Minis are not just for the holidays, nor are they merely gifts; they’ve become a beauty category in their own right – Refinery29
Miniature products have made their way into mainstream popularity and for good reason. Aside from travel convenience, minis offer a commitment-free purchase allowing us to more easily experiment with high-end luxury treats whilst minimising the disposal of unfinished products. Unfortunately, many of us are still unaware of the unsustainable side effects linked to this new trend with the UK alone having “980 tonnes of plastic waste created by travel miniatures”. The good news is that giving up on minis entirely is not necessary as sustainable brands are beginning to supply the industry with zero-waste alternatives. If you are seeking out brand inspiration or just love using miniatures, keep reading for an insight into the brands providing us with eco-friendly solutions.
Trinny London
Three years in the making Trinny London is a modern beauty brand founded by Trinny Woodall on the back of 20 years of experience with helping women find products most suitable for them. If you are familiar with this brand, you probably know of their small iconic makeup jars. Their sustainable packaging is made with the intent of absolute minimal size and bulk fulfilling the brand’s promise of products that are light and portable. Their jars not only range from makeup essentials such as foundation, eyeshadow etc but also range immensely in pigment; from pastels to a dewy shimmer and exceptionally prominent block colours, Trinny London has given the industry a travel equipt sustainable selection that pretty much any consumer can benefit from.
Circla
In the UK, over 300 million plastic miniature toiletries are purchased and used every year, most of them thrown away after just one use – Circla
Circla is an eco-friendly cosmetic and toiletry retailer that specializes in travel size products. Their company ethos consists of exclusively collaborating with “brands who meet their high ethical sustainable standards.” A continuing problem with miniatures is that they almost never get recycled; the machinery in most recycling centers is manufactured to filter out small items which then wind up in our landfills. Noticing the extreme impact that minis alone are having on our environment, with an annual 75 million KG of waste, Circla has made it their mission to take action towards expanding awareness and providing better options. From organic skincare to haircare and a full range of toiletries, they have left us with little excuse to continue using plastic minis. Contrary to many other travel-size products that raise their prices per ml, Circla ensures that your purchase is cost-effective stating that it’s cheaper to buy two small products than one regular sized one.
100ml or less
Seeking out sustainable miniatures can be tricky since there are few options currently on the market. That being said, it’s helpful to remember that many travel size products are not actually advertised as “travel size”; they are just smaller products weighing at 100ml or less. Fortunately, there are many eco-friendly brands that do offer smaller size products. Similar to Trinny London, DabHerbMakeup is a beauty brand well known for their small glass makeup pots. They offer a full selection of makeup from their best selling illuminating highlighters to colour correctors, lip paints and much more.
If you are looking for travel-size skincare or toiletries, Fat and The Moon is a great option. Whilst they do offer an incredible collection of makeup, all sustainably packaged in small aluminum tins, their skincare and toiletry products range further than what many other brands are offering in travel sizes. From natural skincare and general toiletries, they also sell first aid products that alleviate bites, burns, sore muscles etc. Some of the options in their Mama & Babe section also come in travel sizes such as the Calm Kid Mist, Nipple Salve, and Babies Healing Dust.
Whilst Fat and The Moon do offer haircare, this doesn’t include styling products. We Are Paradoxx is a sustainable haircare brand with most of their styling products coming in travel sizes. From their Fierce Sea Salt Spray, the Climax Volume Tonic to the Hangover Hair Elixir, these highly acclaimed products are all sold in aluminum bottles.
Overall, there are still few brands with sustainable travel collections; with little awareness regarding the impact of these products, it’s important that we begin celebrating the brands that are offering solutions in order to spread the message!
Which products would you like to see in a miniature form?
