Are you familiar with Plastic-Free July? It’s a global movement which aims to get people to refuse single-use plastics for the whole month of July in order to increase awareness of just how much we rely on single-use plastic within our daily lives. More importantly, the movement aims to showcase how easy it is to make simple switches to reduce plastic pollution and live in a world which is cleaner and safer for communities and wildlife alike.
When it comes to holiday beauty, opting for plastic-free products is not only a great choice for the environment but also for your suitcase. Plastic-free beauty products offer practical alternatives to bulky bottles, helping to minimise spills, save precious luggage space and reduce single-use waste while you’re away. From solid products to multipurpose marvels; these travel friendly essentials make it easier to maintain your routine without compromising on convenience or sustainability.
We’ve selected our favourite products in the latest issue of Beauty Folio magazine, but here is the full feature with reviews so you can find the best products for your travels!
Our Top Picks for Plastic-Free Holiday Essentials
No Secrets: Solo Shampoo and Body Bars/Hair Conditioner Bars
The Solo Shampoo and Body Bar from No Secrets is the most travel friendly product thanks to it’s multipurpose nature and fact that it comes in an aluminium tin as standard. The Shampoo and Body Bars perform incredibly well in all areas, delivering on its promise to cleanse and nourish the hair, hands and body without drying the skin or scalp out. The bars create the most beautiful lather in an instant – almost immediately when they come into contact with wet hands and they leave skin feeling clean and soft, without any dryness at all. The bar always leaves my hair feeling so clean, fresh and full of life. The scent lingers on the skin and hair, making the pampering experience last even longer after use, treating the senses as well as the skin.
The Hair Conditioner Bars also perform incredibly well, with a long lasting bar that conditions the driest of hair with ease, washing out beautifully and never leaving it feeling heavy in any way. As with the Shampoo and Body Bar, it leaves hair smelling beautiful for hours after use and performs just as well as traditional liquid conditioners.
Visit the No Secrets website here to browse the available options
Farmstead Naturals: Repair Balm
I love a multitasking balm and Farmstead Naturals Repair Balm is an affordable option that delivers impressive results. The Balm can be used in a multitude of ways from a dry skin balm, eyebrow tamer, flyaway smoother, cuticle balm and lip balm (which is my favourite use!). It is lightweight to use on the go and is nourishing, softening yet not too greasy. It’s the perfect barrier whatever the weather and is something I am never without.
Farmstead Naturals: Repair Balm – £7.50
hux + mu: Sow Prebiotic Cleansing Jelly and Cultivate Active Serum
The Discovery Duo from hux + mu features a 5ml SOW Prebiotic Cleansing Jelly and 2ml Cultivate Active Facial Serum that are perfect for a long weekend away (or simply trying the range out for yourself). SOW Prebiotic Cleansing Jelly has a gel-to-oil-to-cream formulation that is an absolute delight to use, with a dreamy texture that leaves skin feeling soft, smooth, and nurtured after use. It eradicates all traces of make-up and impurities, creating a calming, hydrating and nourishing experience that promotes overall skin health and the perfect foundation for the rest of your skincare routine.
CULTIVATE Active Facial Serum is an antioxidant-rich serum that is nourishing, protective and lightweight, with a decadent blend of beautiful ingredients to help boost radiance and soften the signs of aging over long term use. The revitalising serum makes skin feel incredibly comfortable after use, leaving it softer and smoother to the touch and looking brighter in its appearance. What I love most is how a little goes a long way, delivering a spa-like experience time and time again. Gentle enough for use around the eyes and lips, this can be integrated into your skincare routine in a variety of different ways, giving you the freedom to cultivate your own way.
hux + mu: Discovery Duo – £12.50
Amaranthine: Soothing Face Mask
The mini versions of Amaranthine’s bestselling clay face masks are a must for travel thanks to their small size and powerhouse formulations, and the soothing version is perfect for sun-exposed skin. The Soothing Face Mask is made with skin-calming ingredients including colloidal oatmeal, organic aloe vera, bentonite clay, rice starch, vitamin B3 and lavender essential oil. The finely milled powder mixes to a paste beautifully and holds well on the skin, with a 10 minute masking session leaving your skin looking and feeling at its very best.
Amaranthine: Soothing Face Mask – From £4.00
Cloud Cloth: Reusable Cotton Facial Cleansing Cloths
When you’ve ditched the make-up wipes, you need a sustainable replacement to use with your cleansers and make-up removers. Cloud Cloth is the perfect solution with 100% organic cotton cloths that are dual-sided with a softer side for gentle cleansing, and an exfoliating side to lightly buff away dead skin cells. The pack includes three Cloud Cloths that wash beautifully, making them long lasting and incredibly eco-friendly. They are perfect for holiday as they can be easily washed and dried, are lightweight and take up no room in your suitcase – the perfect swap for holidays and all year around!
The ilex Wood: Boo Boo Balm
Boo Balm Balm is the natural salve that no one should be without. The salve – which is available in a vegan and beeswax option – is the perfect option for bites, stings, sunburn and wounds, making it the ultimate travel companion. The larger size makes it perfect for the whole family and the tin means that you never have to worry about breakages and spills when packing your essentials.
The Ilex Wood: Boo Boo Balm – £19.95/100ml
Honey Bee Beautiful: Poppy Tinted Lip Balm
There’s nothing better than a classic red lip but as lipstick isn’t for everyone, Honey Bee Beautiful’s Poppy Tinted Lip Balm is the perfect solution to get the desired look with the nourishing benefits of a natural balm. Poppy is the perfect red hue, with a buildable formulation that goes from a light wash of colour to a vibrant red that is comfortable to wear and easy to reapply. The balm is also perfect for use on cheeks too, giving you the versatility of using the Poppy Tinted Lip Balm exactly how you wish when on holiday. The balm also comes in a pink and brown shade which are equally as versatile and allow you to have more no make-up make-up days while vacationing.
Honey Bee Beautiful: Tinted Lip Balm – £21
Odylique: Organic Natural Sunscreen SPF30
Odylique have recently reformulated their SPF and there’s a special plastic-free version of it sold exclusively at Acala. The SPF is perfect for those who suffer from prickly heat or adverse effects from sunscreen use as the formulation is free from common allergens and contains gentle ingredients (over half of which are organic). The best news is that it is vegan friendly, has no white cast and applies evenly and easily to the skin, making it an easy essential to integrate into your everyday routine.
Odylique SPF30 (From Acala) – £17.50
Thalia Botanics: Safi Glow Lotion Bar
I have tried a lot of solid lotion bars over the years and Thalia Botanics Safi Glow is one of the best. This vegan lotion bar glides over the skin with ease, leaving it feeling incredible nourished yet not greasy or heavy in any way. Gorgeous natural ingredients such mango butter, calendula, raspberry oil, camellia tea, and hemp oil leaves skin looking and feeling moisturised all day long. The long lasting bar is travel friendly, thanks to the aluminium tin, and has a beautifully balanced scent of geranium and black pepper oil that is a treat for the skin and senses alike.
Thalia Botanics: Safi Glow Lotion Bar – £15.00
Battle Green: Mini Deodorant Balms
Battle Green Deodorants are fantastic formulations and these mini versions are the perfect product for travelling. The 20g tins are lightweight and easy to pack, with 7 scent varieties so you can choose the one that suits your preference the most. The balm itself is easy to apply, with a little going a very long way. It keeps armpits feeling and smelling fresh all day and thanks to the skin-loving ingredients, has never caused me any irritation of dryness after use. The best news is that the formulation holds up well in the heat, so it won’t get messy when the temperature rises.
Battle Green: Mini Deodorant Balm – £3.25
What are your favourite plastic-free travel essentials? Let me know in the comments below!
Emma @ Beauty Folio x
Beauty Folio 