Shopping Skincare: How to Reduce Waste & Avoid Overconsumption

Fact: Each year, the beauty industry produces more than 120 billion units of packaging, and 95% of it is thrown out after one use¹! While our industry is making strides toward more sustainable packaging options, it’s important for consumers to understand how to make more sustainable shopping decisions as well. 

At Dieux, we want you to feel good about the products you purchase, from the formula to the packaging and everything in between. We source our ingredients thoughtfully, aiming to use resources like biotechnology that have the lowest environmental impact possible, while still producing high-powered, efficacious formulas. That said, all consumption is inherently wasteful. We continue to challenge our practices here at Dieux, and want to empower you to practice mindful consumption when making purchase decisions on skincare and beyond.

3 Tips for More Mindful Skincare Shopping

1. Research And Play Before You Pay

We are constantly bombarded with content showcasing all of the products we “need.” To practice thoughtful consumption, you may not want to buy based on impulse. We recommend taking in what a few people have to say to help you decide on making a purchase.

You can continue your research using beauty media, retail sites, reading customer reviews, and reaching out to friends. If you can, go play with the product in store and get a sample to see if you like it before buying full size. Remember that when you return an opened beauty product, it typically gets thrown away, so try to make sure the product you’re purchasing will be something you will love.

2. Put Your Money Where Your Values Are

Although consumption is inherently wasteful, you can do your best to buy from companies that approach sustainability in a way that resonates with you. If you aim to use less single-use or plastic packaging, look for brands that have recycled, recyclable, or biodegradable packaging. 

You can even seek out reusable alternatives to commonly single-use items, such as our Forever Eye Masks, which we launched as a replacement for single-use eye patches. Designed to be bought once and worn forever, our Forever Eye Masks are one of our founding commitments to sustainability in action.

3. Use What You Have and Stick to What Works

PSA: Beauty products expire! It’s common to want to save your more expensive or luxurious items for a special occasion, but always be sure to check expiration dates. It’s never fun to use an expired product, or even worse, to throw out something before you finish it. 

Another seemingly obvious thing to keep in mind: new doesn’t always mean better. Before purchasing new products, consider what you already have in your collection. Using something up before buying a replacement is a great way to mindfully consume. That said, even though we all have our go-to beauty purchases, sometimes we just want something new. If you buy something new and for some reason, it doesn’t work out, try some of these tips before you return it:

• See if a friend wants it
• Seek out alternative uses: if something doesn't work for your face, it might work for your body. Use a conditioner as shaving cream. Put lip balm on your cuticles.

Of course it’s fun to try new things, but if it ain’t broke…

Doing Our Part

If you’ve used all our tips and are ready to make your next mindful skincare purchase, this is why you can feel good about supporting Dieux: 

Innovative Ingredient Sourcing

It’s a common misconception that using naturally-derived ingredients is always good for the planet. In fact, using ingredients found in nature can deplete those natural resources faster than they can regenerate. At Dieux, we prioritize using biotech ingredients when we can to ensure we minimize our impact on the environment as much as possible. For example, both our Air Angel gel moisturizer and Auracle eye serum contain blue biotech (AKA, marine biotechnology) ingredients. Because these biotech ingredients are made in a lab, they help us leave nature alone without sacrificing the effectiveness of their nature-made alternatives.

Thoughtful Packaging Improvements

In the past year, we transitioned Instant Angel packaging from 30% PCR (post-consumer recycled) aluminum to 100%. This year, we also switched to 100% recycled paper for all of our products’ outer packaging. 

As some of our bottles are made of mixed materials, we recommend recycling with Pact at Sephora. Pact is a nonprofit collective seeking to close the loop on hard-to-recycle packaging in the beauty and wellness industries. They can recycle many components of packaging that a curbside recycling company can’t, so save your empties until your next Sephora trip!

When launching samples in last year, we noticed that sample packaging is almost always plastic, and wanted to make a more environmentally-conscious choice (aluminum). Our deluxe samples are made of 100% recycled aluminum, which means you can place them in an aluminum can or wrap them in leftover aluminum foil and they will make it into your regular curbside recycling system. 

Even with all this progress, our work here is never done! Keep an eye out for future packaging updates and innovations, and know that we are always open to suggestions on how to improve our impact. 

Helpful Resources

While we don’t call ourselves sustainable, we are committed to having the smallest environmental impact that we can. Our infinitely reusable Forever Eye Masks, our packaging updates, and our ingredient sourcing methods are a testament to this commitment. Our website is a great resource for understanding the impact each of our products has. Each product page has an interactive section with information about how to recycle our products and the product’s impact on the Earth throughout production. Remember, you can always email us at hello@dieuxskin.com with any questions or ideas. 

¹https://theindustry.beauty/billions-of-beauty-packaging-goes-unrecycled-every-year/