The Best Ways to Spend Smart on Eco-Friendly Beauty

You don't always save money when you spend smart, but you get much more. The old adage "you get what you pay for" applies here. However— the more money you spend isn't necessarily a sign of eco-friendliness. That's a brain teaser, we know, we're about to explain.

It seems a little tricky but, a high-quality product and brands that align with sustainable values can’t always be indicated by a higher price tag. The reality is some labels tout optimistic language like clean, minimal, or natural, but the price you’re paying for is the retail markup and brand name. 

Unfortunately, many don’t care about the environment at all. In other words, you're not purchasing from a brand that invests in R&D, but rather from a brand that prioritizes marketing over sustainability. 

Does that feel like smart spending or like you got ripped off?

Worry not, with 3 quick tips we’ll tell you how to figure out if not only a product but the brand behind it, is also harmonious with your values. 

First, a little background on eco-purchasing. There are 3 components that define an eco purchase…

1. It Reduces Waste
2. Supports Recycling Efforts
3. Minimizes Industry Drain on Earth’s Resources

While doing your part to make smart buys is one way to support eco-purchasing, it’s also your enthusiasm that’s important. Peer-to-peer recommendations are a powerful marketing tool, one our planet earth desperately needs. If you find an eco-purchase that really blew you away, write a review, gift the product, or tell your bestie. This is how sustainable beauty becomes the norm. 

Tip One: Take a Look at Packaging (or other similar factors) and Compare Costs

If you want to spend smart on Eco-Friendly beauty, meaning your money is actually going where you want it to go, inspect the packaging. Imagine this— you have three brands of eyeliner…

• Eyeliner A is branded eco-friendly at $25 a tube the packaging is not recyclable or biodegradable
• Eyeliner B is also branded eco-friendly and costs $29 a tube, the packaging is recyclable and/or biodegradable
• Eyeliner C is not made by a sustainable brand, the non-recyclable packaging will only add to the cosmetics industry's waste issues. The cost for this eyeliner is $13 per tube. 

If you were in the market for a sustainable brand of eyeliner but don’t want to buy the $39 tube and would rather go with the $35 one, is there any difference between picking eyeliner C? It’s a debatable scenario— we know. Our point is that the $4 extra would be the smart way to spend your money on eco-friendly beauty. 

Here’s our reasoning…

By having biodegradable packaging, the product is more environmentally friendly. In spite of the higher price, the sustainable brand does all the things you want it to do. If you're willing to spend more because a brand aligns with your values, then it is a savvy eco purchase. 

Remember what we said earlier? When you spend smart, you don't always spend less, but you gain more.

Tip Two: Ensure You’re Paying For What They Say You Are

We do want to say be careful of greenwashing. It’s a rampant practice throughout most big industries. In essence, when a company green-washes its product, it makes suggestive claims, attaches a pricey price tag, and makes you feel better about your purchase, but essentially they aren’t doing the real work to be ecologically responsible.

Take us for example, our compostable magnetic eyelash trays. We could have gone with the more 'affordable' option (plastic) as a new bootstrapped brand founded by a stay-at-home-mom. BUT, we wanted something better. It was the refusal to give up which ended up in us creating what was the first ever sugarcane lash trays. We researched and refused to accept status quo, plastic felt wrong considering our current environmental crisis, so we had new molds created. There are options, sometimes they cost more, but some things you can't put a price tag on. Like a healthy planet, for example. 

Tip Three: Purchase Multipurpose Cosmetics

Your cosmetics can do a lot more than you think. Thankfully, brands are catching on and you can find a lot of products that have more than one purpose. 

Some Favorite Multipurpose Cosmetics Combos:

• Matching cheeks and lips are such a fun combination, and a trending one as well. Try out the trend yourself when you snag a tube of a multi-use blush stick that can be used on the lips as well. We like Well People’s Supernatural Stick Multi-Use Blush.
• Our second multitasking cosmetic combo is certainly not new to the market— it’s the highlight, contour, and blush trio! Try Kaja’s ‘Play Bento Cream Bronzer, Powder Blush, and Highlighter Sculpting Trio. Although this product is still three components, it's three-in-one, cruelty-free, and space-saving.
• Rather than buying individual eyeliners and lipliners, simply get one stick that does all of that plus can be used as eyeshadow. Check out Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Cosmetic Colour Pencils. 

We won’t deny the joy of owning a great variety of makeup, but that isn't why you are reading this article. You're here to learn how to spend wisely on eco-friendly beauty. So keep these closing remarks at the front of your mind:

Multitasking cosmetics is simply one solution. The fact is, that fewer products mean less packaging waste. Don't think of it as giving up anything either. Focusing on one product means  more time understanding if it's a fit for you. Not to mention— using less product translates to a simplified beauty routine! 

Always do your research. A smart purchase is the only one that allows you to justify the price because it has all the qualities you expect from an eco-conscious, beauty brand.