13 sustainable beauty brands to shop and do right by the planet this Earth Day 2022

1. Biossance

If you haven't heard of Biossance then put it on your must-try list ASAP.

Since the 16th century, sharks were hunted for their squalene, an oil in their livers used to make moisturisers and skincare products. As a result, Biossance developed its trademarked ingredient called squalane, which is a renewable and sugarcane sourced version that saves two million sharks every year. Two million, people.

Not only are all the brand's ingredients ethically and sustainably sourced, but it bans over 2,000 ingredients in its products that are known to be toxic for its customers as well as the environment.

Believe it or not, that's not all. Biossance has also committed to being a zero-waste company by 2025.

Basically, we all pretty much need to give Biossance a standing ovation.

2. Beauty Blender

Beauty Blender decided to bring you a sustainable alternative without compromising that stunning Beauty Blender quality!

The brand has worked to substitute 60% of raw materials for a plant-based alternative. Beautyblender Bio-Pure still gives that skin-mimicking texture, soft bounce and precise pore count of the OG makeup sponge.

3. Face Halo

The average makeup wearer uses 730 makeup wipes each year. It takes 100 hours for one makeup wipe to break down in a landfill. Those are some scary numbers.

Face Halo has always been one of the major leaders in sustainable beauty. These are microfibre makeup removers that can get rid of your makeup using just water, meaning there is no need for harmful chemicals for your skin or the environment. On top of that, the reusable and washable Face Halo replaces 500 makeup wipes.

The brand has worked to prevent over one billion makeup wipes from going into landfills and to avoid any Face Halos ending up there, you can upcycle your old halos and watch them transform into Beautiful Threads.

4. Burt's Bees

It's no secret that bee numbers are dwindling and that's very bad news for our environment. Fruits, vegetables and flora all need pollinators to grow.

As a result, Burt's Bees launched its Bring Back the Bees campaign. For each pack sold, $1 will be donated to the local Australian charity partner, The Wheen Bee Foundation.

5. The Body Shop

For years, sustainability has been a core value of The Body Shop. It executes this through recycling and refill initiatives, changing packaging and sustainably sourced ingredients.

Currently, more than 68% of The Body Shop packaging can technically be recycled. By 2025, the brand has committed to making all bath and body and hair care products fully recyclable.

The label has also pledged to power all of its stores with renewable or carbon-balanced energy.

6. Youth To The People

My favourite quote from Youth To The People is that it's committed to being "a work in progress".

The label openly states that the beauty industry is a huge offender when it comes to packaging waste. In 2017 alone, the cosmetics industry produced 76.8 billion pieces of plastic packaging.

The brand chooses to use glass packaging instead of plastic, which takes thousands of years to decompose, pollutes the ocean, hurts our wildlife and contaminates the air.

Youth To The People formulas are also vegan, cruelty-free and biodegradable, meaning they won't cause harm to the ocean once you wash it off your face.

7. Bybie Beauty

When it comes to being an environmentally friendly and sustainable brand, Bybie Beauty ticks about every box. According to the brand "we believe that great skincare should not come at a cost to our planet and it's our mission to bring climate conscious products to the masses."

Being a beauty brand that's good to the environment has been at the label's core since its launch. It's upcycled strawberry seeds from juice manufacturers, invested in launching sugar cane packaging, and produces everything in its own green energy powered lab located in London.

The brand has already achieved a carbon-neutral status after funding projects that remove C02 emissions. BUT it's working even harder to be carbon-negative and remove more than its own share of damaging emissions.

Let's get another standing ovation please and thank you!

8. Fenty Skin

Fenty, as a brand, has always been a game-changer.

While it may be more known for its efforts in inclusivity and diversity within the beauty industry, the environment is still very much at the forefront of this company's values.

You're actually able to recycle the majority of the packaging from Fenty Skin including the Total Cleanser, Fat Water, Hydra Visor and Instant Reset. The brand also has multiple ways you can upcycle its packaging from propagating your plants to a new handy cookie-cutter.

9. Tata Harper

Tata Harper may not be a brand you've heard of before but it definitely holds some medals of honour. It has certifications from Peta (cruelty free) and the American Vegetarian Association for its vegetarian formulas, uses paper from sustainably managed forests and carries an Ecocert certification.

10. David Jones

You may not have expected to see David Jones in this article but the Australian retailer has officially launched BeautyCycle. It's a new initiative in partnership with recycling disrupters TerraCycle on Earth Day to help make the beauty industry more sustainable.

This brand spanking new program gives makeup users a solution for beauty packaging that cannot be recycled via regular kerbside services. You can expect to see these drop-off boxes in David Jones stores nationally. Like I needed another reason to spend three hours at David Jones but hey, anything for the environment.

11. Bondi Sands

I've been a user of Bondi Sands for years and while it may not be common knowledge, this tanning label definitely looks out for its customers and the planet too.

Not only does it use 100% recyclable packaging in its Pure range and reef-friendly suncare range but the brand is super reactive. It created special reusable ceramic cups and bottles with 100% of proceeds donated to the Red Cross. And recently, it became part of a world-first, sustainable packaging project and has purchased part of a forest plantation in New South Wales, Australia to offset our carbon emissions.

12. Sunday Riley

Sunday Riley is officially a Certified B Corporation. The major skincare brand earned this fabulous badge of honour through package waste reduction, purchasing carbon credits to become more energy-efficient, supplier accountability, new social impact initiatives and of course, being a cruelty-free beauty brand.

However, what makes them one of my personal favourite brands this Earth Day is that the brand is planting thousands of trees around the world in honor of people who are just as passionate about making the world a greener place.

"Here in Australia, we are planting 50 x trees a month – The donations help to plant millions of trees across Australia to recover forests affected by the 2019-20 Black Summer Bushfires and restore native habitat vital for wildlife" stated the brand.

There's never been a better reason to shop for skincare.

13. Lush

You know the name and you very likely know the iconic scent of every Lush store.

This iconic brand has been paving the way in environmentally friendly beauty since its beginning. The brand prides itself on using creative strategies to create products that don't harm our planet but instead, have a positive impact on it. Over 90% of the Lush packaging is recyclable and the other 10% you can return in store in exchange for free product.

The ingredients within the Lush products are produced in a sustainable way and the brand avoids ingredients that aren't eg. Palm Oil. Over 70% of the Lush range is self-preserving.