Did you know 8% of human caused greenhouse gas emissions is from food loss and waste?

And the 2 most common reasons for this food wastage are limited shelf life and aesthetic standards for food not being met (whilst the food may be fit for purpose, they don’t meet the societal beauty standard). So it’s no surprise that reducing food wastage is considered the single most effective solution to climate change. Thus the concept of ‘upcycled beauty’ was born to remedy this rapidly growing global issue. Otherwise known as ‘by-product beauty’, this method refers to the creation of new products made from left over ingredients from other processes, whether inside or out of the beauty industry itself. The process focuses mainly on taking leftover food and giving it another lease of life in a skincare product as a product ingredient, therefore reducing the amount of leftover food filling up landfills – all this, and the ingredients aren’t any less effective or safe for us as consumers, a win win!

Which means this is more than just an attempt to jump on the ‘green beauty’ trend, but a real and effective solution to tackle a growing global climate concern – and one that we’re here for! But, how does it work? And what is the impact?

How Ingredient Upcycling Works

Cosmetic upcycling focuses on the concept of taking the part of an ingredient that would otherwise be discarded, and utilising and repurposing the many benefits it has to offer to formulate an entirely new product. A few of the most common ingredients with high potential value includes fruit seed oils, fruit peels and coffee grounds. Unlike recycling, which uses unwanted items to create something often of a lesser value than the original item, upcycling is not a case of ‘making something from nothing’, the elements of an ingredient that can be utilised through upcycling are often highly nutrient dense, and vitamin rich ingredients when extracted with the appropriate extraction methods. Take for instance blueberries – in the food industry the seed of the blueberry is almost always discarded when creating food products like juice and jam. And yet the oil extracted from the seed is like your antioxidant and vitamin dream blend to improve skin elasticity and minimise fine lines, boost your skin radiance as well as acting as a natural barrier against blue light which is why it’s our hero ingredient in Advanced Protective Serum.  And by using a cold pressed extraction method (which, as the name suggests, involves no heat) the potency of the ingredient is able to be preserved and maintained to get maximum goodness. So it’s no surprise upcycling ingredients has been referred to as ‘responsible beauty’ as it delves further than just the generic concept of ‘clean beauty’ and focuses on the environmental consciousness and concern a company has to not make products that claim they are clean yet are at the detriment of our planet.

What Is A Circular Economy 

The concept of upcycling aligns perfectly with the idea of a ‘circular economy’. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation describes this change towards a circular economy best when stating that ‘the linear ‘Take-Make-Dispose’ system which depletes natural resources and generates waste, is deeply flawed and can be productively replaced by a restorative model in which waste does not exist as such but is only food for the next cycle’. And so by implementing the upcycling of ingredients, we are not only able to reduce overall waste and food loss, but increase resourcefulness and our environmental conscience. And as we face increasing problems regarding food shortages, now more than ever upcycling ingredients is paramount for the protection of our environment and effective utilisation of resources. At Vemel we have always believed that high quality skincare doesn’t have to come at the detriment of our environment. Instead we can harness the powerful micronutrients that already exist within by-products, whilst still maintaining the quality and efficacy of our products. Our Vemel Vitamin Rich Face Butter is the perfect example of one of many product designed to deliver all the goodness of its carefully curated ingredient list, whilst also keeping true to our commitment to sustainability, which is why it is made up of 64% upcycled ingredients – from Mango Butter to Apricot Seed Oil (derived and extracted from the seeds of each fruit) this much loved moisturiser means you can achieve healthy skin and a happy mind.

Whilst the ‘green beauty’ trend has gained massive traction over the years, as a consumer knowing a brands commitment behind the scenes to both product and planet is a good indicator about their values. Because high quality skincare shouldn’t have to come with sacrifice.