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The beauty eco-influencers and ethical brands to look out for this year…

As champions of all things clean and green, we’ve been banging the eco beauty drum for a long time but the good news is, the industry as a whole is now – slowly – shifting round to our way of thinking. 2020 is set to be a big year for sustainable beauty brands, with more and more health-conscious start-ups blazing a trail and forcing the big brands to change their toxic ways, whether that’s pledging against plastic, cleaning up their formulations or giving back to the planet. With demand for greener cosmetics increasing every day, we’ve flagged a few of our favourite eco-influencers and ethically sound brands to put on your radar and make this year a little bit kinder on your skin and the planet…

The organic make-up queen: Noleen sliney

Natural beauty buffs should look up Noleen Sliney, an organic make-up artist, cruelty-free beauty ambassador and founder of the Natural Beauty Society, who is making waves in the ethical beauty sphere. In an industry crowded with confusion as to what constitutes natural and organic products, Noleen’s no-nonsense approach to creating flawless faces using her passion for organic cosmetics makes being kinder an easy choice. “I love using natural and organic products because I feel like I’m literally having my cake and eating it!” she says. “By using natural and organic, I can be sure the products don’t contain any ingredients that are harmful to my health or skin and are not tested on animals. In addition, many of the ingredients are kinder to the environment.”

For anyone resolving to choose organic beauty this new year Noleen has this advice: “It can be very tempting to switch all of your products at once to natural and organic versions, but I don’t recommend that. Even when ingredients are natural, you may still react so I advise my clients to only try one new product at a time.

“Look for certification from the Soil Association or Cosmos too. If you see one of their logos on a product you can be sure the ingredients are natural, organic and high quality.” Find out more on Instagram@noleenslineymakeupartists

The one stop eco shop: A little find

Keep your eye on A Little Find this year. This environmentally responsible e-tailer makes conscious living easy with its comprehensive range of sustainable lifestyle and beauty products: think highperformance mineral sunscreens, green nappy creams, luxury vegan bath milks and everything in between.

Founder Caroline Jacobs-Graf says: “The idea to build a platform to bring together the best conscious and responsible brands and build a meaningful shopping experience has been influenced by my three young children. I want to challenge their thinking and make them rethink their daily routines.

“We only have one planet and there is no plan B, so turn off the light if you’re not in the room, think about how long you really need to shower for and consider your plastic and food waste,” she adds. “These are simple changes, but overall they have a big effect.”

Caroline predicts plastic will still be a hot topic for consumers and retailers in 2020 but other concerns will come to the forefront this year too. “On A Little Find we continue to highlight subjects like the pollution caused by sun cream, the harmful chemicals in cleaning products, pollution caused by light and many other topics to consumers. Governments and individuals have a responsibility to address plastic and air pollution more seriously.” Hear hear. Find out more at, alittlefind.com

The caring cosmetics brand: Luxe botanics

On the hunt for natural beauty products that really give back? Look no further than Luxe Botanics: this gorgeously green beauty brand puts its money where its mouth is. Founder Jene Roestorf says: “I grew up in the African bush so have always had a deep love of all things nature. To me, being green means not only using ingredients found in nature, but also sourcing these beautiful ingredients in a sustainable way that respects the land and communities. Our Marula oil is hand-picked by the Maasai community who go into the wild stands of Kenya to harvest the fruit. By working in partnership with the Maasai, we economically empower the community as well as give value to the trees, which would otherwise be cut down.” Luxe Botanics will continue to do good for 2020, too. “We have a huge focus on empowering women and girls in impoverished communities,” says Jene. “They are the secret weapon to tackling climate change. We will be supporting The Mango Tree Orphan Support Trust by funding high-quality education in a safe, healthy and loving environment. The world is so imbalanced, it really is as simple as doing your part.” Find out more at luxebotanics.com

The eco beauty influencer: Ailish lucas

Ailish Lucas, aka The Glow Getter, is an award-winning sustainable beauty blogger, YouTuber, beauty therapist and was recently voted one of the top 25 people moving natural beauty forward in the UK – oh, and she’s a trained make-up artist too. Her popular blog and Instagram page charted her journey dealing with severe hormonal acne using natural and organic products to achieve today’s glowing visage holistically and coaches others to do the same. Ailish is passionate about supporting natural and ecofriendly brands, saying: “I look for three top things in skincare. Firstly, are the ingredients natural and will they help my skin, not hinder it? Secondly I check if the brand is cruelty-free; we don’t need to test on our furry friends and if a brand does, then I’m out! Finally, I check that the brand not only looks nice but is ethical and cares about its imprint on the world.” Find out more on Instagram@theglowgetterofficial

The bathroom hero: Hydrophil

A shocking 3.6 billion plastic toothbrushes are used every year and with each taking around a thousand years to decompose, the majority ends up in our oceans. On top of this, the UK uses more cotton buds than any other European country – 13.2 billion per year – contributing to plastic pollution and prompting the government’s ban on plastic buds from this spring. To help you reduce your bathroom waste, search out eco hero Hydrophil, which has a range of vegan, biodegradable and recyclable items and a strong focus on reducing water wastage in product creation.

“Besides air, water is the most important resource for plants, animals and humans,” the brand says. “Without water there would be no life! Our vision is a sustainable full range for the bathroom – water-neutral, vegan and fair. Whenever possible we use resources which don’t endanger ground or drinking water. We also donate 10 percent of our profits to providing access to clean drinking water for people in countries of the global South.” Choose from bamboo toothbrushes, buds, ayurvedic natural toothpaste and more to help minimise your plastic footprint for 2020.

And what’s next in the water-neutral world? “We are very much looking forward to working to make tomorrow’s world even more beautiful and greener. We are always working on new products that stay true to our motto: Do a little bit better every day.” Watch this space… Find out more at hydrophil.com/en