How Beautyfor And Anika Leila Are Tackling Beauty's Excess Issue

Forbes

21-04-2025

It is unsurprising that the beauty industry is booming; it's been reported that UK sales reached £27.2 billion last year, nearly matching pre-pandemic levels of £28 billion, according to the British Beauty Council's Value of Beauty Report. Similarly, the US beauty market in 2023 was estimated to generate approximately $94.36 billion in cosmetics and beauty sales, a number that undoubtedly has increased since. This growth is driven by constant product launches, consumer demand, influencer marketing, and global expansion of brands, though not always in a sustainable manner.
This success comes with a significant environmental cost. The Courage to Change Report by the British Beauty Council reveals that the beauty industry produces over 120 billion packaging units globally each year, much of which ends up in landfills. Even more alarming, up to 40% of all manufactured beauty products are ultimately discarded unused. Given the rapid demand for supply, t's difficult for brands to predict exactly what and how many products they will need, and often, they produce more than they can realistically sell.
The problem is compounded by retail requirements that products be at least 6-12 months from expiration, leaving brands with limited options for their excess inventory. While selling to discount retailers like TJ Maxx or Marshalls in the States works for some brands, many premium companies resist this approach to protect their brand identity and pricing integrity. Donation seems like an obvious solution, but charitable organizations often have strict specifications about what products they'll accept, making this path surprisingly difficult. As a result, many brands resort to disposal which not only creates harmful CO2 emissions and greenhouse gases but wastes perfectly usable products.
This environmental challenge demands innovative solutions to reduce waste across the beauty industry supply chain. New York-based nonprofit Beautyfor and British-Punjabi designer Anika Leila have come up with two separate solutions.
Beautyfor, a sustainability nonprofit that launched in 2024, founded by beauty editors Gabby Shacknai and Zoë Weiner, has created an innovative solution to the beauty industry's waste problem that's focused on sustainability. The organization partners with leading and emerging brands to rescue excess inventory that would otherwise end up discarded. These products are then sold to consumers at significant discounts (ranging from 25-90% off retail prices) with all proceeds supporting charities focused on mental health, animal welfare, environmental conservation, women's issues, and racial equity.
'Invest in fewer, better products where you can. Instead of buying 10 different serums, try to find one that can address all of your skin concerns in a single bottle (they really do exist, we promise!). Commit to using products to the very last drop, and if you can't, gift them to a friend,' Shacknai states in an interview with Forbes.
In less than a year, Beautyfor has already saved over 20,000 products from landfills while raising more than $50,000 for worthy causes. The organization hosts quarterly pop-up sales in New York City, that are marketed on their Instagram account, along with virtual sales and emergency relief fundraisers, giving shoppers access to quality products at reduced prices while supporting sustainability. Looking ahead, BeautyFor is expanding its offerings with custom shopping experiences that provide personalized, editor-curated product bundles for gifting, events, and corporate initiatives. In addition, they really focus on the proper recycling of products.
'There's a lot of greenwashing when it comes to sustainable packaging, but consumers can proper recycle their beauty products or alternatively, bring your empty containers to organizations like PACT Collective and Terracycle, which have bins at Ulta and Nordstrom stores across the globe and will do the work for you,' she adds.
Beyond their consumer-facing work, they also collaborate directly with brands to enhance their sustainability and philanthropic efforts, creating a comprehensive approach to reducing waste in the beauty industry.
British Punjabi designer Anika Leila has pioneered a solution to beauty industry waste by transforming expired makeup products into stunning wearable art. The 26-year-old London native, whose fashion journey began with sewing lessons from her grandmother and continued through prestigious training at Central Saint Martins, upcycles out of date makeup as one way to addresses the beauty industry's excess product problem.
"Makeup was always an outlet for me," Leila explains. "I had a bunch of expired makeup that family members acquired. As a student unable to afford expensive paints and pens, I thought: why not just use makeup?"
This practical solution has evolved into a distinctive artistic technique that gives new life to products that would otherwise end up discarded. Through extensive experimentation, Leila has mastered the behavior of various makeup formulations on fabric, discovering that deeply pigmented brands like Huda Beauty create particularly long-lasting results, though she notes that virtually all brands have proven workable in her process. To ensure durability, she applies a specialized sealant that makes the pigments smudge-proof, advising customers to hand wash or spot wash items for maximum longevity.
Her consciously crafted garments (including tops and dresses) and wall artwork have attracted a growing customer base across the UK and United States. Despite this success, Leila maintains an inclusive design philosophy, creating pieces that transcend gender and demographic boundaries. This sustainable approach stems from her upbringing in a crowded household with three siblings. "All four of us have grown to be minimalistic and don't care for overconsumption. We don't follow trends," she reflects. 'That's how I have been raised, thinking about my career in a wider lens and working as sustainably as possible.'
Beyond her own creations, Leila encourages broader participation in her waste-reduction mission by accepting donated expired makeup products and responsibly recycling all packaging and empty containers, demonstrating how creative innovation can transform a beauty industry problem into artistic opportunity.
The beauty industry's waste problem has reached a critical point, but meaningful solutions are emerging that allow everyone to participate in positive change. Whether you're a consumer with expired products languishing in your bathroom drawer or someone who shops for discounted items that would otherwise never reach store shelves, you now have opportunities to make a difference.