Elate cosmetics
Elate is a make-up brand that stands for mindful consumption and low waste and the company displays a deep commitment to creating only fair-trade, vegan-friendly, cruelty-free products. Over 75% of Elate’s products are organic but the brand states that when absolutely necessary, they always opt for fair trade over organic, to ensure the wellbeing of workers.
This brand has a range of very high quality make-up products, from foundations, mascaras, and eyeshadows, in a variety of shades to suit all skin tones and offers recyclable accessories, like refillable wooden palettes and wooden handled make-up brushes. We love the fact that they help consumers try their foundation products out, Elate also retails a variety of handy complexion sample kits, so shoppers can find the shade that’s best suited to them.
The company was created in 2014 by Melodie Reynolds, a beauty insider, after she became disillusioned with the cosmetic industry’s unethical, unsustainable practices and body shaming marketing. Elate is serious about its ethical promises – every year, the brand donates 2% of profits to social and environmental initiatives and makes many other charitable donations to causes that share its values. This is a brand that is trying to expand the concept of beauty and move away from the negative messaging commonly used to encourage the purchase of products – instead Elate attempts to include and inspire by featuring a more diverse range of models.
Two thirds (75%) of Elate’s packaging is reusable or recyclable but the company claims that soon this figure will rise to 100%. Remarkably, Elate claims that it’s not the consumer’s responsibility to recycle packaging, it’s the company who makes it – so as well as offering a product refill service, they offer free returns for empties to customers! We really dig the message this brand is sending out – a positive, uplifting one that has the potential to change the outlook of the cosmetics industry. We also love their minimal waste policy, as well as the annual profit-sharing initiative – so if you need a make-up bag makeover that’s seriously sustainable and planet-friendly, we can highly rate Elate!
