Avoid Beauty Product Waste Using Common Household Items

Waste is a huge problem in the beauty industry — from packaging that isn't recyclable to consumers' overbuying. CEO of Pure Culture Joy Chen tells Vogue that "sustainability is so much more than just the packaging and what's in the product. It's all the behaviors that we have created for the consumer that has ended up in a lot more waste." After making a purchase, doing your diligence to completely use the product, or donating what's unused can create a difference in our planet.

However, some brands don't make it easy. A report from Top Class Action mentioned cosmetic leaders like L'Oreal, Maybelline, and Revlon as companies accused of having faulty packaging. The delivery methods for their beauty products left consumers with no way of getting access to all the products they paid for. We're talking about that day's worth of cream stuck at the bottom of the bottle. Luckily, there are some tips and tricks to help consume sustainably.

There is a way to get your money's worth with items you're sure to have on hand. According to Life Hacker, all you need is boiling water to get those stubborn drops of cream. Submerge your product into the hot water and let it bathe for two minutes. The temperature will soften the lotions and have them smoothly pour out of the bottle. Hot water will only help a bit: to truly get that lotion squeezing out easily, boiling water is the key to this hack. 

With products that can dry out like your go-to mascara, adding some salt water can do the trick. Beauty Haven also suggests using a drop of saline to revive dried makeup products. Like adding water to dry paint, it will bring products back to life. You'll be free to use your beauty products knowing you didn't waste a drop. But if you're still in search of other ideas, we have a couple.

If boiling your favorite moisturizer or lotion is too intimidating, there are other products you can buy to make sure you scrap that bottle clean. The Spatty is a spatula designed to scoop cosmetics from their container. There are varying sizes that allow you to get the hard-to-reach spots in lip gloss or serum containers. The larger sizes have a wand up to a foot long, perfect for taller bottles. The Spatty starts at around $5.

For larger products like lotions and sunscreens, there is Flip-It. It is a nozzle that replaces traditional spout tops. Their nozzle allows you to turn your container upside down, so the product is at the opening and easy to squeeze out. With Flip-it, gravity does all the work. There are different adapters to find the size that matches your existing container and gaskets to avoid any leaking. A single cap cost $8. However you boil, scrap, or squeeze, just make sure to get the last drop.