Creating A More Eco-Friendly Beauty and Fashion Industry 

For an extended amount of time now, beauty and self care products have not been eco-friendly, and a majority of these products end up in landfills and are not recycled properly. In an article from Vogue titled “How to Make Your Beauty Routine More Eco-Friendly In 2023” by Lauren Valenti, it stated that 152.1 billion units of beauty products were sold globally in 2018 alone, and that most of these units do not even make it to recycling. Even if you yourself make your beauty and self care routine more eco-friendly, it will help in the long run. People have not been paying much attention to this because not many other people put in the effort to make their routines more sustainable to the planet, so they believe their efforts are overthrown, which is not the case. Although, makeup and self care products being harmful to the planet has been fairly “recent” compared to ancient times when makeup was worn in an eco-friendly way. They were made from plants and other natural materials used from the Earth. SInce technology has dramatically advanced over time, longer lasting and more pigmented makeup has been creed, with the cost of it being a major contributor to harming the planet.    

Recently, Collina Strada and the brand Viron have responded to this global issue by creating eco-friendly shoes that are both fashionable and friendly to our planet. In an article written about these shoes titled “Collina Strada’s Virón Shoes Are Fun, Fabulous, and Eco-Friendly” from the Vogue website written by Liana Satenstein, the company states “It’s that balance of caring and not caring at the same time that we have in common,” they say. “At this moment, [there is] this feeling of ‘nothing matters and everything matters.’ We both think in that way.” And why not have some fun shoes you can feel good about in the process?”. This shoe brand has taken action into supporting our planet and creating sustainable shoes that look good, feel good, and are easily recyclable. 

The new  Oak & Acorn is a brand that manipulates denim and makes it much more friendly to the planet. This brand was made in Harlem, New York, and has been working since about 2019, but the recent call to action on the issue has given this brand the recognition it deserves. According to an article from Vogue titled “Oak & Acorn Is a New Sustainable Denim Line Proudly Made in Harlem” by Christine Allaire, it is stated that the denim is made from Dogon indigo from West Africa. The creator of this brand, Miko Underwood, has traveled from China to Pakistan and many other places to try and find sustainable denim that is fashionable and eco-friendly. Her new brand of denim is made for people of all ages, sizes, and genders. If more of this denim is bought by others, it can help kickstart the first small step to saving our planet. Another development is sustainable swimsuits. According to another article from Vogue titled  “Eco-Friendly Swimsuits For Mindful Summer Swims” by Nicole Kliest introduces a new swimsuit line that is eco-friendly. The article states that you need to look into all factors of the swimsuit such as what it’s made out of, how it is shipped, how it’s made, and if it comes from a small business or not. These new swimsuits are made from organic and recycled materials in order to be made more eco-friendly. 

With years to come, there are two outcomes. More makeup and fashion brands can convert to more sustainable materials that are better for the environment, or these signs of global impact will be ignored. Hopefully, more name brands can take action against the harm that has been done and finally have the heart to fix the damage. If more people come together to work on this issue, we can all bring the world back to a healthier and more thriving state. We all have to start somewhere, and by starting with your makeup and self care products, you alone can make a difference.