38 best sustainable beauty and wellbeing products good for the soul – and the planet

All-natural and so-called sustainable skincare is a huge chunk of the global beauty market – but it’s hard to know who the real heroes are without having a science degree and scrutinising the ingredients. We’ve done our homework to try and give you some helpful signposting for genuinely sustainable products. What we want to look for is trackable statements, transparency around positive impact and credible certifications from respected third parties.

Seeking skincare and wellbeing products that aren’t just good for us, but are great for the wider world, gives us much to consider. Is it from a mass-production manufacturer? Ingredients: organic or vegan? What’s their provenance and does the brand have an ethical supply chain that hasn’t harmed animals or supports fair-trade suppliers? Is the company’s carbon footprint off the charts due to long-distance distribution, and do they earn their carbon-neutral status simply by offsetting emissions? And then there’s the headache of weighing up how the goods are packaged.

It’s rare to find a product that ticks every sustainability box, but we can pick make-up, skincare or beauty accessories that are heroes in some way. We seek to support change-makers who are innovating around genuinely biodegradable plastic-alternative packaging, committing to meaningful positive socio-economic impact for a local community through responsible nature-positive ingredient sourcing. There’s a lot to be said for championing home-grown independently owned businesses by ethical entrepreneurs, too. We salute a product or brand that is honest, effective and provides value for money when you think of the bigger picture — and does what it says on the packaging.