Pretty packaging and exotic ingredients mean many beauty products have a high environmental cost. Did you know the beauty industry produces a reported 150 billion packaging units, much of which is plastic? Products are shipped worldwide, and we wash harmful chemicals into our waterways every day. 

But the beauty industry has caught on to the sustainability movement. There are homegrown brands that show there are ways to make your skincare regime greener. 

These five homegrown brands demonstrate that sustainability, good skin care, and natural cosmetics can co-exist, catering to many of us looking for recycled plastic, infinitely recyclable glass, or 100% organic and non-GM products.

SHIFFA

UAE-based Shiffa—founded by Lamees Hamdan— focuses on all-natural goods that are kind to the skin and the environment. It utilizes organic extracts, plant-based oils, and essential oils in its products as natural components. These components come from Middle Eastern small-scale farms, which benefit the neighborhood’s economy and lessen the environmental impact of long-distance shipping.

Glass bottles and paper boxes are only a couple of the biodegradable and recyclable packaging options used by Shiffa for its goods. By providing a recycling program that rewards participants with savings on subsequent purchases, the company additionally encourages customers to recycle their packaging. 

SECRET SKIN

Secret Skin, a clean beauty brand owned by Anisha Oberoi, caters to those who value non-toxic, ethically sourced skincare products. From bath and body products to fragrances and natural skincare, this unisex brand also takes care of your babies. The tech-based beauty platform developed a discovery platform connecting conscious consumers to sustainable and ethical beauty brands from all over the world. 

MR. REGIMEN

In 2022, when Entrepreneur Hani Al Jundi established the business, the goal was to be “the destination for the new masculine”. The brand offers customized skincare regimens with its online Regimen Builder test that will direct and pair you with items suitable for your skin type. The cleansers, toners, exfoliators, serums, moisturizers, masks, and facial oils are natural, eco-friendly, organic, and cruelty-free, specially created for men.

BEAUTY BINGE

Minal Siyal’s Beauty Binge has a carefully chosen assortment of brands and goods. Every product embodies the brand’s ideology, whether from ecologically conscious start-ups or female-led companies.

Cardboard boxes, jute bags with fresh flowers, furoshiki gift boxes, and recently introduced totes are its four various packaging alternatives. Because of this, customers can reuse the packaging, resulting in zero waste.

PEACEFULL

Salama Mohamed released her skincare line Peacefull in 2021. The aim was to help individuals feel confident in their skin. Natural ingredients like mugwort and sodium hyaluronate are used in the skincare line, which is also cruelty-free, paraben-free, and sulfate-free and has therapeutic effects for all skin types.