The environmental damage of the "disposable" flak mask is obvious, according to the market research firm Market Data Forecast, the global market for flake masks reached $195 million this year, as a product with a very high popularity among beauty consumers, the large-scale damage caused by its "use up and discard" to the environment can be imagined, and the beauty industry is taking action to curb the deterioration of this situation.
Last April, "pure" beauty retailer Credo introduced a sustainable packaging guideline for 135 brands it sells, which requires brands in terms of plastic use, packaging claims that are compostable or degradable, recyclable packaging, and the first and most important provision under this code is the ban on disposable products such as flake masks, wet wipes, and small spoons that come with products. Credo said passing the ban would reduce scrap by 3,000 pounds a year.
In September, UK health retailer Holland & Barrett also announced that it would stop selling disposable masks in all of its UK stores and online stores, and would also stop selling all disposable beauty products in the future.
Although the negative impact of the flaky mask on the environment has been criticized, it is still one of the most popular skin care products because of its convenience, hygiene, and suitable for spreading on social platforms. According to the NPD U.S. market, flaky masks remained strongly growing during the pandemic when luxury skincare sales declined. In the beauty industry, where sustainable development is constantly emphasized, some environmentally conscious brands have also begun to explore how to make this popular product more sustainable, and the subversion of the "disposable" attribute and the upgrading of the mask material are the two most important directions.
Jessica Alba's personal brand, Honeyst Beauty, last year unveiled a reusable silicone mask that doesn't carry a serum like a traditional flaky mask, requiring users to apply any serum or cream they need to their face before applying the mask. According to the brand, after use, the mask needs to be washed and dried and placed in its exclusive storage bag, if cleaned and stored properly, the service life of this product can reach several months.
Honest Beauty reusable magic silicone mask
Dieux Skin, a cutting-edge beauty brand established last year, also launched a reusable silicone eye mask at the beginning of the launch, which also needs to be used with other eye skin care products, which the brand says can be used indefinitely, and it needs to be cleaned with alcohol and stored in the tin box that comes with the product.
Dieux Skin Forever Eye Mask
Charlotte Palermino, co-founder of the brand and skincare opinion leader, said: "Many brands just want you to keep buying repeatedly, they don't really develop products that are good for the environment, and the key to the effectiveness of the flake mask is that it is a closed layer of film, and we should rethink how to make skincare more sustainable." ”
Charlotte Tilbury Cryo Recovery mask
Charlotte Tilbury's applicable firming mask, launched in August, also features reusable silicone, a product inspired by cryotherapy and needle pressing that needs to be refrigerated for half an hour before use, applied to the mask and massaged to achieve lifting firming, smoothing and reducing wrinkles.
The material of the mask cloth is also closely related to the impact on the environment, the film cloth made of nylon, polyester fiber, plastic and other artificial materials are more difficult to recycle and degrade, while the mask made of cotton is facing the problem of huge water consumption in the cotton planting process and pollution caused by the heavy use of pesticides, and more sustainable bio-fiber (Biocellulose) has become the choice of many brands.
Biofiber is a nanofiber collection that is cultured by fermentation by implanting bacteria on a raw material of plant origin. In addition to the advantages of water retention, high adhesion, and good skin feeling, bio-fiber is a more environmentally friendly membrane material due to its compostable properties. Skincare brands such as SkinCeuticals, Elizabeth Arden, Neostrata, Dr Dennis Gross, 111Skin, etc. use biofiber membranes in some of their mask products.
111Skin Purple Gilded Fairy Muscle Full Effect Biofiber Repair Mask
In addition, fabric manufacturers are also actively developing more environmentally friendly membrane materials.
In April this year, the brand Launcher launched a carbon-neutral Lyocell fiber that uses renewable energy, low-carbon methods and low-carbon raw materials, some of which are compostable and biodegradable, and part of which comes from sustainably certified forests, compostable and biodegradable, and partly from cotton detritus in clothing production to reduce raw material and energy consumption.
Beauty brand Annesvig, which uses Veocel fibers to make masks
International chemical company Asahi Kasei has also developed Bemliese, a sustainable fabric mainly used in masks and wipe products. The raw material for this fabric comes from a by-product of cotton picking: cotton wool that remains on the cotton seeds after treatment is compostable, "100% biodegradable within four weeks" and degradable in both the soil and marine environment. The fabric's main customers in the Asia-Pacific market include beauty companies such as L'Oréal Group and COSCOS, which asahi Kasei also introduced to the US market in July this year.
Bemliese fabric is made from cotton wool left over from cotton seeds
But "biodegradable" doesn't always tell the story, and Mia Davis, Credo's director of social responsibility, believes that the concept of biodegradability is often washed green and consumers must be well aware of it. Brianne West, founder of Sustainable Personal Care Brand Ethique, also said in an interview with Elle that any substance will eventually degrade, a misleading concept.
And even if the membrane cloth is degradable, the production process of the membrane cloth may also bring a lot of water and energy consumption. In addition, the environmental problems caused by outer packaging, which are often made of plastic or aluminum, also need to be carefully considered.
If you want to transform this "notorious" product, it is not enough to stay in the label that can be marketed, and to create a product from the overall design and life cycle of the product can be further from the real sustainable realization. BINC
(Thanks to Ellen Thomas for her contribution to this article)
Author: Lee
Editor: Guo Mansi
Image source: Network