Can Your Beauty Routine Fight Climate Change?

It might sound surprising, but your beauty routine does have a climate impact. Every shampoo you wash down the drain, every product shipped from overseas, and every plastic bottle produced contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and resource use. For example, beauty packaging alone generates a massive carbon footprint: an industry report cites 114 billion pieces of single-use beauty packaging tossed each year. The transportation and production of all those products emits CO₂. However, that means we can also reduce emissions through our personal choices. While individual actions alone can’t stop global warming, they do add up, and the beauty sector itself is starting to respond. Here’s how your routine can become a small part of the climate solution: Use Less Water & Energy: Running hot water and blow-drying are energy-intensive. Since about 93% of the carbon footprint of shampooing comes from heating water, wash your hair less often and with cooler water. Even shortening your shower by a few minutes saves both water and the energy to heat it. When drying, turn the hair dryer down or let hair air-dry partway. Simple habits like these cut personal energy use. Also try dry shampoo to skip water entirely on wash days (as noted before, it can save ~62L of hot water per use). By reducing hot water and electricity for styling, you directly shrink your routine’s carbon footprint.

Switch to “Climate-Friendly” Products: Seek out brands that minimize emissions. The Provenance guide notes that reducing carbon often means rethinking ingredients and manufacturing. For instance, avoid palm oil (a major deforestation driver). Many beauty companies have pledged to cut palm in their products, since clearing tropical forests releases CO₂. Instead, use products with certified sustainable palm (RSPO) or alternatives (coconut, cocoa butter). Choose sunscreens and foundations with locally sourced mineral ingredients, and look for certifications like Climate Neutral or B Corp labels. Carbon-neutral beauty brands (like Tata Harper or Mahalo) compensate emissions via forestry projects – supporting them means a portion of your spend goes to climate action. Some brands even outline their carbon footprint and reduction plans (so read brand websites!). Every time you opt for a climate-conscious product or brand, you’re voting for a lower-carbon industry.

Buy Less, Multi-use Products: The beauty industry’s production and shipping churn out greenhouse gases. A helpful mindset is to purchase fewer items overall. Choose multi-purpose formulas (e.g., a tinted moisturizer with SPF instead of separate products) to cut down manufacturing demand. Buy larger sizes (just one container, not three travel minis) to minimize packaging per ounce. When shopping, pick solid bars (shampoo, lotion, face cleanser) – they pack more product into less weight and no water, so shipping them is far more efficient. For example, a solid bar loaded with 0% water requires up to 70% less transport weight than a liquid bottle. The trade-off is minimal cost and effort, and the result is lower fossil fuel use across the supply chain.

Opt for Local and Seasonal

Whenever possible, support local brands and ingredients. A lotion made in your country or region skips airplane or ocean freight emissions. Some eco-minded creators use locally available botanicals, cutting transportation and supporting local economies. Even in skincare DIY: choose herbs and oils that grow nearby (like local clay or beeswax) rather than exotic imports. This reduces the carbon miles of your routine. Seasonal skincare (think light products in summer, richer in winter) can also avoid elaborate formulas with imported ingredients.

Offset and Reforest

One direct way individuals can fight climate change is by offsetting unavoidable emissions. Some beauty brands plant trees for each purchase (for example, the Body Shop runs community reforestation projects). You can supplement by donating a bit to tree-planting nonprofits or carbon offset platforms as part of your beauty budget. For instance, if you travel to a salon, offset that trip or ask the salon if they invest in offsets (some do as part of going green). While offsets aren’t perfect, planting trees and preserving forests help pull CO₂ from the air, fighting climate change. Even better: campaigns like Aveda’s have funded millions of tree-plantings –supporting such brands helps expand these efforts.

Recycle and Compost Beauty Waste: Reducing waste also ties to climate. Landfilled plastic emits methane over time, and producing new plastic uses oil. Be diligent about recycling empties (glass and aluminum are infinitely recyclable). Compost natural waste (coffee grounds, eggshell masks) –this prevents methane from organic waste in landfill. Small actions count: skincare brands are starting “zero waste” models, but consumers can also ensure any waste is diverted from dumps and toward recycling or compost programs. Every bit of plastic or organic waste kept out of landfills saves greenhouse gases.

Advocate and Educate

Speak up! Demand bigger change. When companies see consumers care about climate, they innovate. Share eco tips on social media, encourage friends to join you in “carbon-neutral” beauty swaps, and choose companies with strong climate commitments. For example, look for news of big brands (L’Oréal, Estée Lauder, Natura) setting science-based climate goals – their success often hinges on customer support. The more we vote with our wallets for genuinely sustainable practices, the more the industry will drive down its overall emissions.

In summary, yes, your beauty routine can contribute to fighting climate change, but only through conscious effort. By reducing energy and water use in daily rituals, choosing low-carbon products, minimizing waste, and supporting reforestation, your actions help lower greenhouse gases. It’s not a silver bullet – systemic change and green energy are crucial too – but individual choices send a powerful signal.

Every eco-swap (using a bar vs. a bottle, air-drying hair, buying climate-neutral brands) adds up. Together, millions of such choices can shift market demand and even reduce an awful lot of CO₂. As the Ethical Consumer advises, focus on practical changes like using less shampoo and shorter showers and you’ll directly shrink your carbon footprint. Your beauty routine doesn’t have to be a climate villain – with intentional swaps, it can be part of the climate solution.

Related reading

• The Carbon Footprint of Your Beauty Routine (Sep 16, 2025)
• Manufacturing and Carbon Footprint (Aug 5, 2025)

Disclaimer: Educational content only. Not medical advice.