Sustainable Beauty

There’s been a recent survey by the beauty industry of 23,000 shoppers that found almost half (48% of them) were looking for more information and clarity about a brand's values, commitments to the environment, ingredients, recyclability of packaging and animal welfare.

In fact, 61% of us struggle to tell if a brand is sustainable and ethical from the packaging alone and we totally understand that.

Sustainability means so many different things to so many of us, but I thought we'd write a bit about how we work at TOYL but remember, we are constantly trying to do better, as is every beauty company we know.

PACKAGING MATERIALS

We have new TOYL boxes which are currently being certified by the FSC (the FSC certification is given to paper products that have been harvested responsibly), and are 100% recyclable.

They are brown, with a white print which has cut down on the number of chemicals and processes involved and we fully expect you to put the box in the bin. We love the boxes of other box companies, but the ones we researched for us would come from China (too many air miles) and we don't want to put the budget into a box, we want it in the products! Pop it in the recycling or shred it to go into your compost.

Wherever possible, we re-use the packaging that products are shipped to us in, and where this is not possible, we recycle as much as we can.

The packing "peanuts" we use in our boxes are bio-degradable (made from naturally derived starches, such as wheat and corn-starch).

All paper materials in the box are 100% recyclable.

We are always looking for new ways to improve what we do, from the box design, to the tape we use, to the protection of your products during shipping

We always seek to work with brands who have a clear and proven sustainability record.

THE PRODUCTS IN THE BOX

Every month, my aim is to offer you a selection of personally-chosen products which are incredible, they work, and they’re particularly suited for women over 40. The brands we choose to work with are very alive to their responsibilities.

For example, Code Beautiful – the cruelty-free, vegan beauty brand started by two sisters with a shared vision to help women everywhere embrace their most vibrant selves - realised that many mascaras come in bottles or tubes that aren't fully recyclable.

They refused to include a mascara until they could be assured its packaging was 100% recyclable which is why we love their VLM mascara in our November box. Not only this, Code Beautiful VLM mascara is cruelty free and Vegan, with PETA certification for being so.

Every beauty company we work with is genuinely striving to do their best, recognising that improvements can always be made, and the product still needs to work, of course. Be assured, we hold these considerations at the forefront of everything we do, at all times.

CRUELTY FREE

None of the products we include have been tested on animals for the UK market. Many of the brands we work with are certified cruelty-free, with the leaping bunny accreditation.

Sometimes, in order to secure one of the big beauty names, it is necessary for us to work with brands that sell in China. However, recent legislation indicates that this might shortly end. The beauty of you being a midlife woman is that you know your own mind so can make a decision to pause any of our boxes that don't quite fit with you. Do so, that's what the pause is for.

GIVING BACK

I believe it’s the responsibility of all of us to do everything we can to support others, at any level. Volunteering was key to improving my own mental health when I went through a difficult patch a few years ago, and I still volunteer to this day. I would urge any woman to try their hand at volunteering for a cause they feel passionate about – we midlife women have so much to offer, and the work can be hugely personally rewarding.

Speaking for TOYL as a business, whenever we can we will answer requests for boxes to offer as charity raffle prizes, or for local fundraising events (info@toyl.co.uk).

Our own TOYL charity activity takes place every March, when we donate a minimum of 30% of the profits from that month’s box to a nominated charity that supports midlife women.

TOYL also creates bespoke boxes for certain charities from which we make no profit, but again, we prefer to work with charities that support midlife women in one way or another.

I will continue to regularly update this page, but would like to reassure our customers that the whole ethos of responsibility is front and centre of everything we do here at TOYL; we want to be part of the solution in any way we can, and while we may not always get it right, we are always keen to hear your views, and are open to any feedback and ideas you may have.