By UN Environment
Go into any beauty store and you will see shelves full of products that promise to fix every problem with your appearance that you didn’t realize you had. Is your hair too oily or too dry? There’s a shampoo for that. Got flaky skin? Take this exfoliator. Is your skin discoloured? Use this colour-correcting foundation or check out this blusher.
Distracted by choices about which products to choose, consumers may not take time to consider the environmental impact of these products.
Many people are not aware of just how much plastic is hidden in their beauty and personal care routine. Take a look at your bathroom. At first glance, depending on where you live and your purchasing habits, you may notice the plastic used to package your shampoo, make-up, shower gel, and almost every personal care product you own. At second glance, you may start to pay attention to the everyday plastic products that you have always used without consideration of their plastic footprint—your toothbrush, your razor, your disposable face wipes and your cotton buds. Perhaps when you look even closer, you will notice that the tiny spheres in your face scrub are made of plastic, and your favourite eyeshadow also has plastic glitter in it.
