Green Beauty Tips To Embrace This Earth Day 2025

Forbes

17-04-2025

Biossance green beauty products
Courtesy of Biossance
With Earth Day approaching on April 22, this is the perfect time to reflect on how our everyday choices could positively impact the environment. Whether you make gradual changes or decide to embrace a new way of life, arming yourself with the correct information is key.
As a result of customer demand, more and more brands are placing sustainability and transparency at the core of their value system, and a strong consumer trend is emerging to support eco-friendly packaging and refillable products. According to Euromonitor.com, this new trend of customers, classified as Eco Logical consumers, continues to make choices that can impact the environment favorably. The report also highlights how, in 2025, they're adopting a pragmatic mindset. Spending on sustainable alternatives remains a conscious decision based on personal values, but these consumers also pay close attention to the primary benefits such products deliver against their needs. From natural ingredients to reusable, refillable and innovative eco-conscious packaging, it has never been a better time to embrace green beauty.
Based on current trends, the World Economic Forum estimates that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish by weight. This highlights the urgent need for collective action to reduce plastic waste and promote sustainable alternatives. Furthermore, the Ellen Macarthur Foundation says we must change how we design, use, and reuse plastics. 'We cannot simply recycle or reduce our way out of the plastic pollution crisis. If we don't act now, by 2050, there could be more plastic than fish in the oceans.'
Biossance, Earth Day Beauty
Courtesy of Biossance
I spoke to celebrity hairdresser Sean James over Zoom. A big supporter of the green beauty movement, Sean works at Santa Monica's Matthew Preece Salon. He has styled numerous shows during fashion weeks in Los Angeles, Paris, and New York—including Gucci, Vivienne Westwood and Dolce & Gabbana—and has a long list of celebrity clients, Jamie Lee Curtis and Demi Moore amongst them.
Giovanni, one of his favorite 'clean' brands, was launched in the 1970s and is mostly vegan and not tested on animals. He has worked with that range for a long time and uses the products on Jamie Lee Curtis' hair to add volume to it, giving her confidence on the red carpet. 'The products are safe for the environment, and they're safe for us,' he says. He describes that he works with hair, but he also works with gravity. 'That's why we use products. They enhance our haircuts; they enhance the sculpture that we create, and using the right products for the right moment will determine what kind of look it's going to be.'
We talked about the importance of green beauty, and he explained how this is particularly significant because we're dealing with both chemicals and biology, and we must ensure that we're using safe products—safe for us and safe for the environment.'It's not just for the action of cleaning hair; it's harmonizing with nature and being conscious of what we put down our drains and what goes into the water," he says.
This view was supported by Catherine Gore, president of Biossance, an innovative brand that is pioneer in biotech skincare with carbon-neutral production. She told me over email that green beauty is vital for the beauty industry because it prioritizes sustainability, clean ingredients, and ethical responsibility. 'The beauty industry, and arguably every industry, should have these as pillars of their business, if even only for longevity,' she said. She explained that this could mean having transparent ingredient supply chains, using biotechnology and new innovations that minimize land and water resources, and utilizing other sustainable production methods, from materials to shipping.
Biossance green beauty products
Courtesy of Biossance
Sean told me that at this point, it's just a given that when choosing hair and beauty products, you should look for something sustainable. Coming from Australia and growing up there in the 1980s, he's always been taught to consider sustainability and the environment. He is particularly concerned about the ocean and feels that education is crucial. The way he sees it, there is a continual new cycle of people using new products who have yet to learn about sustainability, so it's a 'forever thing to talk about so we can have harmony with our planet'. Recycling is also extremely important, but it's also very complex. 'I think we do as much as we can by choosing products that are green,' says Sean.
Catherine Gore tells me that today's consumers want transparency. What is wonderful about sustainability now is that the consumer can have it all: powerful skincare with strong results while also being conscious of the environmental impact. This is a great time to embrace green beauty, she explains, as we don't need to compromise on quality or performance.
When looking to embrace green beauty, Sean suggests that we should first educate ourselves about what we put on our skin. This means reading the packaging and learning about the chemicals in the bottle. Many people have sensitive skin and allergies, he explains, so we need to ensure that harmful ingredients such as petroleum aren't in the products we use.
Sean told me that years ago, he heard the strapline 'Think Locally, Act Globally' and that it stayed with him because it can be applied to different situations. 'Think about where you live and make the world you live in the best it can be," he says. 'If everyone started doing that, the world would be really great.'
As explained by Catherine, choosing to support brands that are going the extra mile to create products with sustainable and ethical practices only makes those desires more appealing for all brands. 'The consumer voice is powerful, and even small choices can move a large industry,' she says.
When I asked her if she had any advice for those embracing green beauty, she told me that our choices are important. She suggested that we take time to be curious about a brand's background and also, as Sean had already mentioned, to read ingredient labels. 'Education is the key to better choices,' she agrees.