Green Beauty: Weleda's #CleanerBeauty Campaign + 5 Ways To Spring Clean Your Everyday Beauty Routine

One of my favourite green beauty brands Weleda, has recently launched a Cleaner Beauty Campaign and I'm thrilled to be involved as one of their Ambassadors to help spread the word!

Green beauty, organic beauty, natural beauty, vegan beauty, clean beauty - call it what you like, there has been a huge growing demand from consumers for beauty products that are 'cleaner', but what does this actually mean?

Weleda's Cleaner Beauty Campaign

To put across one brand's point of view, Weleda have launched their Cleaner Beauty campaign to raise further awareness about this topic, and to help open up discussions about the many definitions that surround natural beauty and what it all means in general. I've been using Weleda products for years (one of my first ever proper blog posts was a review of their amazing Pomegranate Creamy Body Wash way back in 2012 - you can check it out here!) and as they have been promoting clean beauty since 1921, I'd say they're in a pretty good position to start us off in the right direction.

Jayn Sterland, Managing Director of Weleda UK, says: “For Weleda, cleaner beauty is about taking a complete holistic approach to your personal care routine, minimising the impact on the world around us and strengthening mind, body and spirit. Consumers are becoming more informed in the choices they make, highlighting their desire for the principles Weleda have held true for over 90 years. Whether it’s through the natural products we develop, our commitment to sustainability, biodynamic cultivation, nurturing our team of Wellbeing Advisors or pioneering in ethical practices, cleaner beauty runs through everything we do, and it always has”. You can read more about the campaign here.

What Cleaner Beauty Means To Me

My viewpoint on cleaner beauty is very similar. I love the holistic approach and tying everything together because it makes a lot more sense that way, and I feel that when people see it linked like that, it helps them to fully understand it on a deeper level. I'm not 100% green or 'clean' with the beauty products that I use, but I've become more interested in the subject over the years, and especially since I've been studying Environmental Science and Social Policy at Uni. It's been fascinating to read about the natural properties of ingredients that have been used for centuries all around the world, and how often man-made ingredients haven't always been useful or beneficial replacements.

At the same time though, I've become increasingly frustrated with the lack of regulations in place in the beauty industry, which have allowed many unethical brands to hoodwink consumers via greenwashing (a marketing term used to deceptively promote the perception that an organization's products, aims or policies are environmentally friendly when they are not). This is why I strongly believe in certifications from independent bodies/associations on products so that consumers know who they can trust. For example, all of Weleda’s natural and organic cosmetics are NATRUE certified, and their products are also free from artificial additives such as synthetic fragrances, GMO ingredients, mineral oils, silicones and petroleum derivatives. If a brand doesn't have any certifications and doesn't properly list what they're free from, I'd suggest doing some more digging before buying from them. After all, there's nothing worse than thinking your hard earned cash is going towards something 'good' when it turns out to be the complete opposite!

5 Ways To Spring Clean Your Everyday Beauty Routine With Cleaner Products

Want to get involved with cleaner beauty, but don't know where to start? Here are 5 tips to help you give your everyday beauty routine a spring clean!

• Start with just three products. Think about three products that you use every single day; this might be shampoo, toothpaste and deodorant. Check the labels and if you don't like what you see, switch these three products to a cleaner alternative brand. This gives you a good starting point and allows you to experiment with some new products without overwhelming you.

• Look out for certifications. Certifications are one of the easiest ways to see if what you're buying is the real thing. For example, if a product says 'organic' on the front, check to see if there is an organic accreditation from an organisation such as the Soil Association, NATRUE or EcoCert etc. If there isn't, question why or don't buy!

• Do your own research. If you're reading this, you probably have internet access and a computer or a smartphone/tablet, so start to do your own research into ingredients and what you personally want to avoid using in your everyday beauty products. Concerned about parabens? Look into the natural alternatives. Only want to buy vegan? Search for vegan-friendly brands and find some new favourites.

• Don't bin your unused products, donate them instead. There's always a desire to automatically bin everything that you own and buy a clean version instead, but throwing away unused products only adds to the growing landfill/waste problem. Either use them up yourself, give them to a friend or relative, or donate them to a charity like Beauty Banks who distribute beauty products via food banks to those who can't afford to buy them (this helps to fight hygiene poverty). Local charity shops will gladly accept toiletries and makeup as donations as well.

• Use Facebook Swap groups and eBay to keep switching costs down. Buying cleaner beauty products can often be more expensive than purchasing the ones from mainstream brands because using things like organic ingredients costs more money for the manufacturers to use. Keep your personal costs down when switching by using swap groups on Facebook to swap your existing products with cleaner ones, or have a look at second-hand sites like eBay and Depop when you want to buy cleaner alternatives for a cheaper price (or sell the products that you no longer want on there). 

Photographed: Weleda Luxury Three Drawer Gift Set* retails for £32 and contains 15 try me/travel size products - available from weleda.co.uk

Are you interested in switching to more cleaner beauty products?

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