What Is Ethical & Sustainable Beauty?

When it comes to beauty products, we want to make sure that we’re voting with our wallets for products that are a better choice for the planet and the beings that inhabit it—and that includes ourselves who are actually using the products.

What do words like “sustainable” and “ethical” even mean in the context of beauty and personal care products?

Since these terms aren’t regulated, they can mean just about anything.

If you’re confused about how to figure out whether a brand or product is a good choice, you’re not alone.

Greenwashing is rife in the ethical beauty arena and it requires a fair amount of detective work to look behind the marketing claims and decide whether a brand or product is truly sustainable and ethical.

Thankfully, there are an increasing number of relevant ethical beauty certifications we can lean on to help us navigate the various considerations.

And to help you find the good stuff, we’ll share our own tips and tricks, through lived experience and years of research, for tracking down the crème de la [eco] crème of beauty brands…

We look for brands and products that are both ethical and sustainable so let’s take each of those terms in turn and break them down.

Defining Sustainable Beauty

1. What is a sustainable beauty product?

Defining sustainable beauty can be a bit like looking at the Sephora counter and feeling overwhelmed by all the options.

To simplify things when considering the sustainability of an individual beauty product, we break it down into two key factors:

Ingredients:

Sustainable beauty ingredients are those which don’t harm our own health or that of the planet. It’s worth learning about which ingredients to avoid as some are really quite damaging.

Instead, we look for non-toxic, organic, natural skin care ingredients that we can trust to benefit our skin and body.

Sustainably grown and responsibly wild-harvested plant-based ingredients have a much lower impact on the planet than synthetic chemicals like parabens and phthalates, which not only endanger our own health but are also linked to ecological harm.

We also try to avoid palm oil (and its many derivatives) due to its impact on rainforest habitats. Fortunately, palm oil-free products like palm oil-free shampoo and palm oil-free toothpaste are becoming increasingly easier to find.

Packaging:

The most sustainable packaging creates little to no waste—like refillable glass jars, compostable cardboard tubes, aluminum tins, or “naked” products such as shampoo and soap bars. These designs eliminate single-use materials. But as lifecycle studies show, not all packaging is as eco-friendly as it seems. For instance, glass vs plastic—while many think the former is more eco-friendly since it’s infinitely recyclable—it can actually have a higher carbon footprint than lightweight plastic because it’s energy-intensive to produce and transport.

Truly sustainable packaging considers the entire lifecycle: how it’s made, transported, and disposed of. Recycled and recyclable materials (like post-consumer recycled plastics), minimal or refill formats, and clear end-of-life guidance all make a difference. Compostable packaging sounds great in theory but only works if local composting infrastructure exists—otherwise, it often ends up in landfill. Similarly, mixed materials, pumps, or mirrors that can’t be separated complicate recycling. Brands leading the way are simplifying their designs, offering refills, and publishing packaging impact data to keep consumers informed.

For shoppers, the goal is to look beyond the label and assess functionality, transparency, and accessibility. Choose products that can be reused or refilled, are clearly marked with recycling or composting instructions, and avoid excessive or decorative packaging. If faced with single-use glass versus plastic, opt for the lighter plastic—especially when it’s made from recycled content—since it usually carries a smaller carbon footprint.

The most sustainable packaging for beauty products is ideally (think: refillable glass jars, compostable cardboard, and “naked” products like soap bars) although if your only choices are single use glass and plastic packaging, plastic is in fact the better option (read more here: ).

2. What is a sustainable beauty brand?

In a nutshell, a sustainable beauty brand is one that considers the impact of its business operations on the future of the planet.

AND it takes steps to lower its impact throughout its entire supply chain—from raw ingredient sourcing to sustainable packaging to shipping of the final product.

A sustainable brand is also one that takes steps to reduce its environmental impact by minimizing negative business outcomes like carbon emissions, waste and and water use.

We’ll look in more detail at what these green business practices might be later on in this article.

Defining Ethical Beauty

Now that we’ve defined sustainable beauty, we can examine the question of what is ethical beauty?

To define ethical beauty we could start by asking: what are some of the ethical issues in the beauty industry?

Sadly, there are many. From animal testing, to child labor involved with mining the mica in make-up, to the use of toxic ingredients that are harmful to health (ours and the planet’s), a teeny-tiny bottle of serum can have a big negative impact.

But it can also help to create a more just, sustainable world.

1. What does an ethical beauty product look like?

An ethical beauty product is one that has been consciously created with the well-being of animals, people, and the planet in mind.

It’s ideally vegan and hasn’t been tested on animals. Workers at every stage of the supply chain have been treated fairly and respectfully.

With the health of our planet (as well as workers and ourselves) in mind, an ethical beauty product avoids toxic ingredients.

It’s contained in sustainable product packaging so that our beauty routines aren’t associated with single-use plastic waste that disproportionately harms developing countries.

2. What does an ethical beauty brand look like?

An ethical beauty brand is committed to ethical ingredient sourcing and ethical manufacturing with high labor standards (no child labor or forced labor, living wages, no harassment, and safe and healthy working conditions).

Toxic skincare ingredients aren’t just dangerous for the end user; they can pose a serious risk for those involved in manufacturing the product, too. Brands that have a lengthy list of prohibited substances and/or practices in place to protect workers generally get a green light from us.

To maximize their positive impact, it’s likely that they give back to their local and global community through support of environmental or social organizations.

There is of course a lot of crossover between the terms: ethical and sustainable. By putting our ethical and sustainable beauty considerations together, we can create a set of criteria for tracking down eco-friendly and conscious brands and products.

How do you know if a beauty brand is ethical and sustainable?

Fortunately for conscious consumers, there are some well-known certifications and labels that address several ethical and sustainable issues.

Let’s dive in to the most important ones to know about:

Cruelty-Free

We look for products that haven’t been tested on animals at any stage in their development. This means that both the individual raw ingredients and the final products have been tested on humans—never unwilling animals. There are 2 main cruelty-free certifications to look out for:

Cruelty-free Certifications: Leaping Bunny, PETA

Vegan

To muddle the mixture, a product might be cruelty-free and still contain animal ingredients, which begs the question: is that product (or the brand that manufactured that product) truly cruelty-free?

We therefore typically opt for products that don’t contain any animal ingredients.

If an animal-based ingredient is used, it must be one that can be obtained without harming its source (i.e. beeswax, which can be ethically harvested). So we look for brands that practice ethical sourcing but also provide 100% vegan alternatives.

Shockingly, some vegan beauty products may actually be tested on animals—so it’s important to look for both cruelty-free and vegan if wanting totally animal-friendly beauty products.

Vegan Certifications: Certified Vegan, The Vegan Trademark, PETA

Non-toxic

Unfortunately, the term non-toxic isn’t regulated. At all.

Since there’s no legal definition, we took matters into our own hands and came up with our own:

Ingredients or products that have reliable scientific evidence to ensure that they will not have adverse implications for human health or the environment.

We look for products that don’t contain any GMOs, preservatives, parabens, or any other ingredients known to be toxic. By looking at sourcing practices, we check for the avoidance of chemical herbicides, pesticides, and artificial fertilizers.

A good rule of thumb is to look for products with organic and natural ingredients with names that are easy to understand.

However, there is also a huge amount of greenwashing when it comes to “organic,” and even more so with “non-toxic” and “natural.” Third-party certifications are crucial.

Certifications: USDA Organic, Soil Association Organic, Ecocert, COSMOS, GMO-free, Non-GMO Project Verified, EWG-Verified

Palm oil

We look for products that don’t contain palm oil or any of the almost 500 palm oil derivatives.

If palm oil is used, we look for that which has been sourced sustainably.

In fact, some argue sustainable palm oil is sometimes the better alternatively because A) It encourages industry change at a holistic level that simply boycotting can’t; and B) Palm oil substitutions (i.e. coconut oil) can lead to similar ethical issues in the beauty industry like deforestation.

While there have been numerous criticisms of relevant palm oil certifications, certification is still better than nothing.

Certifications: Certified Palm Oil Free by the Orangutan Alliance, RSPO

The concept of sustainable and ethical business practices is an evolving one. We believe the following key practices are indicative of a truly sustainable and ethical business ethos.

Thoughtful Packaging

Waste is a major problem for the planet.

Brands that do really well here allow you to reuse your existing packaging (think: refills and reusable containers) or use compostable packaging. Zero waste beauty brands are fortunately becoming easier to find.

We also give high points to brands that use post-consumer recycled materials (recycled plastic, glass, carton, etc.) and packaging that is widely and easily recycled (glass, aluminum).

Ethical Sourcing

A genuine commitment to ethical ingredient sourcing is one of the clearest indicators of a sustainable and ethical beauty brand.

Ethical sourcing goes beyond what ingredients are used—it’s about how they’re obtained. Brands need to ensure fair treatment, safe working conditions, and equitable pay for everyone involved in the supply chain, from smallholder farmers to factory workers. It also means ensuring there are zero exploitative practices such as child or forced labor throughout their supply chain, and ensuring suppliers uphold environmental protections where raw materials are grown, mined, or processed.

Because there’s no single global standard for “ethical sourcing,” transparency is key. Responsible brands map their supply chains, vet suppliers regularly, and publish sourcing policies or impact reports to verify social and environmental standards are met.

Common frameworks include Fairtrade certification and broader fair trade principles that ensure fair pricing, empowerment of producers, and long-term community benefits. It’s worth noting there are a lot of different fair trade certifiers who can help give consumers some comfort around claims of ethically sourcing. Other relevant considerations include organic, vegan, or cruelty-free standards, which may overlap but focus on different aspects of sourcing ethics—from environmental protection to animal welfare.

At its heart, ethical sourcing is about traceability and accountability: knowing where every ingredient comes from, the people behind it, and the impact that production has on both communities and ecosystems. Brands that prioritize this holistic approach don’t just create safer, more sustainable products—they help reshape the beauty industry into one that values people and planet equally.

Certifications: Fairtrade, Fair Trade

Resource & Waste Management

Brands that truly care about the impact they’re having have excellent waste and resource management policies in place.

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Carbon emissions reduction targets and actions (including energy efficiency and use of renewable energy)
• Water recycling and efficiency practices
• Minimizing any manufacturing by-products (e.g. zero waste policies)
• Carbon offsets for emissions that cannot be eliminated
• Office recycling and composting programs

Certifications: B Corporation, Carbon Neutral Certified, Plastic Neutral Certified, Science Based Targets

Charitable Giving

It’s inspiring to see ethical beauty brands with a dedicated giving policy.

Some are fellow 1% For The Planet members, giving 1% of their earnings to charity.

Others emulate this philosophy by giving a portion of proceeds to social or environmental charities every year. Some brands give by sharing their time or donating products, or simply using their platforms to support causes they are passionate about.

Some brands have even set up their own charities to drive impactful work in the areas they care about.

All of these for-profit—but socially conscious—brands get our attention.

Here at Sustainable Jungle, we’re a little obsessed with sustainable and ethical beauty products and brands. We’ve written a guide on almost every beauty and personal care topic you can imagine.

You can find all of these guides in our beauty care section. Be sure to also check out our new Brand Ratings for the best of the best beauty brands that have been personally rated by us.