Podcast 178: What is end of life beauty planning?

In a world brimming with beauty products and services, have you ever wondered what happens to them once they’ve served their purpose? As we immerse ourselves in skincare, haircare and makeup, it’s easy to forget that beautifying often comes at a cost to our planet. The beauty industry, with its myriad companies, products, and services, has inadvertently – or perhaps also blatantly – contributed to the mounting waste crisis that plagues our planet.

In this opinion episode of Green Beauty Conversations, host and Formula Botanica CEO Lorraine Dallmeier – also a Chartered Environmentalist and a biologist – presents a new and pressing concept for all of us in the beauty industry to think about and make centre stage: “end-of-life beauty planning”. As Lorraine delves into this revolutionary idea, she challenges the beauty industry to rethink its approach to sustainability and embark on a journey towards responsible and conscious practices. Listen in to learn why we should buy, manufacture, and formulate cosmetics with their end in mind.

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In this episode, you will hear about:

• The scale of the waste problem: while the statistics on global waste from the beauty industry vary, the problem is evident, yet big cosmetic corporates tend to keep waste information under wraps.
• Designing formulations with their end in mind: Lorraine explains that formulations often end up in the environment through various routes. Contrary to belief, very little is absorbed into the skin. Most cosmetics are disposed of as waste flushed down the drain or end up in landfills and waterways.
• The importance of sustainable packaging: some brands are pursuing plastic-neutral certification, but true sustainability goes beyond neutrality. It involves considering the entire lifecycle of the packaging and its impact on the environment.
• Addressing waste across the beauty supply chain: Lorraine coins the term “end-of-life beauty planning” to address how a cosmetic is disposed of. Every player in the industry has a role to play in minimising waste and adopting responsible practices, whether manufacturer, retailer, packaging supplier or consumer.

Key takeouts include:

• “End-of-life beauty planning” should inspire a collective effort in tackling the beauty industry’s waste problem. By considering the environmental impact of products and services from inception to disposal, the industry can pave the way for a more sustainable future.
• Lorraine challenges the beauty industry to prioritise waste management and end-of-life strategies. The topic of waste may not be glamorous, but it is vital to address to ensure a cleaner, greener planet.
• This vision for the industry extends to everyone involved, whether formulators, beauty shoppers, cosmetic executives, journalists, or podcast listeners. All of us can contribute to creating a more responsible and environmentally conscious beauty sector.
• Lorraine concludes with a powerful message: begin with the end in mind. She challenges us to start the conversation about end-of-life beauty planning. First, we need to acknowledge that all beauty products eventually end up somewhere – usually as waste.

Join the movement and start the conversation to bring about positive change in the world of beauty. Whether as individuals or businesses, we can proactively work towards a more sustainable ending.

Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share, subscribe and review this episode on iTunes, Spotify or Youtube so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Lorraine Dallmeier is a Biologist, Chartered Environmentalist and the CEO of Formula Botanica, the award-winning online organic cosmetic science school. Read more about Lorraine and the Formula Botanica Team.