What is blue beauty?

You may have seen the term ‘blue beauty’ online in recent months and questioned what exactly it is. Blue beauty is a sustainable skincare movement centred around using ocean-friendly ingredients and zero waste packaging to help conserve our seas and marine life. 

The beauty industry is one of the largest plastic polluters in the world. Whether it be sachets, pots, jars, bottles; plastic takes hundreds of years to decompose and often ends up being eaten by animals as a result. Not only is it killing wildlife, but it’s severely damaging our planet. 

According to Zero Waste, 120 billion units of packaging are produced globally by the cosmetics industry and most of this is non-recyclable. It has to go somewhere, meaning that unfortunately 79% of all plastics produced are sent to landfill (Terracycle). As well as this, 8 million tonnes of plastic is going into our oceans each year (Sarah Jay, Toxic Beauty) - that’s the equivalent to 1 truck full of plastic going into the sea each minute. An absolutely devastating statistic for our oceans. 

So what can we do to change this?

Sadly, the recycling industry doesn't take the responsibility, nor the time, to recycle mixed component materials, which count for a large amount of plastic that is dumped. However, both brands and consumers can do our bit to ensure we limit, and within time, eliminate use of harmful plastics. 

A new wave of conscious beauty brands are striving to make change and pave the way for what is to come; whether it be creating plant-based alternatives to marine-derived ingredients, banning the use of toxic chemicals in products to include micro-beads and coral-bleaching chemicals or ensuring all packaging is fully recyclable. Many brands are now adopting refillable options too - which is a great initiative to reduce plastic consumption. 

It is the responsibility of brands to be fully transparent about where their ingredients are being sourced and what is in the products they are looking to purchase, so that customers can make informed and ethical decisions. 

The blue beauty movement is imperative in order for us to protect our planet's biodiversity. We cannot have a fully functioning ecosystem without the ocean, therefore we must all commit to this way of living - individually and collectively.

Here at Level 7 Beauty Hall, each brand that we stock has been carefully selected to meet our conscious, clean and sustainable beauty standards - so you can shop with us confidently, knowing that you are doing your bit to contribute to a greater future for our planet.