Why we should stop collecting beauty samples

Beauty box subscription, skincare or make-up Advent calendar, gift at the checkout, purchase of a “discovery” or “hand luggage” kit, etc., samples and small measures of beauty and hygiene products — not forgetting the thumbnails of perfume — are still as popular with collectors as are consumers of cosmetics inside and out.

But if they are very useful for testing new products at a lower cost or for traveling light, they still have a huge flaw: they cannot be recycled. A heresy at a time when it is fashionable for brands to commit themselves (with more or less panache, it must be said) to the environment through more virtuous production methods, eco-design and/or refillable packaging, and a well organized recycling process.

Champions of beauty, a disaster for the planet

Despite the efforts made by the cosmetic industry in recent decades, bottles, jars and tubes of beauty products remain difficult to recycle due to the multitude of elements that make them up. And it’s even more complicated for mini-formats which, in most cases, end up in landfills.

Dr. Mark Falinski, senior scientist in sustainable development, explains to POPSUGAR magazine:

Basically, all small containers like samples and travel sizes are completely non-recyclable. Even though they are made from the most recyclable plastics, they are almost never recycled.

The reason ? Their small size, which means that the sorter does not recognize them and leaves them aside. ” Recycling machines are designed for standard size products “explains to our colleague Lea d’Auriol, founder of Oceanic Global – a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and conservation of the oceans.

This harsh reality applies to plastic but also to other materials such as glass and metal – infinitely recyclable but whose carbon footprint is much higher than that of plastic.

Beauty champions: what do we do?

Until there is a way to continue collecting beauty samples and miniatures without harming the environment, it is best to avoid them as much as possible. Yes, it’s sad, but you rarely have butter and butter money in life – or even the space to store the loot of years of keen collecting.

But what to do when you ride a broom and don’t want to carry a huge toiletry bag? ” When it comes to travel, the best thing a person can do is invest in reusable travel containers. “says Dr. Falinski, again to POPSUGAR magazine. Indeed, even if they are often made of plastic, the number of uses that can be put to them ends up offsetting the high carbon footprint required to make them.

In many supermarkets and neighborhood shops, kits consisting of several transparent bottles and jars are available; they allow you to decant your daily hygiene and beauty products to take them everywhere with you. It’s always better than nothing, isn’t it?

Front page photo credit: Johanne Kristensen on Unsplash