The rise of sustainable choices in a COVID world
Our latest blog post by Kasia Dudys demonstrates how even in a post-Brexit/ COVID world, we have far more in common with our European neighbours, than we have differences. More and more people internationally are seeking sustainable and natural alternatives to beauty products and this is a trend that is here to stay...
'My name is Kasia but while living in England I was usually called Kate to make it more simple to pronounce. At the moment I am back in Poland, where I originally come from, and in a process of searching for my 'place' and my lifestyle in general.
'Observing what is happening in the wide world, and how the situation at the market and in societies is evolving I definitely know one thing – I want (and need) to be mindful about Nature.
That mostly involves being a wise consumer, and sometimes being creative about the things that I already have or things that I need. Nowadays, thankfully and surprisingly for me it’s a bit easier, although we still have a long way to go!
'Last year, the COVID crisis changed a lot but I am going to point out something that changed for the better. At least in this little part of the world – my Poland. Somehow or actually in a very simple way lockdowns made us miss the outside world and appreciate what for a moment we have lost.
'It had the biggest impact on those locked in cities, apartments without gardens and sometimes even balconies.
It wasn't a surprise when people started to buy more plants to cheer up their interiors or to put into big pots and make gardens on their balconies. Some decided to try to grow their own veggies and fruits.
'The climate crisis issue has been getting more and more attention from governments and big institutions over the past three years but paradoxically thanks to the virus, more ordinary people started to see what the situation really looks like. Particularly, it made us realise that whether we like it or not, we are a part of this ecosystem nothing more, nothing less, and as humankind we have responsibilities towards Mother Nature.
'I believe that this and couple of other things, like climate strikes lead by young people, and the work of influencers on social media, has contributed to almost overnight (!) changes on shops' shelves – beauty suppliers and food ones. While Great Britain has Superdrug and Boots, we have Rossmann, Hebe and Natura (yes, it does mean “nature” in polish), so they are just as popular, and commercial. In all of them we now see products for vegans, natural cosmetics, bio formulas, and not less important, eco-friendly packaging. Obviously those products create just a small percentage of what those shops sell but that number grows from month to month, and thanks to big brands the awareness spreads faster, and that is something truly priceless!
'Quite often those cosmetics are for vegan which means there is no animal origin ingredients in them like honey, milk or lanolin. We also have lots of other markings which makes it hard to get your head around – vegan, veggie, bio, eco, organic, environmentally-friendly.
Although all of the names sound alike each one means something a bit different. Skipping the details, in general it’s very important to closely look at the ingredients anyway. As eco-friendliness became trendy brands like to use similar catchwords to catch new clients unaware of the trick. The definition of a natural cosmetic is very wide, and so leaves the space for “creative interpretations” for companies that doesn’t have trouble with misleading consumers. One might be able to find a lot of chemical ingredients inside the product which means it’s not as natural as one can expect. We need to be cautious and mindful while shopping.
'On the other hand, we also need to keep in mind what do we actually need from particular cosmetic, sometimes natural care is not the best choice for us. To provide ourselves with the best care, we have to know our skin and hair instead of following fashion, and that applies to all of us, everywhere. When minding the environment the markings on products come very handy in that case.
'Drugstores indirectly are trying to marry commerce and nature while at the same time online Polish people can find a vast range of shops that offer purely vege or bio products. Some are very popular, some are rather unknown unless you look for particular thing on Internet to buy. Those brands are mainly popularising the healthy and the natural. They care for the environment so their packaging is usually out of glass, paper or cardboard, often also recycled plastic. Products are pricy but of high quality. There are also those who offer raw materials so one can create their own cosmetics.
'The possibilities are various, sometimes to buy environmentally friendly means spending more, sometimes it’s the opposite. It also can mean changing your habits, like instead of liquid shampoo using the one in a bar. It definitely require “digging deeper”, and growing our knowledge. If we want to help to save the planet we cannot be passive consumers.'
So, if like Kasia you are trying to be more mindful and discerning, Ubiety products are proudly vegan and cruelty-free! We believe in keeping our formulations simple and effective, harnassing nature's ingredients from sustainable sources to provide nourishment for the body and mind. Our motto is 'Nature to Nurture' and we use glass packaging wherever possible to reduce our impact, recycling all our cardboard for re-use when shipping orders to you!
If you want to get the most out of your Ubiety Lemongrass and Cedarwood Hand lotion and Clementine and Spearmint Hand wash bottles, don't forget you can buy our 5 litre refills for a truly sustainable and great value option!
