Embrace Upcycled Ingredients In Skincare This World Environment Day

lady in a sunflower field

Attempting to tackle the huge amount of waste they contribute to annually, the beauty industry is constantly researching ways to be more sustainable and minimise their impact on the planet. This World Environment Day we’re exploring the trend of using upcycled ingredients in skincare, discovering why harnessing the power of upcycled ingredients for cosmetics is great for you and the longevity of our planet.

Transforming waste materials and by-products into soothing skincare, beauty brands are making efforts to reduce their waste and promote sustainability while taking care of your skin. With people becoming more aware of how their lifestyles and actions impact the environment and how chemicals can affect their skin, sustainable beauty is on the rise, with consumers looking for more natural, skin-friendly sustainable skincare that cares for their complexion and the planet.  

What Are Upcycled Ingredients In Skincare?

Derived from waste or by-products that would otherwise be discarded or thrown away, upcycled ingredients include nutrient-rich fruit seed oils, coffee grounds, fruit peel extracts, cacao bean waste, and walnut shell powder, which, when added to skincare, can be beneficial for your skin.

Often rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, upcycled ingredients nourish and protect your skin, with their gentle and non-irritating formulas making them perfect for sensitive and reactive skin.

How Are Upcycled Ingredients Good For The Planet?

Not only does utilising waste ingredients minimise waste, but the ethical, eco-friendly practice also reduces our impact on the environment. Another benefit of utilising by-products in skincare is that it promotes biodiversity, supporting the use of a wider range of plant ingredients that would otherwise end up in landfills. So in opting for skincare enriched with upcycled ingredients, you’re not only embracing more sustainable skincare, you’re also nurturing your skin with natural ingredients that soothe and protect, leaving your complexion healthy and radiant.

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Our Five Favourite Upcycled Ingredient-Infused Skincare Products

Intrigued by the trending phenomenon and want to invest in upcycled ingredient skincare? We’ve rounded up five of our favourites, sharing why we love them and how they benefit your skin.

Codex Labs Antu Brightening Night Cream

Formulated with pumpkin enzyme from pumpkin flesh, this Codex Labs Antu Brightening Night Cream gently exfoliates your skin while you sleep, enhancing cell renewal to leave your skin bright, firm, and smooth.

Clinically proven to balance skin tone and soften your skin, this brightening night cream restores the skin barrier, reducing inflammation with its hyaluronic acid and omega-3-infused formula.  Formulated for dry, dull, and uneven skin, this nourishing night cream replenishes your skin overnight, leaving you fresh-faced and rejuvenated for when you awake.

Committed to creating sustainable skincare that effectively soothes your skin, Codex Labs use upcycled ingredients wherever possible, harnessing the power of natural fruit enzymes to transform your complexion.

BIOEFFECT Facial Cleanser

Formulated with upcycled barley seed extract, an ingredient rich in barley beta gluten that reinforces your skin barrier and seals in moisture, this BIOEFFECT Facial Cleanser gently and effectively removes makeup, impurities, and toxins from your skin, without damaging or drying.

Enriched with squalane and barley seed extract this cleanser boosts your skin’s hydration, preventing moisture loss to leave your skin soft, supple, and nourished. Antioxidant-rich, this cleanser is perfect for sensitive and reactive skin, minimising inflammation and redness to leave your skin calm, soothed, and rejuvenated.

Wildsmith Skin 4D Protection Serum

Enriched with upcycled red bell peppers, blueberry, and pomegranate extracts this Wildsmith Skin 4D Protection Serum is rich in carotenoids, an antioxidant ingredient that defends cellular DNA and collagen from degradation. Shielding your skin from blue light, the red bell pepper-infused serum is perfect for preventing damage caused by environmental aggressors.

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Dermalogica Liquid Peelfoliant

Containing upcycled cranberry extract, fermented pomegranate enzyme, and red gardenia flower extract, this Dermalogica Liquid Peelfoliant is brimming with upcycled ingredients that gently smooth your skin and unclog your pores.

Gently buffing away dead skin cells, bacteria, and sebum from the outermost layer of your skin, this sustainable moisturising peel boosts radiance, strengthens your sin barrier, minimises pores, and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles to leave your skin refreshed, firm, and illuminated.  

SBTRCT Clarifying Facial Exfoliator

Utilising the exfoliating power of upcycled rice powder, this award-winning SBTRCT Clarifying Facial Exfoliator gently lifts away dead skin cells and impurities from your skin, softening, smoothing, and nourishing to leave your skin balanced, even, and decongested.

Enriched with white willow bark, this exfoliator is created in solid form, minimising plastic waste to reduce SBTRCTs carbon footprint and preserve the longevity of our planet.

Shop Upcycled Ingredient Skincare

BIOEFFECT Facial CleanserBIOEFFECT Facial Cleanser
BIOEFFECT Facial Cleanser

£55.00
Dark green Wildsmith Skin 4D Protection Serum 30ml bottle next to white boxWildsmith Skin 4D Protection Serum 30ml
Wildsmith Skin 4D Protection Serum 30ml

£60.00 £80.00 25% offsaving
Dermalogica Liquid PeelfoliantDermalogica Liquid Peelfoliant
Dermalogica Liquid Peelfoliant

£65.00

Interests piqued by upcycled ingredient-infused skincare? Learn more about how the beauty industry is embracing sustainability in one of our previous blog posts: Talking Sustainable Beauty And Solid Skincare With SBTRCT Founder, Ben Grace.


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