The D.O.R. Beauty Edit’s Sustainability Promise

Happy Earth Day!

At The D.O.R. Beauty Edit our approach to sustainability centres around being conscious and responsible and the brands that we work with share those values. The brands that we work with are doing BIG things to make their products more sustainable and environmentally aware. We’re proud to work with these brands and what they represent and believe in.

It’s no secret that the environment is drowning in our disposable waste and the beauty industry is one of the contributing factors to this. A massive 13 million tonnes of plastic are dumped in the world’s oceans every year, and in 2017, the UN declared the global ocean plastic pollution a ‘planetary crisis’.

Since then, the industry has been taking good steps to reduce our plastic usage– there’s been a ban on microbeads for example, as well as single use cotton buds, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. It’s in the interest of everyone to look at their consumption and see what we can all do to reduce our waste. From our perspective, simple things like packaging, ethical labour practices, being conscious of the supply chain and ethically sourcing ingredients are all part of the sustainability journey.

So today on Earth Day, we thought we’d share with you what our small brands are doing to make their brands more sustainable and eco-friendly.

Body Hut

To be more sustainable, their brand uses glass packaging, to prevent plastic waste. Also, they do not use any water in their products so that they do not contribute to water scarcity.

Casa Mencarelli

We are always looking at opportunities to be more eco friendly and only use recyclable packaging.
We have already reduced the packaging for our Sea Buckthorn Serum, moving from a 100ml bottle with a carton to a 30ml glass bottle with dropper and no external packaging.

Also all our 2ml samples come in mini glass bottles and jars, no plastic and all recyclable.

For the future, we are looking further reducing packaging and at using friendly and sustainable materials, in line with our philosophy of “really green beauty “.

Daughter of the Soil

Our plant-based, nutrient-rich formulations are powered by African botanical oils that are associated with an array of health benefits -from protecting against free radical damage, to supporting cell regeneration and effectively tackling dull, dry and sensitive skin. We are aware of our responsibility towards the planet and are passionate about responsible sourcing, fair trade, animal rights and eco-friendly lifestyles. We choose to support activities that respect nature and contribute to wellbeing and wholeheartedly embrace the goodness from the soil. By intentionally opting for organic and natural ingredients, we have created environmentally responsible, healthy products that are free from toxins and animal cruelty and deeply nourish, protect and moisturise the skin. Our products have been carefully curated in alignment with our values of heritage, wellbeing, inclusive beauty and empowerment, responding to the skincare needs of women, men and children of today.

Ecooking

Our products are produced with thought for you and the environment. You can recycle our packaging. Our packing fill is made of corn and is, therefore, easily recycled with water.

Guava and Gold

All the Guava & Gold bottles and packaging are fully recyclable with plans to move on to bio-polymer (which are made of sugar cane extract) bottles as soon as I can.

The products are all paraben free and have phthalate free fragrances. Natural oils with all their potential health-giving benefits are used in them. And they’re made in the UK.

The brand makes regular donations of products to help to alleviate hygiene poverty, which is an issue which affects people’s self-esteem and feelings of self-worth.

Inner Senses

Packaging: We eliminate plastic as much as possible, our bottles and boxes are fully recyclable and we offer our customers the FIVE4TEN program, whereby if a customer returns five empties we send them a £10 e-voucher they can use against future purchases. This program launched last year and helps the customer, ourselves and the environment.

Kiss the Moon

Products: We choose glass jars & bottles to reduce the use of plastic along with biodegradable glassine bags for our soaps.

Our product boxes are made from cardboard and they’re even printed with vegetable degradable inks.

Love Absolute

Being Eco Conscious is a very broad subject and some of the things we think about are, impact to environments, farming methods, biodiversity, Soil Diversity, water use and wastage – locality and impact on local people.

We also think about our packaging and our normal products are all housed in Miron Glass which are high quality,  solid and re-usable and can be washed and re purposed as spice and herb jars that will keep your spices much fresher.

The only waste might be the label,  which can be peeled off and put in with the recycling.We post without any added plastic in cardboard and string.

We will temporarily reduce our reliance on glass bottles, to support the needs during covid. There will be an up coming glass & bottle pump dispenser shortage, which will have a world impact.

In terms of ingredients sourcing we have probably the lowest carbon and shortest journey time of any UK brand, as the bulk of our ingredients are grown and cold pressed within a two hour drive.

In terms of biodegradable end results, any emulsifiers or preservatives we use are green tech which means what goes back to the earth  ( down the sink) will not  cause any problems to the environment,  and all adhere to the standards of cosmos natrue and eco.

We have designed our products to be able to meet the soil association standards so we can certify in the future as we grow – meanwhile w follow the developments in farming to make sure we are doing our best to stay conscious and ethical.

Naya

We source sustainable, natural, organic, community-planted, and fair-trade ingredients – handpicked based on quality, efficacy and performance.

We create earth-friendly, quality and inclusive skincare for everyone.

Our packaging is housed in sleek amber recycled & recyclable glass bottles and jars and our outer packaging is FSC certified.

Our labels are from up-cycled material giving it a new life.  Many of our ingredients are from waste material from a different industry.

We plant a tree for each order in our tree nursery Tierra Radiante with local families / indigenous families.

We find science-backed and effective ingredients to fall back in love with your skin.  We are climate neutral.

Our products are Vegan & cruelty-free.

We believe Less is More. It is not about the quantity but about the ingredients and formulation. You can enjoy our EVERYDAY Collection for everyone and ELEVATE your everyday with specific skincare products to address a specific need.

Prismologie

Sustainability is at the heart of everything they do at Prismologie. Initially, they were committed to minimising their impact on the environment. Now they’re going a step further and are adopting a more expansive sustainability mindset.

Their focus is on creating long term success and wellbeing, not just for their company and their employees but for the whole community. This attitude infuses every aspect of their operations, from designing and producing their products, to selling and delivering them.

A sustainable mindset guides them to make the right decisions for their customers, employees, suppliers and the communities in which they operate.

Saint Iris Adriatica

Products: We choose glass jars & bottles to reduce the use of plastic along with biodegradable glassine bags for our soaps. Our product boxes are made from cardboard and they’re even printed with vegetable degradable inks.

Corrugated envelopes: No more bubble bags here, we use corrugated kraft ‘flutelopes’ for our smaller orders made entirely from paper and glue.

Natural shred: To keep our products safe in their parcels we use un-dyed natural shred which can be widely recycled and even added to the compost.

Paper tapes & labels: Our stickers and labels are all paper, avoiding plastic as much as we can. We use 100% recycled paper tape with a natural latex adhesive backing, making it 100% biodegradable. Stick that!

Ribbon: Our boxes are bow-tied with recycled PET ribbon. rather than polyester ribbon helping to reduce the amount of plastic waste in the environment

Sofia Latif

OUR INGREDIENTS

We source our ingredients from a UK manufacturer, who works closely with farmers to ensure ingredients are farmed ethically and with environmental responsibility. They support payment of a living wage, safe and healthy working conditions, and fair working hours. They will not work with farmers who utilise child labour.

We are certified as having Zero Plastics Inside by beat the microbead, an initiative run by Plastic Soup Foundation, designed to help customers become more informed about the products they use and reassured that a product is guaranteed 100% free of microplastic ingredients. We are proud to be part of a movement to minimise plastics that end up in the ecosystem. We still have more to do as we are working on finding a suitable replacement for the lids/pumps on our products. Our return for recycling service, available to our website customers, goes some way to address this for now.

Our Organic oils are Soil Association accredited. It is our ambition to be accredited as a brand by the Soil Association, Vegan Society, and Leaping Bunny in 2020.

WE BELIEVE IN TRANSPARENCY

We believe you want to know exactly what is in the product you are using, so we list our ingredients on the bottle and on the website, so that you can make an informed choice. Only you will know if an allergen from an essential oil is going to affect your skin. There are no GMO oils, palm oil, mineral oils, sulphates, phthalates, paraben, silicones, or perfume contained in the blends. We are transparent about our ingredients, and have also listed any allergens which are naturally occurring in the essential oils.

PACKAGING & RECYCLING

Our packaging is recyclable – the bottles are made of glass, the box they come in is made of cardboard, the postage envelopes are made of recycled material, and our accompanying stationery is printed on recycled paper. Even the packing peanuts are starch based, and therefore biodegradable, and the packing tape is made of paper with a non-toxic solvent so that it is recyclable. Every endeavour is made to be as responsible and sustainable as possible, however, the pipette tops are made of plastic. We are working to find alternatives to this :). We offer a return for recycling service, details of which we can send to you if you email us at hello@sofialatif.com. We offer 25% OFF your next purchase for using this service.

PURCHASE WITH PURPOSE

It feels good to do good, so linking each purchase with a 5% charitable donation means you are making a difference to someone’s life. But it’s a charitable donation with a purpose – by working with Lendwithcare (who provides micro-loans to small business owners in low income countries), we are empowering women who want to work their own way out of poverty through their small business. You can see exactly who we have supported here, and read their stories and the impact we are having on their lives.

You might also like to read Our mission with our charity partner

Skin Alchemists

Skin Alchemists is committed to honouring Mother nature and respecting the earth. Our formulations as 100% natural and made using certified organic and or wild crafted ingredients. Our skin treats are botted in recyclable Miron glass and our boxes are made using FSC approved card stock. Most of our products are multi-tasking and come in discovery sizes to offer a taste of the products before committing to a full size.

In keeping with our pledge to highlight the importance of sustainability and respecting the environment, we are featuring the effects of pollution on marine life in the Caribbean islands, a place close to my heart.

The Afro Hair and Skin Co

As a brand, we are constantly looking into ways in which we can lessen our environmental impact and improve the sustainability of our products from the ingredients we select to our packaging. Currently, all our shipping materials are 100% recyclable/biodegradable right down to our packing tape.  We are currently phasing out plastic lids on some of our glass packagings and introducing recyclable aluminium lids meaning two thirds of our range will be housed in 100% recyclable packaging. We are committed to reducing the use of plastics across our range where suitable alternatives exist.