Whether you’re wanting to save money or live a more eco-friendly life, having to throw out a product or deciding you no longer want to use a skincare item is always annoying.
Here I share some tips for avoiding wasting skincare products.
Understand Your Skin Type
One of the biggest causes of waste in the skincare world is people buying products that aren’t right for their skin type. If you have dry skin and use a product intended for oily skin, then it probably won’t be effective, and could make your skincare issues worse. You’ll likely end up discarding the product and purchasing more in its place.
Know what your skin type is and choose products that suit this skin type. Follow skincare bloggers with a similar skin type to your own (I’m combination/oily btw) for advice on which products to try out and which to avoid.
Don’t Get Caught Up in the Latest Trends
Another massive problem with the skincare industry is trends. At an increasing pace, the skincare industry is becoming like the fashion industry, with a new ‘trendy’ ingredient becoming the must-have in all your skincare products.
Over the past few years I’ve seen the likes of vitamin C, CBD oil, retinol, charcoal and cica being the ‘it’ ingredients. These will pop up as new skincare ranges in shops like Superdrug, and it will seem like these products are the newfound miracle cure for your skin. The ingredient becomes like a buzzword and it’s all you’ll hear about in skincare adverts and posts for months.
However, just because they’ve chosen a new ingredient to push on you doesn’t mean it’s right for your skin type, or will help you. You almost certainly won’t need a full skincare routine comprising products with these ingredients.
Another problem with trends is influencers. You’ll often see influencers posting all the same products and it may give you a false sense that this is the product you should be buying. Just because it’s popular on Instagram doesn’t mean you should buy it without some independent research. Read reviews from bloggers who understand about the ingredients and who the product is suited to!
Avoid Overbuying
Yeah, I know! One look at my skincare shelves and you’ll know I’m definitely guilty of owning more products than I could ever need. But, I’m really trying to minimise the amount of products I buy myself, and will only open a new product when I have finished a comparable one.
This is important as skincare products do go off – some quicker than others – so only having what you need open and using it all before opening a new product is important.
Vitamin C, for example, can be an unstable ingredient in some products, meaning it goes off quicker. So, there’s no point having multiple vitamin C products open at once, as you’ll only cause them both to go off quicker and cause waste in the process.
Use the Right Amount of Skincare Product
Another cause of waste is using the wrong amount of product. This could be using too much so you use up a product too quickly, or not applying enough and then thinking that a product doesn’t work for you.
Donate Unwanted Products
Similar to food banks, toiletry banks are available in certain locations to donate unwanted products to those in need. Unused products are preferred. However, some locations accept opened or partially used products that you no longer require.
Check out Toiletries Amnesty or The Hygiene Bank to find your nearest drop off point.
Of course, if you do not have a local drop off point or charity scheme to donate to, then you can always give products to friends or family who may want them.
Do you have any tips for ensuring you don’t waste products? Leave me a comment below with your suggestions!
