Essential solutions for a zero-waste beauty routine.

ECOLOGY On the occasion of the European Waste Reduction Week, here are some simple steps to go zero-waste in the bathroom...

Article by Anne Demoulin. Published on 21/11/18 at 6:58 PM on 20 minutes.

• 75,000 tons of cosmetic and hygiene product packaging are thrown away each year in France.
• Only 21% of French people sort bathroom packaging correctly.
• Solutions exist to avoid disposable products.
• Solid cosmetic products are thus on the rise.

The beauty routine is a monumental source of waste. Between bottles, tubes, and jars, 75,000 tons of cosmetic and hygiene product packaging are thrown away each year in France, according to an IPSOS study commissioned by Eco Emballages published in 2010. The equivalent of the weight of ten Eiffel Towers. On the occasion of the European Waste Reduction Week, here are some simple steps to reduce your bathroom waste even if you are not (yet) ready to live like Bea Johnson, the world guru of zero waste.

Let's start by sorting

Some 47.6 million perfume bottles and 440 million skincare and makeup products are sold each year in France. Only 55% of French people systematically sort bathroom packaging. Only 21% of French people sort them correctly.

Since April 2016, all 515 Marionnaud stores in France collect empty beauty products, perfume bottles, nail polish, cream jars and tubes, lipsticks, eyeliners, makeup palettes, mascaras... whether purchased at Marionnaud or not. To reward you for your eco-responsible gesture, Marionnaud offers you a 20% discount on the purchase of a product. Nocibe and Sephora do the same type of operation with perfume bottles.

Moving towards zero waste also means sorting through your bathroom and keeping the cosmetics you actually use and questioning the purchase of glitter nail polish that you will only wear for New Year's. It also means prioritizing multi-purpose products like the fragrance-free multi-purpose balm, Les petits prödiges (14.90 euros) or Lamazuna's solid cocoa butter with baobab oil and frangipani (9.95 euros). These are treatments that can be used for the body, face, and hair.

Down with disposables, long live durables!

For every disposable item, there's a sustainable alternative. While durable products have a cost in the first year because you have to buy equipment, they will save money in the long run. According to ConsoGlobe, a woman uses an average of 6 cotton pads per day to remove makeup and take care of her skin, which is 2190 cotton pads per year, at a cost of 20 to 100 euros per year depending on the brand used. Those made of organic cotton are suitable for all skin types, those made of bamboo or hemp fibers for combination and oily skin, while those made of eucalyptus fibers will soothe dry & sensitive skin. The Eco Belle Kit from Les Tendances d'Emma (29.90 euros), ready to use, consists of 15 washable makeup remover squares (material of your choice), a pouch to store them, and a net to wash them. Perfect for starting and replacing six years of disposable cotton.

Plastic cotton swabs have been banned from sale since July 1st in favor of biodegradable and compostable cotton swabs? Another solution is the bamboo ear pick, infinitely reusable. Oriculi offers sticks with a colored ball at one end, which allows you to differentiate yours from those of other family members, and at the other end, a micro-spatula to collect earwax. After use, rinse with soap and water.

We brush our teeth with bamboo toothbrushes, 100% biodegradable. The Be. rotary brush is 100% mechanical. Just turn its base twice to release the energy needed for 80,000 rotations, or two minutes of brushing. Its refills are made of bamboo.

Products are solid

Bye bye shower gel, soap is back! Choose 100% natural. The best? An extra-fat cold-process soap! It will have retained its emollient agents and is enriched with vegetable oils and/or butters for well-hydrated skin.

Solid shampoos and conditioners have the same shape as a bar of soap and are applied to the hair like soap. Make the wise decision to choose those without sulfates and silicones at the same time. Weighing about sixty grams, they provide between 60 and 80 shampoos, about twice as much as a classic 250ml bottle. Ultra-practical, these solid products are already in travel size.

There are also solid deodorants in bar form, like those from Lamazuna, or in solidified cream form, sold with a small spatula that allows the product to be hygienically taken. Most brands enrich them with vegetable butters that will nourish the skin.

Plastic toothpaste tubes are residual waste and therefore not intended for recycling. French people buy 189 million of them per year, according to Planetoscope. And it is estimated that 4% of the tube is wasted because it is difficult to extract at the end, which is 70,000 tons of toothpaste thrown in the trash each year. While many brands like Pachamamai, Lamazuna, or Les savons de Joya offer them in solid form, it remains quite expensive. The easiest way is to make it yourself - there are plenty of easy recipes online - and store it in a reusable container. It takes less time than frying an egg and is 100% eco-responsible.