All products featured on Vogue are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
When I tell people I have a mini Sephora in my bathroom, they assume I run through cosmetics like clockwork. But in reality, when you have so many products to test, you don’t really get to finish beauty products that often (let alone rack up enough to recycle them). That said, it’s a really big deal to me when I use something to the last drop. The joys of finishing something so cherished in my routine is admittedly a little sad—sometimes I want to keep the little jar or tube as a sort of souvenir, but then the logical part of my brain bids me to toss it (so I don’t become some sort of hoarder).
And by “toss,” I mean recycle. If you weren’t yet aware—recycling beauty products is not as simple as placing your empties in your little blue bin. According to Carly Snider, executive director of Pact—a nonprofit collective on a mission to improve hard-to-recycle beauty-packaging waste—approximately 120 billion units are created for beauty consumption each year, and most cannot be recycled through traditional systems. “They’re often too small, too flexible, or made of too many materials to be processed or properly recycled,” she says. “That’s where specialty programs for hard-to-recycle beauty packaging come in, like Pact.”
Essentially, to recycle beauty products, it’s likely easiest to take your finished goods to a dedicated collection location. Pact, which currently has nearly 3,000 collection bins across the US and Canada, allows you to drop off empties from any brands—just head to major retailers like Saks, Sephora, Ulta, and L’Occitane to find one. Nordstrom, on the other hand, offers its well-known Beautycycle initiative—the retailer’s take-back program that beauty director Autumne West tells Vogue aims to recycle 100 tons of beauty packaging by 2025 in order to “help [Nordstrom] customers move towards a zero-waste beauty routine.”
While both of these programs accept empties from a variety of brands, there are several best practices to keep in mind. First and foremost, consumers should clean all product residue from the packaging before donation. “Beauty packaging with leftover goop can damage the machinery used to process the material (think about a giant paper shredder for beauty packaging),” Snider explains. Secondly, keep the type of container in mind based on your respective recycling destination. Pact outlines plastic bottles and jars smaller than a fist, plastic and aluminum tubes, ceramic and porcelain containers, pumps, droppers, and mascara as acceptable items. Whereas plastic containers #3, #4, #6 and #7 larger than a fist (these numbers refer to the kind of plastic a certain item is made of), broken glass, sponges, brushes, and aerosol cans are outlined as unacceptable bits. Similarly, Beautycycle does not accept nail polish, perfume, nail polish remover, aerosol cans, and electronics.
My recycling adventure took me to Nordstrom to dispose of my finished goodies, and I found the experience to be refreshingly simple. With Earth Day here, it felt great to know I was doing my part to ensure my empties are getting their best chance at getting repurposed for future use. And if you’re curious, a look at my 2024 empties (so far) is ahead.
La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water
La Roche-Posay’s Thermal Spring Water is a must in my travel beauty bag. Its uses are versatile, from a morning pick-me-up in place of a.m. cleansing, to a midday refresh on a balmy day and moisture surge ahead of makeup application. That said, I was sad to finish up my mini bottle last month and ran right to Amazon to stock up on this French-pharmacy find.
Epi.logic Master Plan Collagen Renew Growth Factor Serum
Surprise surprise, I finished a bottle of Epi.logic’s Master Plan serum—a reparative serum I’ve began to swear by and wax on about on numerous occasions (see: here and here). I use it to the last drop because there’s nothing not to like about it. It boasts a hydrating, sticky (in a good way), serum texture that my skin quite loves. The featured hyaluronic acid, growth factors, bioferment, and adaptogens leave my skin feeling plumper, bouncier, and dewier than ever.
Caudalie Beauty Elixir
Another French face mist that I can’t live without, Caudalie’s Beauty Elixir is excellent at keeping skin fresh and glowing. There are a host of essential oils like peppermint, rosemary, and lemon balm that make for it a sensorial experience from start to finish.
La Roche-Posay Lipikar Balm AP+ M
Since discovering this during my last trip to Paris, I keep a bottle of La Roche-Posay’s Lipikar Balm AP+M in my house at all times. This incredibly rich cream is packed with ceramides, shea butter, niacinamide, glycerin, and of course, the brand’s thermal spring water to treat really dry skin all day long. With rising temperatures on the horizon, I’d recommend reaching for this to relieve sunburnt and peeling skin. Plus, it’s accepted by the National Eczema Association.
Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Moisture Shine Leave-In Conditioner
While I had boho braids for the last two months, I sought out Carol’s Daughter leave-in conditioner practically each day. Its liquid spray formula applied with ease and helped detangle my mane with just a few spritzes. Featuring soy proteins, vitamin B5, sodium hyaluronate, glycerin, aloe, and a host of botanical extracts, my mane appeared shinier, softer, and moisturized after each use.
Augustinus Bader’s The Body Cleanser
I am a firm believer that body wash should not strip your skin of its natural oils while cleansing—which is perhaps why I’ve loved Augustinus Bader’s formula so much. With the acclaimed TFC8 complexion, ceramides, niacinamide, hydrolyzed rice protein, and botanical oils, this washes away impurities and locks in moisture to improve skin’s texture and tone with consistent use.
Youth to the People Superberry Firm + Glow Dream Body Butter
I highlighted Youth to the People’s new body butter as one my my must-have products for spring in Vogue Club’s latest Beauty Haul; and since I’ve just finished this tub, I surely need to stock up on another. Here, 3% niacinamide, superberry extracts, bisabolol, hyaluronic acid, and shea butter (to name a few ingredients) are whipped into an emollient butter that alleviates dry, cracked skin upon application—revealing glowing, hydrated, non-greasy skin in the process.
Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum
I’d go as far as to say that Dr. Barbara Sturm’s hyaluronic acid is my favorite product from her lineup of luxury skincare salves. Its hydrating benefits arrive from three molecular weights on hyaluronic acid to ensure skin is treated deep into skin—down to the collagen and elastin levels. This pairs well with other bits in my regimen, and it feels rather soothing upon application.
Ourself Lip Conditioner
I’m absolutely one of those people who has a lip product in every bag, and until finishing this one, I had three samples of the Ourself Lip Conditioner in various bags, drawers, and pouches. Now available in three shades, I most enjoy the clear tint to be applied on its own or even atop a brown lip liner. It leaves my lips glossy, plump, and kissable—certainly thanks to the included hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and cupuaçu seed butter.
Phlur Améline Hand Cream
I am a hand cream fanatic, and I quite enjoyed getting through this tube by Phlur. Améline is the brand’s floral scent, boasting notes of bergamot, rose, and sandalwood. So this hand cream not only aptly moisturized mes mains, but left them smelling oh so good.
