The Conscious Collection is back! It’s been a hot minute (actually more like a very cold, chilly minute) since my last column dropped but I am back to feast your eyes on more sustainable sensations.

ICYMI, each month I’m bringing you the latest and greatest in sustainability news from around the globe. Think of it like your monthly download of all things sustainability–inspiration, skincare and news all through a pastel green lens.

In one of our recent Gritty Pretty Radio episodes I may or may not have said that I thought eye creams were overrated (you can listen here for proof). But this latest launch has me eating my words and wanting to try something new.  

Emma Lewisham has just released their highly anticipated Skin Reset Eye Créme. Combining science and 100 per cent natural skincare, this product is, in Gritty Pretty Beauty Editor’s Rose Garnett’s words, “…a total game changer. As someone who has never fully been sold on eye creams, this formula has me converted. My eye area looks significantly brighter and more radiant!”

She isn’t the only one who’s excited about this launch with the product also having a 5,000 person waitlist. Plus, you can recycle and refill this cream like so many other Emma Lewisham products using the Emma Lewisham Beauty Circle.

Emma Lewisham Skin Reset Eye Créme
Conscious Codes: Packaging, cruelty-free, vegan
Shop now.

Household brand, Susanne Kaufmann, has been leading the way in sustainability since 2003 and they’ve just undergone a rebrand! As part of the rebrand, the brand is phasing out the use of virgin plastics and glass and has also re-evaluated its supply chain to focus on local botanical ingredients from the Alpine regions of Switzerland and Australia to further reduce its footprint. Founder, Susanne Kaufmann explains: “As a brand, we have to be responsible for our impact. Luxury does not need to be about excess. It is about the integrity and quality of the products while ensuring they respect the environment. We need to return to the essentials.”

Susanne Kaufmann Enzyme Exfoliator
Conscious Codes: Locally-made, packaging
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Of the conscious codes this is probably the code I doll out the least. Locally-made in our words means: “At least 50 per cent of the brand’s ingredients have been sourced from within their own country or community, this significantly reduces the environmental impact and supports local economies.”

This box is a hard one to tick for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it is really hard to trace back the origin of ingredients and this isn’t often a priority for companies. They think of sustainability as what’s on the outside when the inside often matters more. By supporting local communities, brands are able to stimulate and nurture local economies and also save considerable amounts of carbon from entering the atmosphere by not having to fly ingredients around the globe. 

For these brands this is ingrained in their DNA:

1\ Tata Harper

Green from the inside out, Tata Harper proudly formulates, manufactures, packages and often grows ingredients at the brand’s Vermont farm. Founder Tata Harper comes from a line of skincare practitioners using formulas that have been passed down through generations from her grandmother.

Repairative Moisturiser
Conscious Codes: Locally-made, packaging, organic, vegan
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2\ Jurlique

It’s a little known fact that for the last 35 years Jurlique has grown many of its ingredients on its very own biodynamic farm in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia. Everything from the rose in its signature Rosewater mist to the calendula in its day cream.

Jurlique, Rosewater Mist
Conscious Codes: Locally-made, packaging, vegan, cruelty-free
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Not to brag but I have been using cream blushes since before they were trendy. Personally, I find that they last longer, give more even pigment payoff and are more compact.

Flavedo & Albedo Dew Tint
Conscious code: Packaging, vegan
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Tip: If you’re looking for products that go the distance why not try using a light dabbing of your favourite creamy peach lipstick on your cheek bones for a light blush. Alternatively, you could use your cream blush to add a dash of colour to your lips. It works both ways!

As we dust off our duvets and Ugg boots, it is easy to crank the hot water and simmer in your shower until you’re pruny and ready to face the day. Two things to think about here: 1) your skin doesn’t like it when you scorch yourself with hot water (as this actually dries out your skin) and 2) the average shower uses one litre of water (!) per minute. So, as tempting as it is to wallow under the warmth, it is best to keep them short for the planet and your skin.

How, you ask? My top tip is to choose your favourite 4-minute banger and give your neighbours a concert worth listening to–they can thank me later. I created a whole playlist of songs to get you started. Walking On Sunshine is a great one for these gloomy days and you’ll be in and out of the shower in no time with a pep in your step.