Blue Beauty: the new movement to save the oceans
The cosmetic industry has a huge impact on the environment, especially on the marine ecosystem. This is demonstrated by research conducted by All Earthlings, an organization that is committed to making the production chains of the cosmetic sector transparent.
Sarah Jay, founder of the association and creator of the documentary Toxic Beauty (2019) says that “every year, 8m metric tonnes of plastic enters our oceans on top of the estimated 150m metric tonnes that currently circulate in marine environments.”
An alarming issue, especially if we consider the additional source of pollution and ecosystem imbalance caused by the removal of many elements of marine origin used to create cosmetics. In this worrying scenario, a new trend emerges – with the hope that this will not remain a trend alone – Blue Beauty.
Blue Beauty is a beauty movement whose goal is to sensitize both consumers and cosmetic industry about the pollution in the oceans, stimulating a more aware attitude in the whole beauty universe.
Where green beauty was concerned with safeguarding the environment while also promoting a more positive and sustainable lifestyle, blue beauty looks to the problems of the sea. Melissa Hago, vice president and director of Fashion Snoops, a trend forecasting company, explained the origin of the movement to Vogue UK.
“Green beauty stemmed from our eco-conscious lifestyle shifts, like eating clean, composting, recycling, and avoiding excess chemicals. These overall lifestyle changes inevitably lead to us wanting more natural, clean beauty products that protect both us and the environment. We first started talking about blue beauty at Fashion Snoops as a trend movement around two years ago, as concerns for the future of our oceans started to grow and consumers [began] to realise how plastic was harming the ocean’s ecosystem.”
In short, what must brands do to immediately take part in the movement and ensure the protection of the oceans? First of all, creating plant-based products instead of using elements of marine origin, definitively banning the use of harmful chemicals and working on recyclable packaging.
Biossance is one of them. The brand fights against the use of squalane, an ingredient with moisturizing power derived from shark liver. As an alternative, Biossance uses a plant-based element biosynthetically obtained from sugar cane. Biossance’s laudable work goes hand in hand with All Earthlings’ commitment to raising consumer awareness on the issue. Among the various critical aspects of squalane, there is also that the ways in which it is obtained cannot be guaranteed, hence the consequent need for greater transparency by the brands that still use this product.
“Microbead pollution and reef-damaging sunscreen are two subjects we’ve seen receive a good amount of attention from brands in terms of messaging and product redesign”. Hago continues. The founder of Fashion Snoops also suggests mineral-based sun creams, such as those produced by Versed, Everyday Humans and EleVen by Venus Williams.
Blue Beauty demonstrates that although there is still a long way to go, there are already some potential alternatives capable of reversing the course.
“Oceans are resilient and have an immense capacity to regenerate if we prioritize their protection,” said Sarah Jay of All Eartlings. “the oceans are the lungs of our planet, and provide essential ecosystem services we cannot live without.”
