Could slow beauty become one of your new years resolutions?
In this guide we help you understand what is meant by slow beauty, what are the benefits and what brands you could try to become a more conscious beauty consumer.
Table of Contents:
- What is Slow Beauty?
- Why is the move to 'slow' important?
- What are the benefits of slow beauty?
- 7 Slow Beauty Brands to Try in 2024
What is Slow Beauty?
Slow beauty is all about combatting over-consumption by focusing on quality over quantity. Like slow fashion, the end goal is to reduce unnecessary product waste and to create a more sustainable industry. Unfortunately, the main fast fashion alternatives, such as shopping vintage or second hand, can’t really apply to beauty products! That’s why beauty companies are having to think innovatively about how they can reduce waste, water usage, carbon emissions and more, to become more eco-friendly.
Slow beauty is also about encouraging people to adopt a new, more mindful approach to their beauty rituals. Inspiring users to take their time, be in the moment, and literally slow beauty down. All in all, slow beauty values ethical practices, environmental friendliness and self-love.
Why is the move to 'slow' important?
As consumers are becoming more conscious of making sustainable and ethical purchases, heads are turning to the cosmetics industry. Not only is this industry full of single use products such as wet wipes, face masks and cotton pads but also, beauty packaging is reported to amount to 120 billion units every year. If we are trying to live more sustainably, it’s time to rethink our beauty routine. Saying goodbye to your faithful, tried and tested cosmetics can be daunting. The One Edit is on hand to help introduce you to some of the best slow beauty brands.
What are the benefits of Slow Beauty Products ?
Less waste, less packaging, self care plus better ingredients are just four of the reasons why slow beauty is important in 2024.
We believe there are a lot of reasons why switching to slow beauty products can be beneficial.The main benefits of slow beauty are:
- Less Waste - One of the goals with slow beauty is to use fewer, higher quality products to lessen unnecessary consumption and waste. Slow beauty products are designed to be multi-tasking and longer-lasting so you can reduce the amount of products you buy.
- Less Packaging - Often, to stand out on the shelf, beauty products are swathed in stylish ‘instagrammable’ packaging. Most of this packaging ends up in landfill. Slow beauty aims to remove packaging where possible and use compostable or recyclable alternatives.
- Better Ingredients - Slow beauty brands try to use environmentally friendly ingredients. This means avoiding things such as palm oil, parabens and mica which have been associated with deforestation and worker exploitation. Slow beauty brands try to find responsibly sourced alternatives.
- Self Care - Conventional beauty standards can feel impossible to reach and leave us feeling insufficient. In contrast, slow beauty often aims to celebrate everyone’s natural beauty and encourages us to have a more loving approach to our appearance. Slower and simpler regimes are a form of self care that can relieve anxiety, increase self-confidence and even improve sleep.
7 Slow Beauty Brands to Try in 2024
Looking and feeling fantastic has never been easier than with slow beauty products. They are the perfect addition to your eco-friendly bathroom essentials. Our top picks for slow beauty brands to try in 2022 are:
1. Axiology
Axiology is a vegan company which sells lipsticks and a special product called ‘balmies’. Balmies are essentially a three-in-one crayon that can be used to colour eyelids, cheeks and lips. Axiology’s products boast nourishing oils, butters, and skin-protecting antioxidants. Plus, they are 100% zero waste! Their balmies are wrapped in recycled paper and packaged in a pretty matchstick box. Both of which are recyclable or compostable at home. What’s more, Axiology is proud to highlight that their packaging all comes from a female owned and run Balinese company. Not only are they helping women secure meaningful jobs, but they are also helping with Bali’s severe environmental problems. We adore this slow beauty company for its gorgeous products which don’t cost the earth.
2. Beauty Kitchen
Beauty Kitchen’s mission is to create the most effective, natural and sustainable beauty products in the world. They promise that all their products meet three criteria. Firstly, they deliver good results. Secondly, they only use natural ingredients. Last but not least, they are fully sustainable. Beauty Kitchen has also implemented a return-refill-repeat programme. This scheme allows customers to send their packaging back to Beauty Kitchen and then they wash and reuse it in the next batch. The company claims that this process is even better for the environment than recycling. Beauty Kitchen was the first UK beauty brand to be B-Corp certified. This is just the beginning of this slow beauty company's accolades. They are leaping bunny certified which means they are animal cruelty free. They donate 2% of all sales (not profits) to charity every year and partner with the Plastic Soup Foundation which fights for clean oceans.
3. Codex
Codex Beauty Labs is a skincare company grounded in biotech and science. They specialise in harnessing plant biology and natural ingredients to create the very best products. Codex thinks of itself as a completely clean company. This means they use uncontaminated natural ingredients and are morally clean in terms of fair prices, worker conditions and sustainability. Their packaging is made from renewable sugar cane which is biodegradable and non-toxic. Among their wonderful products, reigns their Bia Facial Oil. Thi is a fantastic vegan skincare product endorsed by the National Eczema Association.
4. Ethique
Translating to ethical in French, Ethique is just that! Everything this slow beauty company makes is in a solid plastic-free bar form. You may have heard of a shampoo bar, but Ethique also makes moisturising bars, deodorant bars and even soap bars for your dog! Solid products are thought to be more environmentally friendly because they contain little to no water which means they can be packaged in compostable materials instead of plastic. According to Ethique, they have prevented over 20 million plastic bottles from being manufactured and saved 17.6 million litres of water from being wasted. This slow beauty company also boasts B-Corp status, are climate-neutral and Living Wage certified.
5. Fat and The Moon
As their name might suggest, Fat and The Moon are a quirky, free loving company. They even call themselves a coven of witches and refer to many of their recipes as potions! Fat and The Moon draw inspiration from herbalists and natural remedies to create earth-friendly makeup and beauty items. They sell everything from vwomens vegan hair care products to highlighters, eyeliners, and new mother and baby collections. Fat and The Moon could easily be your one stop slow beauty shop! By working with charities and promoting body affirming messages, Fat and The Moon aim to do social good. They are also committed to sustainability, have a zero waste policy and only use recyclable and reusable packaging.
6. HIGHR Collective
Another certified B-Corp company, HIGHR Collective was founded to combine luxury and slow beauty. Their vegan, plant-based lipsticks are created with 100% clean solar energy and are 100% Carbon Neutral. On top of that, they look gorgeous! The company claims that buying one HIGHR Lipstick saves a total of 5.8 lbs of carbon dioxide compared to standard lipstick. HIGHR also strictly avoids any ingredient that can harm the environment such as all forms of silicone, palm oil or microplastics. Their packaging is recycled and biodegradable and all print is done with vegetable and water inks. HIGHR Collective is proving that adopting slow beauty doesn’t mean compromising on style.
7. LOLI
LOLI stands for ‘Living Organic Loving Ingredients’ and they specialise in women’s and men’s vegan skincare. Founder Tina Hedges was horrified by the long lists of synthetic ingredients found on the back of most cosmetics. She was inspired to return to the beauty practices of our ancestors such as Cleopatra and Arawak Indians. The result is slow beauty products created from superfood ingredients that nourish and feed the skin. In their own words, LOLI’s mission is ‘to stir things up and make a conscious change – equal parts ethical, effective and empowering.’ The brand is waste-free, toxin-free and plastic-free. The glass jars are all recyclable or reusable and the products come delivered in compostable labels, bags, and boxes. Treat your skin by creating a slow beauty routine with their products.
Slow Beauty for The Future
The beauty industry is full of trends and we really hope slow beauty is one that will stick around. What better way to start your morning than by lighting a sustainable candle, pouring yourself an ethical coffee, and practising some self care with a slow beauty routine?
What else should we be trying? Drop us a line and let us know!