A curated selection of beauty brands leading the circular economy by utilizing food industry byproducts, such as fruit seeds, coffee grounds, and vegetable pulp, to create potent, eco-friendly skincare formulations that reduce waste without compromising on efficacy.
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A pioneer in upcycled beauty, UpCircle creates products using ingredients like coffee grounds from local cafes and leftover almond milk. Their formulations focus on gentle exfoliation and hydration while diverting significant waste from landfills through transparent sourcing practices.
Dedicated to repurposing fruit seeds and kernels, La Millou produces antioxidant-rich oils from olive stones and apple seeds. Their minimalist approach highlights the natural potency of these forgotten byproducts, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional plant oils.
Sundari transforms vegetable waste into high-performance skincare, utilizing ingredients like carrot top water and broccoli stem extract. Each product is designed to replace water with nutrient-dense botanical liquids, reducing environmental impact while boosting skin health.
While a larger brand, The Body Shop’s Skin Active line and community trade schemes extensively use upcycled ingredients like avocado pits and grapefruit seeds. Their commitment to community trade supports suppliers who repurpose food waste into viable raw materials.
Pai integrates upcycled organic ingredients into its clinical-grade formulations, focusing on sensitive skin needs. They partner with local growers to utilize parts of plants typically discarded, ensuring zero-waste production cycles and ethically sourced active compounds.
Lush incorporates upcycled food ingredients like fruit pips, vegetable skins, and leftover grains into their handmade products. Their 'naked' packaging and in-store recycling schemes further reinforce their commitment to reducing beauty industry waste through creative reuse.
Rooted Skincare creates small-batch products using regenerative farming byproducts, such as hemp hurds and flax seeds. Their transparent supply chain ensures that every ingredient contributes to a circular economy, offering nutrient-dense care for the skin.
Caudalie utilizes wine industry byproducts, including grape stems, leaves, and vines, to power their anti-aging skincare. Their innovative polyphenol extracts are harvested from winemaking waste, demonstrating how the beauty sector can leverage agricultural surplus effectively.
The Ordinary occasionally features upcycled ingredients in their ingredient-focused lines, such as squalane derived from sugarcane byproducts. Their transparent labeling and affordable pricing make sustainable, waste-reducing skincare accessible to a broader consumer base.
Glossier has introduced lines utilizing upcycled fruit extracts and seeds in their limited-edition collections. Their focus on minimalism and high-efficacy ingredients aligns with sustainable practices, though their commitment to upcycling varies by product launch.
The luxury skincare brand Dr. Barbara Sturm has begun incorporating upcycled ingredients into its clinical formulations. By partnering with suppliers to utilize food waste, they aim to maintain their high-performance standards while addressing environmental concerns in the luxury market.
Youth to the People is famous for using superfood ingredients, many of which are upcycled from the juicing industry. Their kale and spinach cleansers utilize nutrient-dense produce parts often discarded, creating vegan, cruelty-free products that are both effective and eco-conscious.
Osea Marine Cosmetics combines sustainable seaweed harvesting with upcycled botanical ingredients to create ocean-inspired skincare. Their commitment to environmental stewardship includes reducing waste in production and using renewable resources to formulate clean beauty products.
Farmacy Beauty focuses on clean, effective skincare using ingredients sourced from sustainable farms. They prioritize waste reduction by utilizing byproducts from food production, ensuring that their formulations are both potent and environmentally responsible.
Herbivore Botanicals offers vegan, cruelty-free skincare made with natural, food-grade ingredients. While not exclusively upcycled, their commitment to sustainable sourcing and eco-friendly packaging supports the broader movement toward reducing waste in the beauty industry.
Kjaer Weis provides refillable, organic makeup and skincare products that minimize packaging waste. Their commitment to sustainability extends to ingredient sourcing, ensuring that their products are made from high-quality, ethically obtained raw materials.
Biossance is known for its sustainable squalane, derived from renewable sugarcane, reducing the need for shark-derived or plant-based alternatives. Their commitment to clean, biocompatible ingredients aligns with upcycling principles by using abundant, renewable resources.
Tata Harper produces luxury, non-toxic skincare using ingredients grown on their own Vermont farm. Their integrated approach to agriculture and production allows for minimal waste, as they utilize every part of the plant in their holistic skincare formulations.
Ilia Beauty combines skincare benefits with clean makeup, using sustainable ingredients in their formulations. Their commitment to transparency and environmental responsibility supports the use of upcycled and ethically sourced materials in their beauty products.
Rare Beauty, founded by Selena Gomez, focuses on mental health advocacy and sustainable beauty practices. Their products are cruelty-free and vegan, with a growing emphasis on eco-friendly packaging and responsible ingredient sourcing to minimize environmental impact.