7 Earth-Friendly Tweaks to Make to Your Beauty Routine

In honor of Earth Month, Mia Davis, VP of sustainability and impact at clean beauty store Credo, is sharing easy ways to make cleaner, greener choices

01 of 07

Seek Out Upcycled Ingredients

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Brands are beginning to repurpose ingredients that might otherwise be headed to the landfill. This face exfoliator uses coffee grounds from London cafés. It's effective and smells great.

Buy It! UpCircle Face Scrub, $16; credobeauty.com

02 of 07

Refill…

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Swap products in single-use packaging for ones that come in reusable containers. Companies are now making refillable versions of everything from mouthwash to this cruelty-free deodorant.

Buy It! Beautycounter the Clean Deo, $28; beautycounter.com

03 of 07

…and Reuse

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Many products are used once, then tossed, and will still be intact in the landfill for decades (or more). Instead, look for products you'll get more wear out of, such as these machine-washable pads.

Buy It! Jenny Patinkin Pure Luxury Organic Bamboo Cosmetic Rounds, $38; credobeauty.com

04 of 07

Scrutinize Your Shampoo

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Formulas are generally made from more than 70 percent water. Try a concentrated version that requires less water to make. This bottle is made of 100 percent recycled plastic.

Buy It! Love Beauty and Planet Concentrated Shampoo, $7; walmart.com

05 of 07

Choose Low-Waste Goods

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Look for items that have minimal—or no—packaging, so there's next to nothing to toss at the end. This tubeless, cap-free three-in-one crayon is wrapped in paper and packaged in a recyclable case.

Buy It! Axiology Lip-to-Lid Balmie Trio, $36; credobeauty.com

06 of 07

Research Ingredients

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Petroleum jelly is an ingredient found in many things we use, but unfortunately it's a byproduct of the oil refining process, and has a huge negative impact on our environment. Opt for a clean alternative like this balm.

Buy It! Doctor Rogers Restore Healing Balm, $30; doctorrogers.com

07 of 07

Know Before You Throw

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Take time to educate yourself on what you can (or how you can) properly recycle the beauty products you use. Plastic #1, 2 or 5 are the types most likely to be recycled. Plastic #3, 4, 6 and 7 are not recycled, even when you put them in in curbside bins.

This foundation actually has the discard instructions printed on the product packaging, so you can't get it wrong. When in doubt: bring your hard-to-recycling beauty items to Credo to be properly recycled. You'll earn reward points!

Buy It! Exa High Fidelity Foundation, $38; credobeauty.com

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