Love Beauty and Planet is the first beauty brand launched by global personal care company Unilever in over 10 years – and it’s a vegan one at that! Eco Warrior Princess was invited to attend the Australian launch for this exciting conscious brand and I was lucky enough to go. I’ve been road testing the products ever since, and let’s just say they do not disappoint.
Now whatever you think of Unilever, this particular brand of theirs has sustainability at its core, from sourcing natural ingredients to the consideration of its packaging’s end of life after use. I commonly shy away from purchasing from big beauty brands, holding on to a misconception that their mass production of beauty and skincare items can’t possibly be good for the planet. So at the launch, I was surprised to learn that Unilever is working towards a Sustainable Living Plan to ensure all of its packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, and this it is looking to halve the environmental impacts of their products and become carbon positive in its operations by 2030!
On to the event itself. Put simply, it was beautiful. The location was ideal, set at Acre Eatery in Camperdown, Sydney; a sustainable farm to table restaurant supporting local farmers and producers. The product launch was celebrated with a visually stunning locally-grown sustainable breakfast. The brand’s attention to detail was evident – even the menu was made from seed paper that you could take home and plant!
There were gorgeous stations around the room where attendees had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the products. Through a virtual reality headset I was able to experience the Lavender fields in which the product ingredients were sourced, all while having a hand massage with the Argan Oil and Lavender lotion.
What I usually find with new beauty products that launch into Australia, is that the brand will focus on what their products do for you, but rarely consider you. It was different with Love Beauty and Planet. During the launch, the team continually talked about what conscious actions I would be doing for the planet in using the product and what they would be doing for the planet through creating this product.
I learned that the products are vegan, made with sustainably and ethically sourced organic natural ingredients such as coconut oil, coconut water, argan oil and rose oil from all over the world. The essential oils are responsibly sourced in partnership with Givaudan who work with partners who harvest the flowers and herbs.
In addition, the bottles are made of 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles that are of course 100% recyclable themselves. And to top off their list of sustainability attributes, the brand is also working towards minimising its carbon footprint by quantifying their carbon emissions along every step of production and offsetting through partnerships that help support environmentalists and green change makers.
While I was inspired by the brand itself, I was hesitant to use the product on face value for a few reasons. Firstly, this year I wanted to focus on minimising the amount of plastic in my bathroom (don’t worry the brand doesn’t use virgin plastic – more on that in a moment), secondly I like minimal packaging and the brands aesthetic I feel appeals to a younger market (yes this reason is very surface level/superficial but you are here for my honest thoughts) and thirdly I don’t like to use strong fragranced products in the shower. I’ve used an oatmeal soap and a spritz of the same perfume for my scent for about four years now.
Despite these initial thoughts Love Beauty and Planet has exceeded my expectations, their products seem to be well-considered and at an affordable price point (as we know sustainability can be a luxury game for those with mid to high disposable incomes at times). All-in-all my product favourites are the Tea Tree & Vetiver Shampoo and Conditioner with fast-rinse technology (yes please, save me time and water) and the Coconut Oil & Ylang Ylang Body Wash.
All in all, Love Beauty and Planet is a beauty brand that meets many of the values we conscious folk come to expect of a green beauty brand. That the brand is available at Woolworths, Coles and Chemist Warehouse nationwide means eco beauty is now more accessible than ever before.
To learn more, visit their website for more details on individual products.
Recommending reading:
- Au Natural Skinfood: Innovative, Scientifically-Tested Natural Skincare Subscription Service
- The Vegan and Cruelty-Free Makeup and Beauty Products That I Use (Which Suits My Asian Skin Tone)
- 13 Natural Skincare and Eco Beauty Brands from New Zealand
- Clean Beauty Awards 2018: 7 Natural Lipstick Brands I Tried, Tested and Loved
- Eco Beauty Review: Au Naturale Cosmetics
- 15 Cruelty-Free and Vegan Xmas Gifts For Eco Beauty Lovers
