The environment. It’s kind of a big deal. So is wellness. But a lot of the time, self care and wellness routines aren’t the most environmentally friendly. The spa and cosmetic industries have yet to make significant changes to their practices, and problems like greenwashing make it difficult to determine what is truly impactful as a consumer. Here are some tips and pointers if you are looking to make your wellness and self care routines, both at the spa and at home, a little more eco-friendly.

Buy less, waste less. Most Americans waste a significant portion of their skincare, cosmetic, and wellness products. How many half used bottles of lotions or shampoo or barely used makeup products have made their way to the dark recesses of your bathroom cabinets, collecting dust in silence? Yes-- I am definitely calling myself out on personal behavior. I tend to buy something, decide it is not for me, get lazy, and stop using it altogether. Then I impulse buy something new (because I am a sucker for clean product design) and the life cycle begins again. To begin reducing your at-home routine’s impact on the environment, start by using every bit of what you purchase, and don’t buy more until it’s gone. The personal product industry is sneaky at convincing buyers that the latest trending product is a necessity. Don’t misunderstand me-- it’s fine to try the newest cleansing oil or eye cream, but consider the following carefully before purchasing:

Will I use all of it? Will the product expire before I use it all?
Is this similar to something I am already using at home? If so, will it be replacing that product completely, or used in conjunction with it?
Can I wait until I’m out of my current product before buying this? Is it really necessary to buy at the very moment?

Chances are, 9 times out of 10, you’ll forego the impulse buy. The biggest way to reduce waste is to not buy something in the first place. Then, use something until it is all gone before replacing. If you do need to switch a product (Not working? Allergic to something? Smells like your Aunt Bessie?) consider giving it to a friend or a neighbor. They might be able to use it, and would appreciate the gesture.

Be mindful of product packaging. Skincare products are often overly packaged in ways that can’t be reused or recycled, and thus end up in landfills. Look for products that feature no packaging, such as shampoo bars or solid lotions. These are usually similar in shape and size to a bar of soap, and come with little to no packaging. Find other options that come in reusable containers, and ideally glass. When reusing personal product containers, it is important to clean them well, and never use them for food, as products can have dangerous chemical components.

Ever seen one of these? Yeah, it doesn’t actually mean anything.

Beware greenwashing! A term coined in 1986 by environmentalist Jay Westervelt, “greenwashing” refers to a business or company making false claims or insinuating that their products or practices do more for the environment than they really do. A common greenwashing tactic you see is labelling eggs as “all natural.” It doesn’t really mean anything, other than that the egg did, in fact, come from a chicken. In skincare and wellness products, greenwashing is a rampant tactic to misguide the consumer toward buying something they think is low-impact, but really is not. Examples in the skin care and personal care industry are things like “naturally-derived ingredients,” “sulfate and paraben-free” or labels that are designed to make you think they are more environmentally conscious than they really are. So how do you avoid greenwashing? Read labels carefully, and do some research. If a brand claims to be environmentally friendly, what do they actually do? Do they have policies in place to offset emissions, or are they just using 10% post-consumer materials in their boxes. If a label claims that a product is free of certain ingredients, what else is used in it?

Make your own. A growing trend in the wellness and self care industries is to create your own items using the most basic of household ingredients. Things like epsom salt blends, sugar scrubs, herbal steams, even natural skincare products like toners and facemasks can be made rather easily at home. This can save you a lot of money, and also helps minimize wasted product or packaging. If you buy a plastic bottle of toner every couple months, and it comes in a cardboard box or wrapped in additional plastic, that waste adds up over time. But, if you learn how to create your own toner, you can refill one bottle many times once you run out. It takes a little more time, yes, but also helps you to connect deeply with the ritual of self care and wellness, which many find to be more rewarding than buying a product while at the store. These can also make fantastic gifts to friends and loved ones (just make sure they won’t stash it away in a cupboard to be forgotten!)

Small changes in the way we buy, use, and cultivate wellness and self care in our own lives can have a large impact on the footprint we leave behind on this planet. Whether you decide to create all your own products using sustainable ingredients and reusable packaging, or you focus on consuming less and using everything to its fullest, each of us can take action toward providing future generations with a thriving world.