Is green beauty ethical?

Is green beauty ethical? ​ ​

April is #earthmonth so I wanted to dive into some earth conscious questions about the #greenskincare industry. Since it has become so mainstream over the last few years, has production of green beauty products maintained its ethical claim? ​ ​To better answer this, we have to explore what makes a beauty product ethical.

My go-to list includes: ​

- NEVER EVER tested on animals. This is a non-negotiable and is actually outlawed in certain states. Look for the leaping bunny logo or check out the cosmetic testing FAQ page of the humane society's website. ​ ​

- Fair-trade wages/compensation to anyone involved in the chain of work required to create the products. @Kahinagivingbeauty, @consciouscoconut and @hanahanabeauty are all great examples of this commitment with full transparency laid out on their websites. ​ ​

- Using ingredients that are in abundance naturally and do not disrupt any ecosystems. Some ingredients have become so popular over the last decade that they are now endangered or are creating a bigger carbon footprint to keep up with demand. A perfect example of doing this right is how @oseamalibu sources seaweed algae. ​

​- The origin of that beauty ingredient valued and protected. To better explain this, you basically have to give credit where credit is due. If a product, practice, or ingredient has a long history in a country or community outside of your own, it can often be diluted and repackaged for the benefit of people outside of that community leaving them with little control of their precious and important resources.

​- The products are not creating more waste and are easy to up-cycle and/or recycle. ​ ​

- BONUS is a give back to the environment (1% for the planet, planting a tree for every product sold, etc.) ​ ​

It can be difficult to check all of those boxes when you are simply trying to buy some mascara or shampoo so give yourself some grace if you previously invested in something and simply didn't know if a product was in opposition to the above mentioned items. ​ ​What qualifies as ethical beauty to you? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!