Kate Hall: Ethical beauty - which cosmetic brands are actually improving?

Beauty and skincare is yet another area filled with brands making strides towards sustainability and ethical practices. 

But are they really?  

Sustainability is about much more than “natural” ingredients and recyclable packaging, and Kate Hall has a few things you should look for to find out if brands are actually sustainable, or just saying they are.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast
from News Talks at me Now.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Sustainability expert Kate Hall is with us this morning, killed her.

Speaker 3 (00:17):
Good morning day.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
I can tell you that whenever I'm thinking about my
various beauty products, and you know, as you can imagine,
there are just dozens of them, ethical standards are not
something that necessarily is front of mind, which I know
is just shameful, but no truth be told. I actually
I because I have to wear makeup right for work.

Speaker 4 (00:41):
And even if you were in a personal sunlets you
know twenty twenty six, Yeah, you do you, I couldn't
even tell you or I couldn't tell you like the
most basic things about the makeup that I wear, except
that it's liquid foundation when I'm in the studio.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yeah that's all I could tell you.

Speaker 3 (01:00):
But I have no idea.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
But no, But sustainability is like when it comes to
the stuff, it actually about so much more than just
like natural ingredients and recyclable packaging, right for those who
really are into their beauty and cosmetics, Yeah, there is.

Speaker 3 (01:16):
So much to it. I think a lot of kind
of the mainstream brands will slapper natural ingredients or slapper
for this kind of label on their packaging and move on.
But there is Oh my gosh, there are so many
different levels environmentally ethically to beauty products that you purchase.

(01:36):
So you're thinking about where the ingredient ingredients sourced, what
are they because you're putting them on your face, like
potentially you're eating them a little bit too, you know. Yeah,
like lipsticks and even the foundation that gathers in the
corner of your mouth. Like you're very up close and
personal with these products. So I think it's one that
is important we think more about.

Speaker 2 (01:59):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:59):
So yeah, I like, I'm not one to kind of
throw around the big name or you know, point fingers,
but I guess celebrating the brands who we have in
New Zealand who are great to think about all these things.
Alice is my favorite brand, A L. E.

Speaker 4 (02:17):
P H.

Speaker 3 (02:19):
They are like they're pretty much the only one. Actually,
I was on a photo shoot set in this makeup artist.
This is in twenty eighteen. She was doing my makeup
and she was saying, Oh, I hate all these all
these products that I'm having to use, like they're so unethical.
Because it was for a piece about sustainability and she
kind of felt quite bashful, I think putting all this

(02:42):
stuff on me and she see, one day, I'm going
to have a business that I can, you know, use
my own products that I know that they are sourced well,
have refillable or a saxable containers, and that is now Alice, Oh.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
How amazing? Yeah, yeah that is cool.

Speaker 3 (03:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
Years later, Yeah, oh that's impressing. I imagine it's an
easy thing to do.

Speaker 3 (03:04):
No, no, well absolutely, because you think you're not just
there's just so many different components to it. You're not
like to source the ingredients back into to try to
uphold you know, not tested on animals, good for like
actually a good product too, because you don't want to compromise.
You know, we still want Jack Taine to look awesome

(03:26):
when he's on the TV.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
That they are still in there. We still want him
to thank you.

Speaker 3 (03:33):
I don't want to compromise on the quality of your
liquid foundation. So yeah, I think looking out for brands,
actually knowing that we can ask brands questions. I think
that's a big part that people think, Oh, you know,
Loial isn't going to reply to me, but you are
their customer and you have the right to ask where
is this product made, who made it? Where does you

(03:56):
know the ingredients come from? What kind of policies do
you have within your company? You know to ensure these
types of things. We can actually ask it of our brands.
So if I were someone listening, I would look at
the main products they love and use and then ask
you those companies by email or like social media message,

(04:16):
asked in these questions and see what they come back with.
And if you're not happy with putting it on your
face every day, you're not happy with, you know, supporting
that brand by buying their product all the time, then stop.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
Yeah, yeah, that's good. You can actually be surprised sometimes
a if you actually go and challenge challenge brands in
this way. And I suppose the other thing is so
you've got the ingredient side of things, you got the packaging,
you've got the workers, but just trying to be attuned
to those very clever little marketing claims like the eco

(04:48):
friendlies or the cleans or the natural ingredients, right, just
being a little bit cynical. And I know that you're skeptical.
You're very good at being skeptical with these things.

Speaker 3 (04:56):
Yes, or anyone like I could make a product today,
be made from any type of thing, and I could
put the word green or clean or eco friendly on its,
like there's no legislation out.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
There's no Yeah, there's no regulation.

Speaker 3 (05:10):
Yeah yeah, yeah, no no regulation. So don't just take
that as face value. Ask you know, how do you
how can you make that claim? What can you tell
me to support that claim to so I know as
a customer that it's actually true.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yeah, okay, oh that makes a lot of sense. Thank
you so much, Kate. I promise that I'm going to
pay a little bit more attention when I'm in the makeup. Yeah,
when I'm getting painted up for you know, at the
panel leaders and they're trying to you've got the angle
grinder up, I'm going to pay a bit more attention
and maybe ask some questions to Thank you very much.
You can find Kate of course on social media. Just

(05:47):
search ethically Kate. Her name will pop right up.

Speaker 1 (05:50):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
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