Jessica Frost As featured in SPA+CLINIC Magazine volume 85, Paula Cliffin, holistic facialist, certified (and passionate) in Oncology Aesthetics, and Australian distributor of Prologic Skin Care tells us how your skincare choices can save the planet.
Back in 2018, an article in a UK glossy magazine read “Sadly notorious for its negative impact on the environment, the cosmetics industry contributes to pollution and drains natural resources in multiple ways – with our everyday actions as consumers exasperating the problem.” With reports that more than 120 billion units of packaging are produced every year by the global cosmetics industry, much of which is not recyclable, we are all part of the problem.
Thankfully, there has been a shift to a skin-savvy, eco-conscious consumer and skincare professional in recent years. Ingredients certainly matter, however, considering the environmental impacts and ecological footprint of the whole life cycle of a product line, known as eco-design, is of huge significance as well as clean and green ingredients.
With this revolution in consuming comes a new type of marketing, called ‘greenwashing’. According to Wikipedia – greenwashing, or ‘green sheen’, is a form of marketing spin in which green PR (green values) and green marketing are deceptively used to persuade the public that an organisation’s products, aims and policies are environmentally friendly. Greenwashing is on the rise in the skincare industry with many brands’ PR gurus wanting to tap into this new breed of eco-conscious consumer and skincare professional.
So, let’s dive into sustainability. The word sustainability has definitely become a buzzword of late, so what does it actually mean? An ecosystem, a lifestyle, or a community that is sustainable is one which supports itself and its surroundings. Sustainability itself can be defined by three core elements, each of which must be carefully considered in relation to the others:
• Environmental Protection
• Social Development
• Economic Development
In the words of Pete Seegers, ”If it can’t be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled or composted – then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production.” At Prologic Skin Care, we care about the sustainability of our products just as much as we do about their efficacy.
A Southern Hemisphere Focus
Prologic Skin Care is proudly NZ owned, operated and manufactured. It was really important to us to support local businesses and have a very strong NZ story. We used local NZ business to source all of our packaging, print our labels and boxes, do all of our design work and most importantly manufacture our product. Based in Wellington, Prologic has been formulated with a higher UV Index in mind for those located in the Southern Hemisphere. This has resulted in a skincare range that considers all factors contributing to the unique skin conditions found in the South Pacific.
Thoughtful Packaging
We aspire to have as minimal impact on the environment as possible. We are proud to have FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) accreditation for our boxes and labels, this means they come from a sustainable and fair-trade source. The ink used in printing our packaging is plant based, containing no chemical toxins or poisons and our labels are compostable.
All packaging and bottles are 100% recyclable and consist of aluminum, glass and recyclable plastic. All of our formulations are created with both the skin and environment in mind, all ingredients are eco-friendly and do not have a negative impact on the microbiome of the skin or the environment.
Ethical Sourcing
Prologic Skin Care manufactures in a certified cGMP (controlled goods manufacturing practices) laboratory. This means the laboratory has to meet standards and practices set by the World Health Organisation. One of the key aspects of this is the sourcing of raw ingredients. All ingredients need to be sourced both sustainably and ethically. Documentation needs to show exactly how the ingredient was harvested, including working and pay conditions for harvesters. Along with a sustainability planting plan to establish regrowth and to stop over-farming. It preserves biological diversity while ensuring sustainable, economic viability.
Our skin and its microbiome is very complex. Less is definitely more when it comes to ingredients. According to ABC News, a woman puts an average of 168 unique chemicals on their bodies each day. Prologic Skin Care is all about education and knowing why we don’t need to put 168 unique chemicals onto our skins daily. Being able to assist the skin barrier to help itself through corneotherapeutic products, practices and education is the key to change in skin and our industry.
Read more about Prologic’s valiant efforts to redefine what it means to be eco-conscious in our volume 85 digital magazine.
DID YOU KNOW
There are 5 ways you can catch up with SPA+CLINIC?
- Our quarterly print magazine, delivered to your door. Subscribe here.
- Our website, which is updated daily with its own completely unique content and breaking news.
- Our weekly newsletter – free to your inbox! Subscribe here.
- Our digital magazine – click here to view previous issues.
- Our social media – see daily updates on our Instagram, Facebook & Linkedin
