Fun (but sad) fact: The building sector makes up nearly 40% of annual global CO2 emissions. These emissions are made from the operational carbon emissions (lighting, heating and cooling) and from the manufacturing and transportation of building materials i.e. the construction process. As Canada (and many other countries) try to build their way back up from their housing deficit, emissions from the building sector will surely surge. Unfortunately, the shortage of housing supply leaves many unable to afford a place to live. With all these factors in mind came the birth of the genius idea of green buildings or sustainable architecture.
Celebrities’ Eco Friendly Skincare Brands: Is it Greenwashing or Not?
Written by Sabrina Akeb and Edited by Jasmine Gadoua
I have always been fascinated by celebrities and, more recently, influencers that start successful businesses. Over the last few years, there has been a gain in popularity for celebrity makeup lines (e.g. Kylie Cosmetics, Fenty Beauty, Rare Beauty, etc.). Now, we have seen a sudden increase in celebrity skincare lines. For instance, Kylie Skin launched in May 2019, followed by SKKN by Kim and Rhode Skin by Hailey Bieber, both launched in June 2022. The latter are just a few examples of the skincare brands phenomenon taking place in Hollywood right now: celebrity skincare brands are advertising themself as “sustainable”! The real question is are they really sustainable or is it a facade to make them appear more human and less “famous”?
Analyzing SKKN by Kim Kardashian
Let’s take SKKN by Kim as an example. SKKN claims to be “grounded in an ethos of sustainability”. Let’s take a deeper look at what factors make SKKN green:
- The outer packaging containers cannot be recycled, but are designed to last, and can be refilled.
- There are refillable inner bottles and jars, where each refill is made of 50% recycled plastic (and 50% virgin plastic). All components, except the pumps, can be recycled once empty.
- The eggshell pulp containers, without the metal components (used to protect the refills during shipping), and kraft bags (used as outer packaging) can be recycled.
- Once the inserts are used, customers can order a refill, which the company says “saves on packaging overall”.
Many have been criticizing Kim Kardashian’s company by accusing her of wasting and making her skincare line “look sustainable” (A.K.A. greenwashing) as a marketing ploy. If you think about it, consumers could buy the refills, which would be cheaper and actually sustainable. However, buying refills for the original outer packaging bottle creates more waste, especially if you consider it on a larger scale for thousands of customers.
Despite the backlash on social media regarding brands like Kim Kardashian’s SKKN, consumers still don’t understand what is setting them apart from the already over-saturated skincare market, or if they’re actually contributing to the sustainability movement. Are they using the term “sustainable” as a trend to make more profit, or are they actually making the effort to research and implement greener skincare alternatives? This is a difficult question because we live in a capitalist society, where most businesses’ goals are to make money.
That’s why it’s important to research before buying a “sustainable” product to see if it’s worth supporting!
Luckily, the Pebble Magazine’s Sustainable Skincare Guide 2021 helps you make eco-friendly choices more easily in your everyday skincare and haircare routines:
Resources:
https://www.intheknow.com/post/celebrity-beauty-brands-sustainabilit/
https://www.greenmatters.com/p/kim-kardashian-skkn-sustainable