It’s great that we have an entire month dedicated to honoring the earth. We’re happy to move past Earth Day and stretch it for 30, being that it’s the planet we all call home and depend on for every single resource we need to continue our species. It’s… kind of important.

But here at Materiae, we take it seriously 365 days a year. David Pirrotta has always been passionate about sustainability, and supporting and propelling brands who do everything in their power to embody eco-conscious practices, but he had a revelation in the past year that was powerful. Pirrotta feels it’s imperative to work towards a future of exclusively sustainable thinking. To seek out brands that share that manifesto, to highlight them, and to help that earth-forward thinking dominate the industry. Sustainability shouldn’t be a buzzword. It shouldn’t be a nice, angelic quality, one that is unique, or a differentiator. It should be the ultimate norm—the standard for every industry. We’re starting with beauty.

Because this seismic shift in Pirrotta’s heart means a shift in the way he operates his business, more and more labels at Materiae are reaching a level of sustainability that surpasses what we’re used to. We want everyone to beware of greenwashing. It’s so easy to give into packaging gimmicks like the use of the color green, a leaf illustration, words like “natural” or “organic.” It’s much, much deeper than that. We realize it’s our responsibility to look into brands’ processes before giving them our business. Where do they source their ingredients? How do the suppliers produce their ingredients? How is the packaging making the smallest footprint? Is all of it recyclable or repurposed? Because that matters, big time.

Here are a few of our favorite brands going above and beyond the industry standard in sustainability, all the while making products that genuinely perform.

Ingredients

Ingredients is an incredible, no-fuss brand with a line of effective necessities and killer sourcing. Their products are wellness-forward, and never diluted— their ingredient claims are concentrated, and the results speak for themselves. They use 100% plant-based, organic ingredients, carefully sourced directly from their trusted producers and farmers around the world.

Co founder and green chemist Myriam Zaoui Malka shares that their process is one of the strictest in the industry. Their audit isn’t just about the ingredients themselves, but also how they are harvested. Their R&D team performs in-person audits of each ingredient and its source for sustainable and ethical farming practices, organic and natural certifications, and traceability.

“Green Chemistry is a fundamental approach to developing and processing ingredients in a safe, environmentally-friendly way, utilizing substances that are non-hazardous, non-toxic, are better for human health, and better for the environment, the planet,” Malka shares. Everything is cold-processed, harnessing all of the bio available nutrients and vitamins for ultimate efficacy, while also saving energy and producing no CO2 emissions.

Sándor

Sabrina Szinay, founder of luxe hair brand Sándor, puts sustainability before all else, as making it an Earth-conscious company was one of the main reasons she created this line.

"Sustainability is part of the foundation of our company. At Sándor, our purpose is to create responsibly, only putting into the world what can coexist with nature. This is why we designed packaging that is zero-waste where everything can be reused, recycled or are home compostable, Szinay shares.

It’s easy to not always think of necessities, like shampoo, when it comes to environmental toxicity, but it’s all going down the drain and into our waterways. Keeping things squeaky clean in the shower (pun intended) is vital.

“We created an all natural formula with 100% biodegradable ingredients and with a calming essential oil scent, to keep our waterways as clean as possible. Every decision we make as a company is with sustain ability in mind and one of our main goals was not only to reduce waste but to reduce the carbon footprint of making our products. That is why we source all of our ingredients as locally and organically as possible within North America and from our bottle manufacturing to our lab to our distributor is only a 517 mile journey. Our promise is to always seek the most innovative materials and sustainable processes as possible."

ILIA

So many brands get away with toxins and environmentally (and bodily!) damaging ingredients because they are formulated with minuscule amounts. Sure, a little is a little. But most products are used daily or a few times a week, and the issue is with accumulation— many chemicals accumulate in our tissues. Now consider that everyone is using products, all the time. That massive level of accumulation goes straight into our drains and out into the environment on a huge scale.

ILIA is hyper-aware of this not just on an ingredient level, but also in a packaging/physical level. Founder Sasha Plavsic tells us that "at ILIA we believe little by little, a little becomes a lot. In the world of beauty there is a lot of waste. When it comes to color cosmetics, recycling is especially challenging as a result of multiple materials and small components that are not accepted by our state recycling bins."

In 2020, ILIA started using Terra Cycle’s Zero Waste Box platform that’s dedicated to recycling the hard-to-recycle. We allow our customers to mail in up to 5 empty beauty products per month from ILIA or other brands, and Terra cycle will look to break down as much of the packaging as they can, and minimize waste going to the landfill."

"We are grateful for this opportunity to work alongside an organization that recognizes the challenges in the recycling industry. At ILIA we look to push the boundaries of innovation. We are discovering ways to lead sustainability and social responsibility as one of the leading clean makeup brands in the industry."

This is the kind of energy that Materiae’s beloved brand family has now, and exclusively, moving forward. Help us in our efforts by doing your own major homework before supporting beauty and skincare brands, so that we can shift the norm. Taking responsibility is beautiful. Let’s all be held accountable.