“‘Cause we are living in a material world, and I am a material girl.” Madonna’s iconic lyrics from “Material Girl” are more than just a catchy 80s pop song. Instead, they are an anthem for the modern world, one dominated by materialism and vanity. 

For the longest time I would look at myself through the lens of a “Material Girl,” consumed by the vanity and societal pressures of makeup. It seemed like, especially in my teenage years, that identity and self-presentation were at the forefront of everyone’s minds.  

Makeup became an art form, one which I gradually progressed at: finding the right shade of lipstick, learning how to apply mascara without smudging, and figuring out my perfect contour lines. However, amidst the glittering blush and shiny eyeshadow palettes, something seemed to not really match up. The more regular my makeup routine became, the more I noticed the small plastic pile in my bathroom trash. Had my own vanity blind-sided my growing environmental concern? 

I knew that Mother Earth was naturally beautiful, her incredible looks landing her on the front of postcards and in picturesque documentaries. But I also knew that Mother Earth’s beauty needed to be protected – and not just in a setting spray kind of way. Despite this, I was constantly confronted with the ways in which our society harms the environment. Every science class seemed to be a lecture on the growing threats to the environment and every news headline read like a warning. 

Was my bathroom trash can full of discarded beauty product packaging really contributing to our society’s widespread environmental harm or was I just being paranoid? I decided to dig deeper, learning that the beauty industry contributes to over 120 billion units of plastic packaging annually — the equivalent of 2.4 trillion small metal trash cans filled with plastic. This became even more alarming when I found out that only 14% of this plastic gets thrown in the recycling bin, and just 9% of it is actually recycled. Most of these plastics are called “single-use” referring to exactly that: plastic that is used only once before being thrown away. I also learned that plastic is well on its way to surpassing coal-fired power’s effect on climate change by 2030. 

It wasn’t just the initial shock of reading these statistics that put me in a frenzy, but the realization that many of the ingredients in my favorite cosmetics were further harming the environment. In fact, the European Union has banned 1,300 ingredients from cosmetics due to safety concerns whereas the United States has only banned 11. Common makeup ingredients use lead, mercury and cadmium as well as lots of other synthetic chemicals. None of these are easily degradable and instead are noted to have immortal effects: namely, that they take incredibly long periods of time to biodegrade, often contaminating nearby soil and water sources along the way. 

My bathroom trash now was serving just as my cosmetic products’ first stop on an odyssey of landfill, and every makeup brush stroke seemed to remind me that there was always a secret price that came with everything. Makeup has been an important part of society for centuries, originating in Ancient Egypt about 6,000 years ago. While makeup first started as a marker of wealth believed to appeal to the gods, makeup has evolved into a must-have for upholding beauty standards, a confidence boost, and a form of artistry and identity. For me and for thousands of others, makeup is a vital part of self-expression and self-care. But I now faced a dilemma: could I still look glamorous for a night out without feeling guilty about the ripple effects on our environment? 

Could humans live in harmony with Mother Nature’s beautiful and biodiverse landscape as we have for most of our history on earth, but also do it with a lot more highlighter and sparkle? This question propelled me to look into more of the products I was purchasing and using on a daily basis, and finding out all the damage just my makeup drawer alone was doing, I turned to my friends and family in search of healthier options. 

I turned to my aunt, Ashley Meis, a lover of beauty products and advocate for self-care. “I have used Doctor Haushka skin care products for many years. Several friends have used my Haushka products over the years and they are all proud converts,” Ashley says. Dr. Haushka products are known for their commitment to using natural and biodegradable ingredients. Through eco-friendly practices of sustainable packaging and organic farming, I learned that it’s possible for both my skin and the earth’s future to be bright. 

With a greater sense of purpose I began to look into more environmentally friendly beauty products. Sustainable brand options like Lush (one of my favorite shower essentials with their eco-friendly packaging and natural ingredients), Ilia Beauty (which uses organic and eco-friendly ingredients with recyclable packaging), RMS Beauty (which focuses on raw, organic ingredients with minimal, recyclable packaging) and Kjaer Weis (which offers recyclable packaging with certified organic ingredients) helped me realize that beauty and sustainability could co-exist.

Every time we choose makeup from an eco-friendly brand we create a beneficial change to not only our beauty routines but to prioritizing environmentally friendly practices. Whether it’s buying refillable shampoo and conditioner bottles, choosing eyeshadow palettes with more responsibly sourced ingredients, or choosing lip glosses with biodegradable packaging, by using more sustainable beauty products, we can work towards supporting a biodiverse world, starting at the makeup counter. It’s about acknowledging the already done damage of our makeup routines and taking a look in the mirror of life to help change them. 

We all need to work together towards the greater good. Not just by making smart individual choices but inspiring others to do the same. Through education we can all work to spread the word for more sustainable options and the importance of reducing waste in our daily lives. 

Embracing eco-friendly beauty isn’t just a trendy choice; instead, it’s a fashion statement that represents our dedication to a more biodiverse and healthy ecosystem. So as I reapply my lipgloss, I do so with a practiced ease as I navigate my love for makeup with a greater sense of responsibility. My bathroom trash is no longer serving as a part of that 120 billion units of plastic, but instead as my small impact towards making more conscious choices. Now I know that Mother Nature can feel as beautiful and glamorous as I do.