It’s time for the summer skincare switch-up: refreshing, cooling skincare that also protects against the sun and environmental stressors and minimal, natural make-up products.
These are my current sustainable beauty favorites.
Macadamia Oil by ROWSE
ROWSE sources its natural ingredients and manufactures its products in Spain. Its specialty is botanical oils, which are extracted using cold-pressed processes instead of heat or chemical solvents. The products are cruelty-free and vegan and most of them come in glass and metal containers.
As I said, the brand has a variety of botanical oils (some quite unique like baobab or black seed oil) suited for different skin concerns. The price of the face oils ranges from €16-€25, which makes them quite affordable compared to other botanical oils. I’ve been using the Macadamia oil for some time now – it’s a lightweight yet quite hydrating oil, which gives a nice glow especially if massaged into the skin with a jade roller.
Vitalizing Rosemary Decoction Toner by Aromatica
Aromatica is a Korean brand focused on natural ingredients and botanical essences. It is cruelty-free and strictly avoids animal-derived ingredients. The brand is ECO-cert certified and committed to sustainable practices, like organic farming, energy and waste reduction, and recyclable packaging.
This toner is produced by decoction, which is a physical method that has a long history and extracts active ingredients effectively from natural materials – mainly herbs or medicinal plants. The main ingredient of the product is rosemary, which is enriched with aloe vera to make it more moisturizing. It’s the perfect summer morning refreshment for your skin. Both the glass bottle and the plastic cap can be recycled.
Exfoliating Seaweed Soap Block by Haeckels
British sustainable beauty brand Haeckels is a huge proponent of combining natural, botanical ingredients and innovative, cutting-edge technology. Their main ingredient is seaweed – they have received a permit to harvest it (sustainably) in Margate, UK, closely collaborating with environmental bodies. As they are locally-based, this really helps to keep their production footprint low. They are also focused on zero waste packaging and formulas, often trying innovative new ideas, like a body cleanser in pill format or biocontributing packaging. Also love their conservation and community building initiatives, like the bartering day they had at their shop (costumers had to give something other than money for products) or the collect ocean trash for discounts scheme.
I usually get my soap bars at organic farmers’ markets or natural beauty shops and I like constantly trying new ones – but this one I’m willing to repurchase again and again. It has a vegan formula – moisture-rich seaweed (an ingredient I’ve been hooked on for years) soap enriched with aloe vera jojoba seed oil and tea tree oil with raw crushed botanicals of coriander seeds and peppercorns. It smells really good, is free of synthetic fragrance, and is smoothing and hydrating at the same time.
Retinol 3TR by Medik8
Medik8 is a professional-grade skincare brand that is committed to sustainable practices. The products are vegan, they don’t use palm oil, use renewable energy sources in the production process, offset carbon emissions, and constantly review their supply chain to monitor their suppliers’ record on biodiversity, human rights, and animal welfare. They also strive for producing only minimal waste – the bottles are made from recycled glass and recycled plastic.
This is an oil-like retinol-infused serum enriched with Vitamin E. It’s a quite gentle retinol, good for beginners as well – I haven’t experienced any flaking as with other retinols.
9-Ingredient Face Moisturizer by Typology
Typology is like a new generation Ordinary – it uses simple formulas and comes at affordable prices. The brand only uses ingredients sourced from sustainable farms using gentle extraction techniques. They mainly use glass, aluminum, and recyclable plastic in their packaging.
This moisturizer is a minimalist, fragrance-free moisturizer with a lightweight, non-greasy texture, which is ideal for summer. It absorbs easily, is vegan, and made in France.
I’ve also been using some of their other products like the Organic Cornflower Hydrolate, Organic Carrot Oil, and the 11% Vitamin C serum and while the moisturizer was probably the standout product for me they are all quite solid.
Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 30 by ILIA Beauty
Ilia specializes in skincare-powered makeup – their products always incorporate active skincare ingredients as well. The brand is cruelty-free and has many vegan products as well. They believe in minimalism and offer many multi-purpose products. They strive towards more sustainable packaging through the use of recycled aluminum, glass components, and responsibly sourced paper, plus they work with Terracycle in the US to recycle empty containers.
This product has a unique formula – it’s a tinted moisturizer in a runny, serum form. I’ve read so many glowing reviews of this one that I had to cave in to FOMO at one point and buy it. And to be honest, after I’ve tried it, I was quite disappointed.
First, it has a very weird smell, like sour cabbage or something. And I didn’t really like it on my first wear – it was a bit cakey, my skin looked a bit dry and not glowy/shiny as promised. I was pretty bummed but as it was quite expensive, I thought I’d just use it up alternating it with my beloved Nars Tinted Moisturizer. But I quickly realized that almost all mornings I reached for the Ilia serum for some reason and now I always use it. Maybe I just had a weird skin day that first time or I got better at applying it, but it’s so natural and great to wear, so it’s now my summer staple.
Essential Glow Moisturizer SPF 30 by Paula’s Choice
OK, so this is the odd one out as Paula’s Choice is not a strictly sustainable beauty brand (though it is cruelty-free). There are two reasons why I still include it in this list:
- I just cannot write a post about summer skincare without mentioning sunscreen, which is the most important product of this season (or maybe, even the whole year). Wear it – always, reapply – regularly (here’s a quick guide to sunscreens)
- I have yet to find a sustainable sunscreen I really like. It has to be a mineral SPF, which means it uses physical filters like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide and not chemical ones (like avobenzone or octocrylene). Mineral SPF is much better for the environment – the ingredients in chemical sunscreens can damage marine life especially corals as they are washed off in the sea. Some beach towns in Mexico and Hawaii have gone as far as banning products with some chemical SPFs as they were damaging the reefs so much.
So mineral SPF is much better for the environment, however, some formulas are notoriously difficult to work with as the physical filters leave a white cast. So far, I’ve only found a handful of products that didn’t have this issue and glide on and absorb beautifully.
For the body, I use Clinique SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen Fluid. For the face, I’ve used the Prep Step Mineral Protection Shield by Bareminerals for years. It worked as a primer, it protected my skin yet gave a beautiful finish – so of course, it was discontinued. This Paula’s Choice product comes the closest so far to that perfect sunscreen.
If you have a mineral SPF you love by a sustainable brand, let me know. Till then, I’ll stick to the half acceptable yet working solution.
Do you have any favorite summer beauty products by sustainable brands?
