I can’t quite believe I am writing the last Conscious Collection for 202! It has been a whopping year and sustainability was been at the forefront more than ever before. When I first started writing about sustainability, it was a topic that very few publications cared about and even fewer readers read. These days, I am fortunate to write multiple articles for Gritty Pretty a month and educate so many people on all kinds of topics (read more here). 

Here are just a few of the good news stories to come out of this year:

• Single use plastics bans came into play for almost every state in Australia
• The Great Barrier Reef recorded its highest amount of coral cover in 36 years
• Humpback whales have been removed from the threatened species list
• Country Road launched Australia’s first fashion climate fund.

I cannot wait to see what 2023 will bring. But, in the meantime, here is your December round-up of sustainable beauty.

In what is a really exciting move, we’re starting to see more and more brands not only offer carbon-neutral shipping but also carbon offset their operations. The Abnormal Beauty Company, for example, purchases renewable energy credits to offset its impact on the planet. Hopefully we see more brands follow suit in 2023.

The skin is your body’s biggest organ. It absorbs everything that you rub, anoint and paint on it but something we don’t often think about is how much of our lipgloss we’re actually eating. A gross thought, I know. It is estimated that the average woman will eat over 3.1kg of lipstick over the course of their lifetime. This means it is really important that you know exactly what is in your lip products. Look for products that contain beeswax and coconut oil and avoid ones with petrolatum and other preservatives like phenoxyethanol and butylparaben.

Sol de Janeiro, Brazilian Kiss Cupuacu Lip Butter

Conscious Code: Cruelty-Free

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Kosas, Kosasport LipFuel Hyaluronic Lip Balm

Conscious Code: Cruelty-Free

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As Sherine Youssef explained in our Sustainability Issue, glitter is terrible for the planet. You probably don’t realise just how many products glitter is in. From your highlighter palette to your nail polish and glinting lipgloss. In a bid to help the planet, we’re seeing more and more brands switch to mica. Mica is a silicate mineral that shines in the light–just ensure that it has been responsibly mined. A report found that tens of thousands of children, some as young as four years old, were being used in mica mines. It has led to the creation and use of synthetic mica over natural mica from brands such as Lush.

Mica will be listed in the ingredients list as one of the following:

• C177019
• Micagroup Minerals
• Pigment White 20
• Sericite
• Sericite GMS-ZC
• Sericite GMS-C
• Sericite MK-A
• Sericite MK-B
• Golden Mica
• Muscovite Mica

Lush, Robin Glow Stick

Conscious Code: Vegan, Cruelty-Free, Community, Packaging

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Christmas is right around the corner and I encourage you to think more sustainably when it comes to your wrapping. Australians use over 150,000km of wrapping paper each Christmas. You can recycle wrapping paper if it doesn’t have too much sticky tape or any glitter/ribbons. 

Alternatively, some of my favourite sustainable ways to wrap are:

1. Furoshiki method—using a tea towel or piece of cloth to wrap presents.

2. Reusing gift bags and ribbons from throughout the year.

3. Use brown kraft paper, something that is not Christmas-themed and can be used throughout the year.