Completely without (eco) cotton pads!
Clean beauty routine
© WAYHOME / Shutterstock
There is more to a clean cleansing and make-up removal routine than using eco cotton pads. It is not always easy to manage the balancing act between environmental friendliness and effectiveness. We have a few tips and tricks on how to bring your skincare routine to a sustainable level.
The cosmetics industry has discovered the topic of sustainability for itself: Where do you not read “Green”, “Clean” and “Eco” everywhere? But it is the completely wrong approach to buy masses of “sustainable” products now, when you might not need them at all. The best example of this are eco cotton pads: the idea is great, but wouldn’t it be even better not to need cotton pads at all? It just belongs more to a sustainable cosmetics routine: Not wasting any product, paying attention to the packaging, the transport route and also clean ingredients are also part of it.
Make-up removal: Without cotton pads
It is much better for the environment if more and more consumers rely on eco cotton pads instead of conventional ones. But what if you don’t need any of this and can even save on additional products? This actually works and is even better than before. If you have previously removed your make-up with make-up remover wipes or cotton pads soaked in micellar water, there is a more effective and sustainable alternative to removing your make-up – yes, even with waterproof mascara! Apart from the fact that the two methods mentioned only clean the skin superficially and you should always clean your face with a washing gel afterwards, they produce a lot of waste. Our tip: Use a cleaning oil! This is applied to dry skin, massaged in thoroughly and then washed off with water.
Because yourself Like in like solves, an oil cleanser frees your face from the skin’s own fats much better. Sweat, dirt, sebum and, of course, make-up are gently but thoroughly removed – without drying out the skin. Finding a good cleanser is not that easy: it has to clean reliably, but the washing-active substances (surfactants) must not be too aggressive, as is the case with e.g. B. would be the case with a soap. Because it damages the skin barrier, which is fundamental to skin health. For example, if your skin feels tight and very dry after cleaning, this could be a sign that your Cleanser too sharp is. With a cleansing oil you not only do without cotton pads, but also do something good for your skin. the Calming Oil Cleanser from Colibri Skincare (around 20 euros) is a sustainable choice: plastic-neutral (glass) packaging, fairly produced ingredients, vegan, without animal testing, from Germany and with climate-neutral shipping. It is also relatively economical and easy to wash off.
Hydration: without waste
The next (optional) step in the skincare routine would be toner, toner and/or essence. All three product categories are very liquid and are therefore often applied to the face with a cotton pad. But through that we waste about half of the product per use to the pad! With cotton pads it is even more because they soak up more. We can do better!
Form a small bowl with your hand and put the product in it. Now gradually absorb the liquid with your free hand and apply it everywhere. It takes some getting used to, but it’s super fast. And you will immediately notice that you much less product needed! You can use this trick anywhere that says “apply with a cotton pad” on the packaging. This also applies to chemical peels such as BHA and AHA. A German clean beauty company is No Cosmetics, which has created an intensively moisturizing product with its “Liquid Hydrator” (around 10 euros) that also soothes the skin. The cosmetics are vegan, made in Germany, free of mineral oils, silicones, parabens, PEGs and are not tested on animals. The products are also packaged in regional workshops by people with disabilities and focus on “Ocean Safety” (“Blue Beauty”).
A small but important tip to waste less product is to always apply serums and creams directly to the face. So don’t put it in your palms first, rub it in there and then massage it in. Instead, always apply it directly to the skin and then just slide your fingertips over your face: This way your hand “sucks up” less product and it gets more to where you want it.
Maintain: Get the best out of your products!
- Sustainable care starts with how you use your products. So that your care lasts as long as possible, you should z. B. Creams in jars only with clean fingers or a disinfected one spatula remove. And very important: The pipettes in serums should be on your skin do not touch! This is how bacteria get into your bottle. This causes your cosmetics to tip over faster – if you then continue to use them, rashes and blemishes can result.
- A simple tip that we forget all too often: use up your products! Of course, sometimes something doesn’t work for your own skin. Therefore, inform yourself extensively beforehand, fall back on experience reports and buy consciously. If you don’t like a face cream, you can either give it as a gift or apply it to your body. Please don’t forget them in the drawer!
- Storing your cosmetics is crucial. If you e.g. B. likes to use a vitamin C serum, then don’t leave it outside. UV rays and air render it ineffective. Incidentally, you can tell this from the color of a vitamin C serum: If this is darker than at the beginning, the effectiveness has been lost and the product is unusable. Therefore, when buying, pay attention to dark, opaque packaging.
- Best for all creams and serums is a “Airless dispensers”. The product is thus protected from air and oxidation, can be removed hygienically and not a drop is wasted. With this packaging, the Reveel by MedSkin Solutions brand does without many preservatives and shines with effective biomaterials. The products are developed and manufactured in Germany, which keeps the transport route short. All products do not contain microplastics, mineral oil, silicone, aluminium, “negative” alcohol, PEG, PPG and animal testing. All packaging materials are recyclable. Unfortunately, not all products are vegan, as the collagen series contain the ingredient “soluble collagen”, which is extracted from the Pacific rootmouth jellyfish. So far, there are only limited effective vegan collagen alternatives in cosmetics.
The most important thing if you want to make your care routine more conscious, cleaner and more sustainable is to take a close look at the products of your choice. Green packaging that clearly says what Not contained may be an indication of greenwashing. Because there are always certain “hanger” ingredients, such as aluminum, mineral oil or microplastics, which have fallen into disrepute in public. Other substances, on the other hand, are just as questionable and may still be in the product. So stay alert and get informed!