7 Sustainable Makeup Bags Without The Environmental Baggage
The cat’s out of the sustainable makeup bag.
What you put your cosmetics in matters just as much as the cosmetics itself.
Like the many ingredients to avoid in skincare and makeup, there’s a plethora of materials no makeup bag should be made of.
Namely, anything that will add to the 92 million tons of annual textile waste created by the global community.
And let’s be honest: Textile waste is never a good look.
So rather opt for eco friendly makeup bags that keep your beauty essentials (and the planet) secure.
How did we makeup our minds about choosing the best sustainable makeup bags?
We unpack our vegan makeup brushes to provide full face coverage of our criteria at the end of the article.
*This post contains affiliate links
QUICKLINKS FOR SUSTAINABLE MAKEUP & TOILETRY BAGS
1. TRESTIQUE
About trestique’s Recycled Cosmetics Bags
trestique wants to keep you and the planet looking chic.
This innovative beauty brand creates PETA-certified vegan and cruelty free products with refillable packaging.
Not to mention sustainable makeup bags to store them in.
The compact, tubular Le Pak line includes three sizes of recycled makeup bags all made from recycled plastic bottles.
Worried about that plastic free mascara leaking?
Don’t. The slick, stain-resistant fabric means these are some of the best eco friendly washable makeup bags for all the spills.
trestique’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
trestique favors post consumer recycled materials to combat single use plastics.
Recycled makeup bags aside, their eco-friendly makeup packaging is made with at least 87% recycled materials. The product itself is still delivered in plastic though.
All shipping and packing materials are 100% recyclable and printed with soy-based inks.
They’re also certified carbon neutral by CarbonFund.
To close the loop at every stage, trestique partners with Pact to process all hard to recycle packaging. Simply drop off refill cartridges at a Pact collection bin in the US or Canada.
No bin near you?
Ship to Pact directly and they’ll do the work for you.
Available: trestique
2. WILLOW EARTH
About Willow Earth’s Sustainable Makeup Bags UK
UK-based Willow Earth specializes in plastic free bags of all kinds.
Like their vegan sustainable cosmetics bag whichis made with ethically sourced cotton canvas and a small amount of cork.
But if you want a vegan leather alternative that’s strong, long lasting and compostable at the end of its life check out their organic sustainable makeup bag made from washable kraft paper.
There are seven earthy tones to choose from.
Willow Earth’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Willow Earth partners with One Tree Planted. One tree is planted for every backpack purchased.
Plus, Etsy offsets carbon emissions from all your purchases while you help support a small business.
To ensure their products last longer, they carry water-resistant soy wax to keep your sustainable makeup bagfeeling dry and looking fresh.
Available: Etsy
3. TERRA THREAD
About Terra Thread Fair Trade Sustainable Makeup Bag
Terra Thread “put[s] people and the planet first, every step of the way.”
As a Nepalese-US immigrant, co-founder Vizan Giri values South Asian culture and livelihood.
This is reflected in her business, which partners with fair trade factories and smallholder organic cotton farms in India.
All theirorganic sustainable makeup bagsare made with fair trade organic cotton and a small amount of polyester in the zipper. You can choose between three styles—including a larger sustainable toiletry bag—and a rainbow of colors to find the magic bag that suits your style.
Terra Thread’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Terra Thread’s sustainable backpacks, clothing, and eco friendly makeup bags are shipped in plastic free packaging.
In addition to fair trade certifications, Terra Thread is GOTS-certified and carbon neutral. They offset carbon emissions by supporting reforestation and using renewable energy.
Their parent company, Gallant International Inc, is a certified B Corporation.
Terra Thread partners with Feeding America. Each purchase provides a meal to families in need.
Available: Terra Thread
4. BEEKEEPER PARADE
About Beekeeper Parade’s Sustainable Makeup Bags Australia
Down under designs from Beekeeper Parade are one of a kind.
Australia based founders, Koky and his late sister Sophia hoped to inspire everyone to BEE their best by respecting people and the planet.
For them, the best eco friendly makeup bags are made using upcycled fabric that would otherwise end up in landfills.
These end-of-the-roll, discarded, or donated deadstock fabrics are transformed into functional sustainable makeup bags with unique patterns.
The current selection includes neon checkerprint, patchwork denim, and tropical green leaves.
Beekeeper Parade’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Beekeeper Parade is upcycling #goals.
Not only do they use upcycled fabric, but proceeds from each sale go to Beekeeper’s charity, BabyTree Projects.
Inspired to support his heritage, Koky created BabyTree Projects to bring quality education to children in rural areas of his native Cambodia.
The upcycled bags are also made in Cambodia at the BeeKeeper Parade “Imaginarium” Production House.
Besides recycled makeup bags, Beekeeper also constructs backpacks, purses, and wallets.
Available: Biome
5. TIRADIA CORK
About Tiradia Cork’s Vegan Sustainable Makeup Bags
Based in Seattle, Tiradia Cork’s green sustainable makeup bags are functional, fashionable, and eco friendly.
Styled to look like a clutch, the Glam Bag features a secure snap closure, folding sides to suit whatever you fill it with, and a built-in mirror for on the go touch ups.
Glam Bag not big enough?
Size up to the Sidekick Bag for all your essentials while still being small enough to slip in your purse.
Or check out the Room For Two Dopp Kit, an eco friendly xl makeup bag with space to share.
Tiradia Cork uses…natural cork to construct all their accessories which has the added benefit of being waterproof, ensuring your makeup will stay dry in any weather.
Tiradia Cork’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Tiradia Cork’s products are handcrafted in Porto, Portugal, where the majority of the world’s cork is grown.
Cork is both renewable and biodegradable and its durability will keep your eco friendly makeup bag in use for years.
All Tiradia Cork’s products are PETA approved vegan.
Available: Etsy | Tiradia Cork
6. THING STORIES
About Thing Stories’ Sustainable Cosmetics Bags
Minimalism meets elegance with Thing Stories’ decor and personal accessories which are designed to inspire “refined simplicity.”
This Lithuanian Etsy shop handcrafts items using natural linen, an organic, durable, and hypoallergenic material.
The machine washable makeup bagsare available in many shapes and sizes—eco friendly xl makeup bags included—and an array of soft neutrals.
If you want practical and aesthetically appealing, Thing Stories is hard to beat.
Thing Stories’ Ethical and Sustainability Practices
We’ll be reaching out to get more info on Thing Stories’ sustainability practices. We do know that when grown organically, linen is one of the most sustainable fabrics available.
Don’t forget: Etsy offsets carbon emissions from all purchases.
Available: Etsy
7. PALETTE
About Palette’s Sustainable Makeup Bags USA
Palette by Pak has a novel take on what the most sustainable makeup bags are.
No bags at all.
This inventive brand’s mission is to eliminate all sample sized bottles you inevitably pick up while traveling…AKA single use plastics.
Their solution is a refillable storage palette that can hold all your essentials without the need of a bag.
Think of it as an eco friendly washable makeup bag and makeup packaging rolled into one.
The Original High FiverTM consists of five individual wells that each hold a small amount of your favorite product.
It’s reusable, customizable, and TSA-approved travel friendly.
Palette’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Your Palette recycled makeup bag alternative will arrive in an FSC certified, recyclable, biodegradable, and compostable tube made with 88% post consumer waste.
The Original High FiverTM contains 30% recycled plastic, soon to be 50%, with a long-term goal of using 100% recycled plastic.
Palette is woman-founded-and-owned.
Their products are made in the USA and international shipping is in the works.
Available: Palette
HOW WE FOUND ECO FRIENDLY MAKEUP BAGS
How did we secure the (sustainable) bag?
We referenced our handy guide to sustainable and ethical fashion. Just as it works for sustainable handbags and purses, it applies to eco friendly makeup bags, too.
Here are a few things we looked for:
Materials:
Sustainable fabrics produce less waste, consume less energy, and have an overall smaller environmental impact than traditional materials.
The most sustainable makeup bags are those you can toss in your indoor compost bin after they’ve contained their last compact.
That means natural materials like organic cotton, linen, and cork fabric are on fleek (do people still say that?).
While they’re not always compostable like organic sustainable makeup bags, recycled toiletry bags and makeup bags make use of something else that would be landfill or ocean-bound (like recycled plastic bottles and deadstock fabric).
- Certifications: Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), OEKO-TEX® 100
Supply chain & labor practices:
Just because you like a black sustainable makeup bag, doesn’t mean it should be black-marked with unfair wages and workers’ abuse.
That’s why we look for companies that value sustainability and human rights at every level of the supply chain through fair wages, safe environments, and the transparency to prove it.
Smaller entities mean greater traceability, so we prefer brands who source raw materials from small, family owned farms and factories and who produce domestically.
Although small business owners (like many on this list) are often unable to achieve third party certification, that doesn’t mean they’re not actively eco conscious or making sustainable goods.
In fact, supporting small businesses may very well be your most sustainable option. Shopping local is an easy way to invest in your community, boost your local economy, and score unique products.
Small businesses often have a smaller carbon footprint than large corporations, too.
- Certifications: Certified B Corp, fair trade
Green business practices:
Make that green sustainable makeup bag greener still by shopping from brands who uphold environmentally conscious policies to reduce their carbon footprint.
This can mean many things: product or packaging recycling programs, carbon offset programs, and low waste packaging, to name a few.
Community and charitable endeavors:
While not a requirement, we love to support brands that give back.
That meant looking for sustainable makeup bag brands involved in projects bigger than themselves, whether that’s fundraising, social activism, supporting the planet with profits, or investing in entrepreneurs.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE MOST SUSTAINABLE MAKEUP BAGS
Legend has it that you can’t buy happiness but you can buy bags, and that’s kind of the same thing.
What can we say?
It’s in our genetic makeup (pun intended).
Practicing low waste living is a holistic exercise that impacts every aspect of your life, including the sustainable accessories you choose to buy (only when you need to, of course).
We hope this list of eco friendly makeup bags leaves you with plenty of options to store your cosmetics with high class and low impact.
Have a fellow beauty bestie?
Share this list of the best sustainable makeup bag brands and help them bag a winner.
