Welke Nederlandse merken bieden upcycling cosmetica aan?

Steeds meer skincaremerken gebruiken geupcyclede ingrediënten. Food for Skin is daar een Nederlands voorbeeld van. Wij verwerken onder andere tomatenschillen, -pitten en -vocht uit een Italiaanse pastasausfabriek in onze Tomato Base Cream. Zo krijgt een waardevolle grondstof een tweede leven zonder concessies te doen aan kwaliteit.

Wat betekent upcycling in cosmetica?

Upcycling in cosmetica betekent dat reststromen of bijproducten uit andere productieprocessen worden omgezet in hoogwaardige cosmetische ingrediënten. In plaats van deze grondstoffen weg te gooien krijgen ze een nieuwe bestemming. Dat is het verschil met recycling: bij upcycling voeg je juist extra waarde toe aan iets dat anders verloren zou gaan.

Waar kan ik upcycling cosmetica kopen in Nederland?

Upcycling cosmetica is verkrijgbaar bij steeds meer webshops, duurzame winkels en merken die bewust kiezen voor circulaire ingrediënten. Let op termen als upcycled ingrediënten of lees het verhaal achter de ingrediënten. Zo weet je waar de grondstoffen vandaan komen en hoe ze bijdragen aan minder verspilling.

Hoe werkt het proces van upcycling in cosmetica?

Bij upcycling worden waardevolle stoffen uit reststromen gehaald die overblijven na de productie van bijvoorbeeld voedsel. Denk aan tomatenschillen, frambozenpitten of avocadopitten. Deze worden zorgvuldig verwerkt tot veilige, hoogwaardige cosmetische ingrediënten. Zo worden grondstoffen optimaal benut en ontstaat skincare die goed is voor je huid met minder impact op de planeet.

What is upcycling in natural cosmetics?

2023-10-06 Angela Ursem

Wat is upcycling in natuurlijke cosmetica?

In cosmetics, upcycling involves using residual materials or by-products from other production processes to create new, high-quality cosmetic products. It's called 'upcycling' because it adds value to a raw material. It's a step more valuable than recycling. Recycling reuses something. Upcycling adds value because you use something that would otherwise be discarded.

Upcycling is good for your skin and the environment

This is a sustainable approach that is not only good for the environment but also for your skin. Why?

Upcycling is good for the environment

In the production of food, for example, there is still a lot of waste. Residues are now often turned into animal feed or destroyed. However, beautiful cosmetic raw materials can still be extracted from these (organic) waste streams. Upcycling helps reduce waste and contributes to a cleaner and greener world for future generations.

Quality remains high with upcycling

Upcycling certainly does not mean compromising on product quality. In fact, high-quality (organic) ingredients are often used that might otherwise be lost. Lycopene, for example, would normally come from 'new' tomatoes. Lycopene is a cosmetic ingredient that many brands add to creams because it provides fantastic protection. But Food for Skin believes that food should primarily be for feeding people. And if there's anything left over... we'd love to use it to strengthen the skin! If we have a choice, we always choose upcycled ingredients. In our case, we use the skin, seeds, and liquid from tomatoes from a pasta sauce factory in Italy, which they don't use for the sauce! Unfortunately, that choice isn't always available yet, but it's a work in progress.

The power of the products is paramount

Food for Skin only chooses natural ingredients that truly strengthen and make your skin more resilient according to our skin philosophy. And then we research which of those ingredients we can obtain through upcycling. Not the other way around! Why not? To make a real impact, the product must be of top quality. Because a beautiful story alone isn't enough. So we always aim for that top quality (of course 100% natural, vegan, and as local as possible) and then we work harder to obtain the ingredients from upcycling. Strangely enough, those ingredients are still more expensive than new/virgin ingredients because those streams are not yet optimally set up and involve a lot of manual work, but that doesn't matter to us. We make no concessions on price or quality!

Upcycling drives innovation

Upcycling encourages cosmetic companies to be creative and find new ways to reuse materials. In this way, we hope to positively inspire the beauty industry that it is possible! Maximum impact on your skin, minimal impact on the planet!

How Food for Skin uses upcycling for cosmetics

Lycopene (antioxidant) from tomato skins. This is, of course, in our bestseller, the Tomato Base Cream. We use the leftover seeds, skins, and liquid from an Italian pasta sauce factory.
Avocado oil. Avocados themselves are not very sustainable, because growing them requires an enormous amount of water. That's why Food for Skin uses oil in the Avocado Serum from rejected avocados that are too 'ugly' for the market.
The SPF30 contains no less than 3 upcycled ingredients. One of these is raspberry seed oil, a by-product of a juice producer. They use the juices, but not the seeds. These are collected, and beautiful oils are pressed from them in a cosmetic lab. Bisabolol and bilberry seed oil also come from upcycling. The berries and flowers are processed in the food industry, leaving behind oil and extract that are then formed into an approved cosmetic ingredient.
In the Berry Balm, we use a beautiful plum seed oil to retain moisture in the lips. This is extracted from the plum pit that remains after processing in food.

How to integrate upcycling in cosmetics into your daily skincare routine?

Read the labels: Look for cosmetic products that contain ingredients obtained through upcycling. Pay attention to terms like "upcycled" or "reused."

DIY options: Consider making homemade beauty products with leftover food materials or other natural sources. There are numerous recipes and tutorials available online. However, pay close attention to hygiene. There's a reason cosmetic companies are carefully monitored for hygiene and product shelf life!

Let's together embark on the path to a more beautiful future, both for ourselves and for the generations to come.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Upcycling

Which Dutch brands offer upcycled cosmetics?

More and more skincare brands are using upcycled ingredients. Food for Skin is a Dutch example of this. Among other things, we process tomato peels, seeds, and juice from an Italian pasta sauce factory into our Tomato Base Cream. In this way, a valuable raw material gets a second life without compromising on quality.

What does upcycling mean in cosmetics?

Upcycling in cosmetics means that residual streams or by-products from other production processes are converted into high-quality cosmetic ingredients. Instead of discarding these raw materials, they are given a new purpose. This is the difference with recycling: upcycling adds extra value to something that would otherwise be lost.

Where can I buy upcycled cosmetics in the Netherlands?

Upcycled cosmetics are available at an increasing number of webshops, sustainable stores, and brands that consciously choose circular ingredients. Look for terms like upcycled ingredients or read the story behind the ingredients. This way, you'll know where the raw materials come from and how they contribute to less waste.

How does the upcycling process work in cosmetics?

Upcycling involves extracting valuable substances from waste streams left over after the production of, for example, food. Think of tomato peels, raspberry seeds, or avocado pits. These are carefully processed into safe, high-quality cosmetic ingredients. In this way, raw materials are optimally utilized, creating skincare that is good for your skin with less impact on the planet.