The Green Beauty Queen: Mastering Your Zero-Waste Skincare Routine

by Kopp Copy LLC October 12, 2022

Save trees facial tissues over blue nightstand

Key Takeaways

Beauty’s plastic problem is massive: Consumers buy more than 120 billion packages every year.
You can still have great skin while cutting waste; zero-waste skincare is about smarter swaps, not sacrifice.
Start simple, using fewer products and finishing what you have before replacing them.
Choose packaging that lasts, opting for refillable or compostable containers made from glass, metal or paper.
Swap single-use for sustainability with reusable cloths and bamboo facial tissues that keep your routine eco-friendly.
Compost carefully: Only unsoiled, natural materials belong in your compost, so skip anything with chemicals or silicones.

You’re trying out green beauty products and building your zero-waste skincare routine. And it's just flat-out hard sometimes.

If you’re anything like us, you’ve spent years researching and testing products to perfect your unique skincare regimen.

Giving up that meticulous routine is tough, and we applaud you for even reading this blog. So how do you green your skincare routine?

How Do Skincare Products Affect the Planet?

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably seen some of the devastating stats about the beauty industry’s impact on the environment:

Beauty brands create over 120 billion units of plastic packaging every year, nearly all of it destined for a landfill.
Around 95% of cosmetic packaging alone goes unrecycled.
The beauty industry used 10.4 million tons of water in 2020.

That’s why zero-waste beauty isn’t just about packaging; it’s about reducing overall environmental impact. Traditional skincare products and processes hurt the Earth. You can help heal it.

How Can You Build a Zero-Waste Skincare Routine? 5 Savvy Steps

We’ve got good news. It’s possible to have a zero-waste skincare routine that leaves you with healthy, glowing skin and pride in your green beauty products.

The goal of a zero-waste skincare routine is to create zero trash. That means everything’s either biodegradable in compost or recyclable.

We know it may be difficult to believe when you’re walking down the beauty aisle. Green beauty products with little to no waste exist, and many are healthier for your skin than big name-brand options.

Here’s how to turn that awareness into daily action: Take these five steps to stride toward sustainable skincare.

Every thoughtful change, whether bamboo tissue or refillable serum, brings you closer to a planet-friendly beauty routine.

Step 1. Reduce Your Routine

In terms of makeup and skincare, nearly everything you find in store aisles is plastic-clad and nonrecyclable. It seems impossible you could ever find products to replace your favorite cleansers, moisturizers and exfoliants.

Remember: Less is more when it comes to beauty products.

Image of person putting moisturizer on hand

Part of creating a zero-waste skincare routine is simply reducing how much you use.

Did you know that American women use an average of 12 beauty products a day? Imagine how much simpler your routine would be (and how much waste you’d prevent) by streamlining your daily process and products.

We’re not telling you to give up makeup! By taking it down to the essentials, you’ll already cut your skincare routine waste in half. Plus, using less makeup keeps your skin healthier, helping you further reduce your skincare products.

Reducing your routine not only declutters your vanity; it also cuts packaging waste and your routine’s carbon footprint.

Step 2. Find Green Beauty Products

One of the best places to find green beauty products is a package-free store or bulk refillery.

If you live in a major city, this is a great place to find two low-waste materials:

Plastic-free makeup products
Refillable liquids for zero-waste skincare like foaming cleansers, oils and moisturizers

If you’re not in a major city, it’s often harder to find a refillery: You may have to venture online.

The best products come in biodegradable packaging like paper or cardboard. If you can’t find that, opt for glass or metal because plastic never truly decomposes.

Check out these green beauty products while you’re browsing:

Every refillable, compostable or plastic-free swap keeps more waste out of landfills and helps shrink the beauty industry’s plastic problem.

Tip. No matter what eco-friendly brand you go with, check product labels for greenwashing. You can upcycle glass and metal containers to extend their life (and be fabulously crafty).

Step 3. Reduce Your Removal Routine

Another benefit of reducing your makeup use is that you don’t have to call in reinforcements to remove it. Makeup removal is one of the easier places to shift to zero-waste.

You’ll want an oil-based product to remove stubborn eye makeup. We recommend a plant-based oil like coconut oil.

You can often buy coconut oil in a glass jar at the store and find it at a refillery. A little oil on your washcloth usually takes that eye makeup right off.

Now, what about what’s left when you’ve removed the warpaint? Again, the goal of zero-waste skincare is to reduce what you send to the landfill.

When you take your trash out at the end of the week, look at what’s in there. Is your trash can full of disposable makeup remover wipes? Plastic q-tips? Cotton balls?

Take note, and see if any more eco-friendly alternatives are available. (We make sustainable bamboo facial tissues to help you green your beauty routine.)

For other zero-waste swaps, don’t overlook your cleaning habits, especially if you use paper products. The best bamboo paper towels offer the same performance as traditional ones with a fraction of the environmental impact. Keep a roll in your beauty drawer for quick, guilt-free cleanups.

Swapping disposable wipes and pads for reusable or bamboo alternatives keeps microplastics out of waterways and supports a cleaner planet.

A trio of bamboo tissue boxes, each adorned with Save Trees label

Step 4. Clean Up Your Cleansing Routine

You’ll want to cleanse and hydrate your skin last, of course.

Seek out a mild bar soap, or try using honey. Really! Raw honey is gentle on skin, doesn’t strip natural oils and has antibacterial properties that help keep blemishes away.

Image of bar soap, a clean cleanser alternative

Rehydrate with a bar lotion or serum, or use a refillable essential oil. Here are a few more of our favorite products for a zero-waste skincare routine:

Primally Pure face cleansing bars
Ethique solid face creams and moisturizers
Blendily Cool as a Cucumber facial toner

Choosing natural cleansers and refillable containers reduces chemical runoff and packaging waste, keeping it kind for you and the Earth.

Finally, let’s talk about what happens after your products have done their job.

Step 5. Compost Like a Champ

It may be tempting to toss paper and cotton items in your compost to achieve that zero-waste skincare routine. But bathroom waste is rarely compostable.

Here’s a quick guide to what bathroom waste can (and can’t) go in the compost bin.

Compost these things:

Unsoiled paper products
Natural plant oils like essential oils or coconut oil
Water-based products
Natural fibers like cotton and bamboo

Save Trees Swish Cloths and bamboo tissues are naturally compostable, but be wary of what they’ve absorbed!

While paper, cotton and bamboo are typically compostable, they’re absorbent. If whatever they’ve absorbed is noncompostable, put the wipe, tissue or pad in the trash too.

Don’t compost these things:

Bodily fluids
Cleaning chemicals
Nail polish remover
Silicone-based products

Silicone is a synthetic made from natural gas and oil. Look for words ending in “cone” or “methicone” to find it in your beauty products (like dimethicone and phenyl trimethicone). Other common silicone-based ingredients include cyclohexasiloxane and cyclopentasiloxane.

Composting is an excellent way to lower your carbon footprint, but follow basic composting guidelines to keep it truly eco-friendly. Proper composting turns everyday beauty waste into soil-saving gold, keeping your skincare routine as circular as nature itself.

And that’s it! You’re ready to get started with your zero-waste skincare routine.

How Can You Make Your Skincare Routine Even More Eco-Friendly?

The first steps to a zero-waste lifestyle are simple: reduce and reuse.

Use up what you already have before you throw it in the trash. Replace it with a green beauty product the next time you’re ready for a refill.

Purchase soft, sustainable paper products that are free of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and bleach to avoid skin irritation.

Breaking away from your brand-name favorites may be challenging, but trying something new can also be exciting. And your journey doesn’t stop at skincare!

Zero-waste living extends to every corner of your routine, from your bathroom to your kitchen.

So go ahead and let your beauty shine, you Green Queen. Keep your glow going with everyday essentials that make sustainability simple.

Ready To Master Your Green Skincare Routine With Save Trees?

We know building a zero-waste skincare routine isn’t always easy; you’ve put in the time to find what works for you. At Save Trees (formerly Cloud Paper), we get it. Change takes effort, but every sustainable swap matters.

From your skincare shelf to your bathroom cabinet, you can keep your routine simple, clean and kind to the planet.

Explore our shop for biodegradable bamboo paper products that make sustainability part of your everyday self-care. You’re already making a difference: one refill, one bamboo tissue, one zero-waste step at a time.