Anastasia Soare (Anastasia Beverly Hills) who have built billion dollar companies in less than 5 years. Unfortunately, behind all the glamour and Forbes cover stories, there’s a very ugly side to beauty.
When we hear the words ‘environmental damage’ visions of factory fumes, traffic jams and deforestation in the Amazon tends to spring to mind. We don’t often think that our favourite mascara could be adding to a catastrophic environmental disaster. In recent years, we have become more aware of the health dangers associated with bathroom products but the environmental impacts are less well known.
A sustainability report by i-D magazine highlighted, “over half of British people don’t recycle bathroom products and we’re still on track to have more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050.” One of the many issues is the number of chemicals used in the cosmetics industry leading to pollution. Many extra chemicals are added to products to increase their shelf life however these are the same chemicals which don’t break down and instead are flushed down our sinks, baths, showers and toilets and end up being released into our public water systems, lakes and seas – eventually damaging wildlife and the natural environment.
I got in touch with a beauty blogger who runs the popular blog, ‘That Sunday Girl.’ She said, “I think the beauty industry needs to be more aware of the effects of excessive packaging.” Lavish packaging usually leads to unnecessary amounts of cardboard, glitter, cellophane and single-use plastic being used which all ends up in the bin as soon as you get to the product inside.
We live in a time where products are made to be as ‘Instagrammable’ as possible. It’s become common practice for brands to send influencers huge PR packages of products in every shade, for them to unbox, share and essentially advertise to their audiences. Extravagant press trips are also very common. For example, in 2016, ‘Tarte Cosmetics’ sent more than 15 beauty bloggers on an all-expenses-paid luxury trip to Bora Bora just for the launch of a new mascara. In context, getting to Bora Bora from the UK can include taking up to 3 flights and 31 hours of travel. Trips like these cost companies hundreds of thousands of pounds and nobody bats an eyelid…imagine what could be done with that money to produce more sustainable packaging and offset emissions instead.
Day after day we read new headlines detailing the deterioration of our planet and how we are running out of time to do anything about it. This is leading to ‘eco anxiety’ – an overwhelming feeling of helplessness and panic about the state of our planet. Online searches for ‘anti-pollution’ skincare has been on the rise this year leading to the production of specialist products aimed at combatting the effects of global warming on our skin. Anti-pollution skincare is said to counteract the free radicals in the air and shield skin against damaging effects. Companies bringing out these products include high end brands such as Clinique, Caudalie and Vichy to name a few.
Ethical Marketing Strategist, Sian Conway said, “…[these companies] are cashing in people’s eco anxiety and seeing the ‘eco’ label as a way of charging a premium.”
Are these brands doing anything to reduce their environmental impact? Or are they just cashing in on global warming? Entrepreneur, Samantha Radocchia also commented on the topic saying, “the market is riddled with greenwashing. It’s not just cosmetics, its fashion, food…you name it!”
ThatSundayGirl thinks brands aren’t doing enough to tackle climate change however there are a few brands setting a good example. LUSH and The Body Shop are big on ethics, the environment and being against animal testing. They have prominent ‘Green Policies’ and speak out often about the environment. “Brands such as REN and L’Occitane are paving the way with sustainable ingredients, recycled or recyclable packaging and refillable items to limit single use plastic” says ThatSundayGirl. It’s interesting that more household name brands aren’t as vocal. “L’Oreal also offer a recycling programme however it’s not really pushed towards their consumer base” she adds.
It’s vital that more beauty brands follow the likes of REN and L’Occitane in terms of sustainability. Kylie Jenner talks often about how she’s never spent a penny on advertising and puts her success of building a billion-dollar company in three years down to advertising her products on her social media channels to over 100 million followers. Imagine the power of having that same influence but to promote sustainability instead. Climate Change should be a factor in all our decisions around what we eat, how we travel and what we buy.
