The pursuit of beauty with environmental principles

Over the past few years, much has been said about sustainability and the beauty industry. And it is that cosmetics is betting more and more on the use of natural or ecological ingredients in order to be more friendly to the environment.

The same happens with vegan cosmetics, which do not contain ingredients from animals, such as milk or honey, while other brands generate under the premise that their merchandise is not tested on animals.

Eva Raya, cosmetologist and co-creator of the natural cosmetics firm Alice in Beautyland explained to the Telva portal that "the seriousness of climate change is a fact: we have a problem and it is time to generate strategies that are in favor of the environment and its biodiversity. Therefore, it is not surprising that a new concern has been born: that of consuming cosmetics with green seals, cruelty free, suitable for vegans, fair trade, etc.”

The cosmetologist added that in this scenario, "there are many brands that are using natural or organic, local ingredients and, of course, that are researching and applying new, more sustainable production techniques."

According to experts, sustainable cosmetics is still open to interpretation. In fact, Année de Mamiel, founder of skincare brand Mamiel and a pioneer of plant-based cosmetics, told Spanish Vogue that claims like 'natural', 'sustainable', 'green' and 'hypoallergenic' have no fixed definition so far and without a standard, they can be misleading and open to misuse.

She argued that terms like "chemical-free" are untrue, because "all ingredients are chemicals, regardless of whether they are natural or synthetic."

What is it about?

Organic cosmetics (also called biological or organic) do have a minimum percentage of natural ingredients, in addition, these have not been genetically modified, and have been grown without pesticides or fungicides. Organic or ecological cosmetics are usually endorsed by official seals such as Ecocert, Bio, Natrue, BDIH.

In Panama there are several natural cosmetic options that have entered the market. Melany Allen, together with Katherine Valdespinodos, is the manager of the Plátano Verde Instagram account, where they offer sustainable or environmentally friendly beauty products.

According to Allen, they decided to start the business to guide those who do not know how to start using these products. "In our case, if we haven't used the product or if we don't have a direct reference from someone who used it, we don't sell it."

"When we teach a child to sing or play the flute [or drum!], we teach her how to listen." –Jane Alexander #ArtsEd https://t.co/wbn72oh8ln

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"Our mission is to bring products that are not harmful to customers and that are super friendly to the environment, as well as free of animal abuse," she added.

Allen also recommends studying your skin type before making any recommendations. “If you are going to start selling organic products, study first so that you know what you are going to sell, because in the country there are a large number of people who do not know how to take care of their skin. Also, many suffer from skin cancer without knowing it,” she coined.

In this sense, Hera Biocosmética, for example, is one of the independent brands that manufactures beauty products for the whole family without chemical substances, as a way of being in harmony with the planet, animals and people. They are very noble products at a very affordable price, according to her comments.

Animal cruelty free cosmetics

International organizations such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) openly reject any process or activity that involves testing products on animals, proffering mistreatment or suffering.

Currently, it is not only possible to have new mechanisms that allow knowing the effects of an ingredient –such as replicas of animal tissue–, but there is also a large list of ingredients classified as “safe” that have already been previously tested.

The Body Shop has become one of the most established firms in this fight, along with Lush, which actively denounce animal experimentation.

In 2018, The Body Shop firm collected a total of 8 million signatures to bring this issue up for debate at the United Nations.

Despite the fact that animal testing for cosmetic purposes has been prohibited in the European Union since 2013, there are still countries such as the United States or Canada that continue to allow these procedures.

In addition to these two British firms, there are many more companies that dispense with animal cruelty and that it is possible to support through online purchases with delivery in Panama.