Solid cosmetics are no longer new to many of us. Over the last few years there has been a notorious increase in 'redesigned' cosmetics, which reappeared in a solid format, presented as a more sustainable option: toothpastes and mouthwashes, soaps, solid conditioners and shampoo, solid deodorants, creams in bars. ..without being exhaustive, this list illustrates the variety of solid products that we have at our disposal.
These solid products are often compared to liquids and considered to be more sustainable. But are they? We compare some advantages and disadvantages of shampoo and solid vs liquid soap. Sustainability is based on three pillars: economic, social and environmental. We list here a short analysis of some factors highlighted in this analysis:
Environmental Pillar
Packaging
Solids Advantages:
Solid products do not need to be wrapped in plastic , but there is still a need for protection and packaging. The most common is that they are packaged in cardboard. The Technical Analysis Report ' Revision of European Ecolabel Criteria for Soaps , Shampoos and Hair Conditioners ', published in August 2012 reveal that about 24% of the environmental overall impact of liquid soap comes from packaging, while the solid soaps analysed in the same study have only 17% of their impact linked to packaging.
Solids Disadvantages:
We'll focus on card as it is the most commonly found packaging for solid products in Portugal : card also has an environmental cost , according to the report of the technical analysis of the Ecolabel criteria, one of the four disadvantages found in this material is that few are outsourced from sustainable sources (as FSC), in fact only a third of the analysed soaps had cardboard packaging coming from sustainable sources.
Transport
Solid Advantages:
If we go back to the example given above , it is not difficult to visualize the potential gain in the transport, in terms of space, of solid products: while a 250 ml bottle takes up more space, a 90 gram product frees up space.
Solid Disadvantages:
However, the environmental weight of transport is related to two factors: space and weight. Thus the plastic lightness and l e qu i 's may show advantage occupy more space, but less burden the vehicle, which in principle will not have to spend much fuel for transportation.
The content
Raw material
Whether liquid or solid, knowledge of the raw materials used (environmental status of the source of the material, where the supplier sourced it from [notion of the carbon footprint], and the water footprint of the material) makes all the difference: a solid product produced from materials that have a high water footprint, are materials that are difficult to find or are at risk from overexploitation, it is not sustainable, however solid. This analysis is not easy, especially due to the lack of generalised information in this regard, in cosmetic materials.
The ingredients of natural origin come, for the most part, from some type of farm for this purpose. Vegetable oils, for example, are also used in the food industry and are crops that occupy large areas of land to be cultivated. It is therefore very important to sensitive producers to reflect on the origin of their raw materials, dialoguing with suppliers, and trying to find really sustainable ones.
Solid Disadvantages:
In the Ecolabel /EU technical analysis report , 44% of the total environmental impact of solid soaps , and 10% of the environmental impact of liquid shampoos, is attributed to the chemicals used in the analysed products. In solids, the main ingredients indicated as potentially problematic at this point are used saponified oils and glycerin.
The use
In the same study by Ecolabel /EU, they indicate that the environmental weight of product use, which varies between 28-10% of the total impact of both solids and liquids , can be improved by reducing the doses/washing phase and water consumption during use. Here , we can conclude that the formulation plays a fundamental role as we can create products that require less water to be removed and the conscious use by the user can also improve this impact.
Economic pillar
Durability
Solid Advantages:
Solid products tend to be more concentrated, especially when it comes to solid shampoo and soaps. What does this mean?
In the case of soap, for example, a study by the Zurich Environmental Engineering Institute (ETH) that looked at the entire life cycle of some hygiene and cleaning products points out that a 30-second hand wash consumes 0, 35 g of soap, while the consumption of liquid soap would be 2.3 grams.
When you buy liquid products a significant percentage of them is water, according to National Geographic UK most liquid shampoos contain around 80% water. In solid shampoos, the use of water is more reduced or non-existent, that is, it can be present in liquid actives , but its formulation does not require the use of water per se.
The fact that it is more concentrated means that, on average, a bar of shampoo will last as long or longer as two or three bottles of liquid shampoo.
Solid Disadvantages:
Buying a solid product can be a bigger investment than a liquid product in the short term , as they tend to be priced higher than liquid ones. However, taking into account that a solid product should have a greater durability, the buyer can analyse the purchase as a medium-term investment and thus recover the investment vs. a cheaper product that lasts less.
Social pillar
Solid Advantages:
Most solid productions are available local production while the commercial liquid are produced in scale (which may bring advantages and energy efficiency), but usually are not produced locally. Local production generates social value: it ensures employment at the local level, also fostering shorter transport chains, while also supporting innovation and local development.
Finally, what is the most sustainable option ?
As we have seen, there are many dubious factors, which are neither 'yes' nor 'no'. These are factors that depend on the producers and the products , on the way they are produced, as well as the materials that originate them, how they are packaged and how we use them.
At Soap 4 Life we exist because we believe that a more sustainable cosmetic makes sense and can make a difference . We weigh the pros and cons across all pillars and identify the most balanced solutions . We consider not only the direct benefits that our products bring to the user, but also the indirect impact , which are the impacts of our choices as producers , on the environment.
For all those who use solid cosmetics, there is one last sharing: packaging is essential for your solid cosmetics to last and last with quality!
For hygiene products:
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