Cleaning up your beauty routine can have a lot of meanings. On the most basic level you can edit your collection down to only the products you actually use in an effort to declutter your space and use products more mindfully. If you’re curious about safer, more natural beauty, you can use it as a time to evaluate the ingredients in the formulas, making sure you’re comfortable with what you’re putting on your skin and hair.
You can also take this as a time to think about your routine’s environmental impact. Unfortunately, the beauty industry has a lot of movement to make in this area. Not only do we produce a significant amount of product (TerraCycle estimates there are 120 billion units of product produced each year), but much of what is produced is single-use plastic. Even if you do your best, much of what you toss in the blue bin likely still will end up in the landfill as beauty bottles are notoriously hard to properly recycle.
So it’s important to take the time and think carefully about what you’re purchasing—and if you’ll be able to dispose of it properly after. If your routine is filled with products that you fear might end up in the landfill, perhaps it’s time to look for more environmentally-friendly products. Certainly there are brands that are making progress—and here’s just a few of them!