Conscious beauty tips & tricks

We all strive to feel our best every day. Sometimes that may include putting on a fresh coat of mascara, other days that may be a colorful new manicure. But what happens to your makeup once you’re done using it? Beauty can cost not only you, but also the planet. Thousands of tons of old cosmetics are being thrown away every day and just end up filling up landfills.

Believe it or not there are easy steps we can take to help prevent plastic pollution without compromising on the quality of our beauty products. That’s why at Naturabloom we’ve taken measures to ensure that our production is natural, vegan, cruelty free and recyclable and have included PCR and PIR in our packaging.

What is PCR and PIR?

PCR stands for Post-Consumer Recycled resin. It is plastic that has been used by customers and collected for recycling, cleaned, melted and reused. In some cases, closed-loop buyback programs are set up for products to reclaim old plastic products from customers and turn them into recycled resin that will be used again in future products.

PIR is Post Industrial Recycled (resin). This is material, that has never made it to the consumer and is usually left over from the manufacturing process and can be generated for a variety of reasons. Some scrap comes from contouring products or changing production on a line. Other times, scrap is created during necessary product quality and printing standards checks. Since this plastic never leaves the manufacturing setting, it can be easier to collect and recycle.

So how can YOU help? Here are some tips & tricks on how to responsibly reuse or recycle your old or used makeup:

Reuse:

1. Bring life to drying product by adding a few drops of thinner to rehydrate them. If you are running low on a product like mascara or concealer, consider adding a drop or two of micellar water. It works in a pinch without damaging your products. For old nail polish you can use a nail polish thinner which is quite unexpensive and found in most drug stores.

2. Create a custom manicure color by combining old nail polishes. That way they still get used and you get a brand-new hue. We just recommend sticking to the same brand and formula when mixing.

3. Use old nail polish for DIY projects and crafts at home. You can use clear polish to seal in edges of fabrics or ink on paper for labels. Or add color to jewelry or small objects, such as keys to tell them apart easier, fill in scratches on shoes or furniture and many more.

Recycle:

1. If you have decided to dispose of products the old-fashioned way, make sure to clean out all containers before throwing them away. Wipe makeup containers with a wipe and clear nail polish bottles with acetone remover. Pour the polish on a piece of paper, once it dries completely, you can safely throw it out.

! NEVER pour liquids like perfumes, foundations and nail polishes down the drain to avoid contamination.

2. Whenever you can, always opt for recycling the beauty products you are no longer using. Some of them can be tossed in the recycling bins, just look up the recycling requirements of your municipality. And very important – don’t forget to clean thoroughly all plastic or glass products.

3. Check with your local retailer if they accept old packaging for recycling. Many big brands do take back old containers or offer programs for recycling. Here is just one of them: https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/ . All you need to do is just sign up and look for your closest location.

No matter what you use to brighten up your day, enjoy it, but don’t forget to be mindful of the way it affects the environment and to dispose of it in the safest way possible.