By Danielle Ferrari-Beach
Many of us make conscious and compassionate choices when it comes to what we eat. But how many of us do that same research when it comes to shopping in other parts of our lives?
When purchasing toiletries, we need to apply the same vigilance we do when food shopping - check the ingredients to ensure they don’t contain animal products, look for sustainable materials/packaging, and look for longevity of the item. It may take some time to research at first, but the good news is you only need to find the right item once and can continue to buy that same product for as long as it suits your needs and aligns with your ethics.
WARNING: Labels can be tricky - an item can be labeled as ‘cruelty free’, meaning not tested on animals, but still contain animal ingredients (although we don’t agree that the processes to get said ingredients were cruelty free!) Make sure it says both ‘vegan/plant-based’ (or check the ingredients list) and ‘not tested on animals/cruelty-free’ to be sure. If in doubt, send an email to the manufacturer. You could be surprised at how helpful this can be, and it also lets the manufacturer know what values are important to their customers.
Let’s explore a few common toiletry products.
Razors
As a unisex item, there are an awful lot of people who use razors and razor blades on a daily basis worldwide. This means a lot of waste. All disposable razors have a plastic handle and plastic around the blades, and usually also include a solid lubricant to help the blades glide over the skin. Yet many of us are unaware that these lubricants are very often tested on animals and sometimes contain animal derived ingredients - most commonly lanolin.
Lanolin is a wax secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. The lanolin in beauty products, such as the solid lubricant in razors, is taken from the sheered wool of sheep specifically raised in the wool industry. Therefore, buying products containing this ingredient directly or indirectly supports the practices of wool farming.
Not all ingredients are as easy to detect as lanolin. Ingredients on razor packaging (if given at all) are vague and require a lot of research to determine what they really mean.
If shaving is your preferred hair removal method, perhaps try these options instead…
Cruelty free razors, such as Preserve:
Preserve makes disposable and long life razors with a handle made of 100% recycled plastic. They are made in the U.S., the blades are made in Mexico, and the company has strong work policies to protect supplier and factory workers. The lubricating strip is also vegan!
Safety razors:
Safety razors tend to be made of steel and are a plastic-free alternative that can last a lifetime. You need only repurchase the razor blades, which usually come with minimal plastic packaging, if any. Although these razors do not come with the solid lubricant you may be used to on disposables, you can easily get the same effect by lathering up with body wash, or you can try coconut oil - they both work just as well.
Shampoo & Conditioner
Another unisex item, this duo fills up a LOT of landfill space. It is said that the shampoo bottles thrown out every year in the U.S. alone could fill 1164 football fields (and they aren’t going anywhere soon, as every piece of plastic ever made still exists today).
These days, cruelty free shampoo and conditioner are fairly easy to find if you know where to look. Whole Foods and health shops tend to be best for this, or there are plenty of options online. Coincidentally or not, the packaging for many vegan shampoos and conditioners tends to be made from recycled plastic.
Even better than hair products in recycled plastic bottles are solid shampoo bars, which require minimal packaging, are long lasting, and even cheaper than regular bottled shampoo and conditioner. There are a number of options for buying ethical shampoos and conditioners, and this handy blog may help to break down the choices and find the right ones for you: https://www.sustainablejungle.com/best-of-sustainable-beauty/zero-waste-shampoo-conditioner/ Be sure to check the label for palm oil, though. That rainforest-destroying commodity is common even to many vegan products.
Feminine Toiletries
It’s estimated that approximately 20 billion pads, tampons, and applicators are sent to North American landfills annually. On an individual level, each of the approximately 73 million menstruating women in North America will throw away 125-150kg of disposable menstrual products (or 16,800 disposable pads or tampons) over their lifetime.
The sanitary products you choose to buy is a very personal choice. Luckily, there are lots of brilliant options to choose from these days, with the rise of women’s rights and taking ownership of our menstrual cycles, more and more brands are popping up with eco-friendly, vegan, and cruelty-free menstrual products.
Reusable pads:
Luna Pads, Hannah Pads, New Moon Pads, and many more…
These cotton/fabric ‘alternatives’ to disposables are actually the original menstrual pads, used before this era of disposables, but they have come a long way in terms of comfort and absorbency.
Used much in the same way as disposable pads, these winged pads usually have little poppers to clip them together on the underside of your underwear, or you can go wingless and simply lay them into your underpants and go on your way. Luna Pads also offer underwear with a special section to insert your pad into to keep it safely in place. If taken care of properly, these pads can last for years, and you can rest easy knowing that you’re protecting animals and the environment.
Menstrual underwear:
Thinx is a new, innovative menstrual underwear brand. No pads, nothing to insert anywhere, just underwear with the power to absorb up to 2 regular tampons worth of liquid (style-dependent). Thinx advises that you can use these underwear on their own, or as a backup to your regular sanitary items on heavier days to avoid worrying about leaks! Sounds too good to be true, I know, but they have raving reviews so are well worth checking out.
Menstrual cups:
Menstrual cups are usually made from soft, medical-grade silicone and are surprisingly comfortable. Much the same as tampons, most users can’t feel that they’re even wearing a cup. A big difference is that, while tampons can absorb 35% of vaginal moisture, a menstrual cup won’t dry you out or leave fibres behind. Cups are even safe to be worn when you are expecting your period before it begins, so you don’t get caught off guard.
The Diva Cup is the most common menstrual cup you will find in Canada, as it is made right here. But there are plenty of other options online, as well, some with different shapes and textures, so you can find the perfect fit for you.
There is a learning curve when it comes to using menstrual cups, but the positives far outweigh any negatives. Many users agree that if you stick with it for a couple of cycles and find what works best for you, you won’t go back to disposables.
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These alternative toiletry options are just a few of the ways we can help to reduce our footprint and create a more sustainable future for us all. There are many kind, ethical, and sustainable options available for our common toiletry needs, and they are growing in popularity every day.
I hope this article helps to inspire you to investigate your commonly purchased items - we would love to hear from you about your experience as an ethical consumer!
Danielle Ferrari- Beach was Earthsave Canada's Organizational Assistant. She presently resides in London, England.