Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1481047
New member benefit! Get the ASCP SkinPro app at ascpskincare.com/skinpro 61 What exactly does it mean to be "green" these days? According to Alina Prax, co-owner of TellurideGlow Skin Care, green beauty "encompasses being not only clean and sustainable but also natural, which begins with choosing nontoxic, certified organic, and non-GMO ingredients." To date, TellurideGlow has blacklisted more than 1,300 ingredients to eliminate fillers, synthetics, fragrances, parabens, and other concerning chemicals from its products. Prax suggests following the guidelines of companies like Ecocert, an organic certification organization, to "create the best products and deliver them to customers in a way that has the least impact on the environment while having the highest impact on health and self-care." How does this impact you as an esthetician? Well, estheticians are on the front line of skin care education. "[Estheticians] educate their customers and provide them access to clean and sustainable products," Prax says. "People often use products their estheticians recommend. This is why we believe [estheticians] play a crucial role in mainstreaming sustainability (or sustainable product use) in the beauty industry." Product ingredients are becoming increasingly important to your clients too. According to PowerReviews, "85 percent of consumers indicate it's at least somewhat important to them that a beauty product is made sustainable with natural ingredients," 4 and "71 percent have plans to seek out and purchase more of these products in the future." 5 Also, "The fact that a beauty product is vegan is at least somewhat important to 51 percent of shoppers, [and] 42 percent plan to purchase more vegan beauty products in the future." 6 MANUFACTURING PRACTICES The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines sustainable manufacturing as "the creation of manufactured products through economically sound processes that minimize negative environmental impacts while conserving energy and natural resources." 7 While we might think of manufacturing as the activity that takes place in product creation, the creation of a product is just the tip of the manufacturing side of a sustainable product. Ideally, the manufacturing of a sustainable product starts at the "drawing board" during the creation phase. It's here that decisions regarding ingredient sourcing, packaging recyclability, the weight of the product (important for distribution sustainability), and the circular use of its raw materials help cut down on energy consumption and make it safer for the environment. What About Greenwashing? According to Alina Prax, co-owner of TellurideGlow Skin Care, "Greenwashing is alive and well." This happens when companies deceptively appear greener than they are, especially when it comes to the use of marketing terms like natural and clean. Prax says in the US, for example, "Neither the FDA nor the USDA has rules or regulations for products labeled 'natural.' As a result, manufacturers often place a 'natural' label on skin care containing heavily processed ingredients like phthalates."