“Of interest” stories about the discovery of bacteria that can break down plastic bottles within days, new green beauty product releases, the opportunity to own a share of the ethical beauty and lifestyle shop Petit Vour, a “buy in bulk” option at Meow Meow Tweet, the discontinuation of Kjaer Weis mascara, and a Fair Trade denim line from Madewell.
The “mutant enzyme” that can break down plastic. Plastic waste is a mounting problem, especially as we continue to make products using plastic types that aren’t easily recyclable nor fully biodegradable. However, researchers in Japan discovered a strain of bacteria that has naturally evolved with enzymes that specifically eat away at polyethylene terephthalate, the common plastic known as PET (when used in bottles, jars, containers and packaging) or polyester (when used in fabrics and fibers). This happy accident could be an amazing solution to our plastic waste problem, as the “mutant enzyme” can break down plastic within a few days and allows the complete recycling of bottles back to their original form.
RMS Beauty’s new luminizing powders. For makeup products these days, nothing gets me more than a product that promises glowy, illuminated skin. And if it’s new from RMS Beauty? You’ve got my attention. The OG prestige, clean beauty brand launched pressed luminizing powders that claim to be “silky smooth,” “non-drying,” and beautiful in color, thanks to “ultra-fine mineral pigments,” and “healing nutrients.” The $38 product comes housed in a mirrored compact, and is currently available in 3 shades: a light champagne, a rose-gold, and a deep bronze. These new Luminizing Powders promise to leave skin moisturized as well as radiant, providing “a luminous, youthful finish.” While I prefer the cream products from RMS Beauty, I am definitely curious about these new powders.
Buy a share of Petit Vour. Petit Vour is a lovely online green beauty and lifestyle shop (best known for their affordable monthly beauty box) and now they want you to own a share of the business. Petit Vour has partnered with WeFunder to allow consumers to invest in the shop, which hopes “to become the largest ethical retailer in the world and make our standards the new norm.” There are various investor perks (like shop discounts and future equity), but this program seems to inspire investors to play an important role in pushing non-toxic beauty and conscious consumerism to the mainstream and help a great, ethical company continue to make a larger impact. The minimum amount to become a Petit Vour investor is $100 and the campaign ends April 3.
Meow Meow Tweet’s “buy in bulk” options. Beloved organic and vegan skincare brand, Meow Meow Tweet is now offering customers the option to purchase select products in bulk sizes. You get more of your favorite personal care products and use less packaging. Plus, MMT started a return program so customers can return their bulk refill containers, and the brand will sterilize and reuse the containers for you. On their blog, the brand shared how to sterilize and reuse bottles and jars to refill products on your own. With tons of great skincare products from MMT, I think it’s great that the brand has introduced this bulk option, especially for reducing packaging waste, and hopefully more brands will follow suit. I’ve also always loved MMT’s sustainable packaging, which has always been plastic free and 100% recyclable, not to mention super cute!
Kjaer Weis discontinued their original refillable mascara, but made improvements. Kjaer Weis announced they’ve replaced my favorite refillable, clean mascara with a new one. The brand says the replacement still contains the same, award-winning mascara formula but in “a newly redesigned and even more sustainable package.” Initially I was disappointed when I read that the brand was discontinuing this mascara model as that would mean my current tube (which I’ve purchased many refills for) would be useless and I’d have to buy the new system. However it’s nice to know there are improvements made to the mascara, specifically it’s a bit larger and ergonomic than the older design. Kjaer Weis is currently doing a promotion until April 8 where you can buy the new mascara model for the price of a refill (new refills are due to come out in May).
Madewell’s fair trade denim line. Madewell announced an extension of their “Eco-Collection” with a new Fair Trade denim line. The brand partnered with Fair Trade USA to create 9 jean styles, overalls, a jean jacket, and a denim skirt. Each product is Fair Trade Certified and Madewell states that they “give back directly to the people who made it.” For every product that is manufactured, Madewell contributes to their own Community Development Fund, which provides fund directly to the workers and is “managed by the workers,” who decide how the funds are spent. While that’s really all the details provided on the brand’s website, each product description seems to be pretty transparent, with most including details about the sustainable fabrics used, breakdown of certain fabrics, and the eco-friendly manufacturing processes.
Madewell states they “work with factories that are committed to sustainable practices,” mentioning Vietnam-based, Saitex and the Italian mill, Candiani on their website. Saitex is also the same prominent sustainable factory that Everlane uses for their denim products. Is this a possible shift in tide for non-sustainable fashion brands? Let’s hope more brands continue to realize the importance of sustainable manufacturing and engaging consumers with true transparency.
