From ethical ingredient sourcing to reusable packaging and many thoughtful choices in between, Om skincare follows a journey of sustainability. You are a part of that journey, too. How does Om strive to be eco-conscious? How can you choose skincare that’s good for your body and the earth?
At a time when ‘clean beauty’ is such a buzz term, what does ‘clean beauty’ really mean? How can you verify a brand’s eco-claims?
As we start a conversation about sustainable beauty, first, here is what all these terms mean at Om.
DEFINING SUSTAINABLE BEAUTY
Clean beauty: Skincare that’s free of harmful chemicals. At Om, it means using only natural, plant-based ingredients.
Cruelty-free: No animals are harmed in the testing or making of a product.
Non-toxic: Free of harmful, synthetic (chemical, man-made) ingredients, including fragrance and colour. Plants are grown without harsh chemical fertilizers, for example, and the formula contains several plant-based ingredients, all non-toxic. Learn about the most common toxic beauty products in our article What’s Inside Our Pure, Plant-based, Totally Clean Natural Skincare?
Organic: Plant-based ingredients proven to be grown free of exposure to toxins which are harmful to the environment and our health. An organic formula brings together several organic ingredients, all free of added chemical ingredients. You’ll notice that each of our product labels display the percentage of ingredients that are organic.
Plant-based: Ingredients derived from plants. Skincare products that use only botanically derived oils and extracts from plants, herbs, and flowers are naturally powerful because of their vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
Sustainable skincare: This term refers to the entire life cycle of a skincare product and ensuring it is created in a way that prioritizes the environment. It considers how an ingredient is grown, how it’s harvested (mindfully with what’s best for the environment and by workers paid and treated well). It considers the impact of transportation, production, packaging and shipping to you. Finally, once it’s been used, it’s also about the ability to reuse, recycle or refill the container.
Vegan: The product contains no animal by-products.
OM’S SUSTAINABLE SKINCARE STORY
Here is how we consider our impact at every stage, and how you can gauge a product’s eco-friendliness.
STEP 1: The Ingredients
Earth-friendly Selecting & Sourcing
Our coconut water and white willow bark. Our marula oil and honeysuckle extract. These are just some of the ingredients we’ve selected with great care not only because they give your skin nourishment and radiance, but also because they are renewable gifts from nature, harvested so they can continue growing and giving.
Like other sustainable beauty brands, we’re doing our best on this front but we know opportunities to improve are ahead. For example, some of our ingredients are derived from sustainably sourced palm but most often we strive to use coconut as a derivative source.
Because we prioritize concentrated, active ingredients such as oils and extracts, unlike watered-down skincare products, we’re not shipping bigger bottles that mostly contain water. Plus, a little goes a long way, which also helps shrink your carbon footprint. Plant-based ingredients can also safely enter the water stream without impacting the ecosystem.
As you consider the ingredients in your skincare, ask if they’re natural. If they’re natural, are they as organic as possible? If they’re organic, can they be sourced in a way that’s gentle and helpful to the earth?
Look for CertCLEAN
One way to make sure a product is safe, is to look for the CertCLEAN logo. This certification helps you identify products free of ingredients that can harm our health, such as:
- parabens
- sodium lauryl sulfates (SLS)
- BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) and BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole)
- DMDM hydantoin
- dibutyl and diethylhexyl phthalates
CertCLEAN, which has certified 1,000+ products, says: “With clean beauty products proudly bearing the CertClean logo, it is now possible for shoppers to confidently and easily discover safer beauty and personal care products. At the same time, the clean beauty products—what we call products formulated without questionable ingredients!—now get the authentication and distinction they deserve.”
When One Product Becomes Two
An extra win for the sustainability of your skincare happens when your products can be used in multiple ways, for example:
Our Lavender + Lemongrass Essential Summer Spray acts as a room refresher and mosquito repellant.
Our Clarity Purifying Concentrate soothes inflamed acne and, with its antimicrobial properties, could prevent infection on a cut if you were camping and had a run-in with a sliver.
Our Kaolin + Coconut Milk Radiant Cleansing Balm does double duty as a facial cleanser and an uber moisturizing facial mask.
When your natural skincare can do more for you, you buy one bottle instead of several—and help shrink your carbon footprint.
STEP 2: The Bottle
Glass is good
An estimated 120 billion packages are produced every year by the global cosmetics industry, much of which is not recyclable, and by 2050, scientists say there could be 12,000 metric tons of plastic waste in landfills or the natural environment (source: Elle Canada).
To do our part, where we can, we’ve shifted our products from plastic to glass bottles and jars. When you’re evaluating a skincare product’s eco factor, ask:
Is the packaging:
- recyclable
- reusable
- refillable
Refill ‘er up
We’re so thrilled that refilleries across Canada help you fill up on Om with three (soon to be six) of our bestsellers, and the list of skincare available from some of our Om stockists is growing, so stay tuned.
Simple swaps
Plus, when you forgo the waste of cleansing wipes and use cleansing balms or cleansing gels, you’re taking one more item out of the waste and emissions cycle.
STEP 3: The Journey to You
Shipping green
We’re also shipping smarter with boxes certified by Forest Stewardship Council. At Om, the bottle and the box are just two ways we’re striving to bring you sustainable skincare packaging.
STEP 4: Inspiring More Good for the Earth
The beauty of sustainable skincare is it also fosters shopping with this mindset in other ways, whether it’s for blueberries or blue jeans. Together, we’re cultivating a community that cares and votes for what’s best for the environment.
OM IS A LINE OF PURE, PLANT-BASED, TOTALLY CLEAN SKIN AND BODY CARE DESIGNED TO HELP YOU FEEL MORE CONFIDENT, NATURALLY BEAUTIFUL AND BODY-POSITIVE. SHOP OM PRODUCTS.