12 Beauty Brands That Upcycle Food Waste Into Sustainable Skincare Options

You see many terms when shopping for beauty products: clean, green, sustainable, fair trade, zero-waste, and organic. And because cosmetics are under-regulated in the U.S., this can all be difficult to decode. Another term you have probably encountered when it comes to the beauty industry is upcycled ingredients. You'll definitely want to know what this term means, why it's a good thing, and the best beauty brands that upcycle food waste into sustainable skincare options.

Upcycling is the process of creating something useful out of waste, discarded materials, and manufacturing byproducts, according to The International Natural and Organic Cosmetics Association (NATRUE). The main source of upcycled ingredients for beauty products comes from the food and beverage industry. This can be the byproduct of food production — like fruit seeds from juicing or coffee grounds— or it can be the less pretty-looking fruits and vegetables or expired foods that wind up in the trash.

There is a lot more food waste than you might think: A 2011 report for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) stated that approximately one-third, or around 1.3 billion tonnes, of food production worldwide ends up as waste. Brands that upcycle food waste help to decrease the carbon footprint and land and water usage associated with the growth, harvest, manufacture, and shipping of agricultural ingredients. We've found 12 skincare brands that use upcycled food waste ingredients and will fit into your sustainable beauty practice, alongside those refillable beauty products.

Dedicated to creating sustainable beauty products, Circumference uses ingredients that are headed toward the trash. The brand partners with independent producers of agricultural ingredients, so they can upcycle the byproducts into naturally bioactive botanicals for the skin in what it calls "true, full-circle sustainability". In 2020, it introduced its Waste-Not Sourcing initiative by partnering with Brightland, a California-based olive oil manufacturer, to obtain the leftover olive leaves for use in its skincare. 

The leaves are used to make an olive leaf extract that the brand adds to its Daily Regenerative Cleanser. Olea europaea leaf extract is rich in antioxidants and active compounds that leave skin feeling nourished, calm, and hydrated. The remnants of the extraction process are then used as compost to support the farming cycle and keep the process going. Circumference also partners with Bedell Cellars to use the winegrower's byproducts to utilize the grape leaves in a similar manner. The grape leaf extract, Vitis vinifera extract, contains powerful polyphenols (natural compounds that protect against environmental stress and inflammation) to keep skin looking healthy and youthful.

Is upcycling upcycled ingredients a thing? It is for Megan and Marshall Dostal, founders of Further Soap. What began as a way to power his biodiesel car, Marshall collected the leftover waste vegetable grease from some of the finest restaurants in America and made biofuel with a homemade conversion process in his garage. The result was a lot of leftover glycerin (a byproduct of the biodiesel conversion process), which the Dostals then started using to make a biodegradable glycerin liquid hand soap. The pair has expanded their product selection to now include candles, conditioner, hand lotion, dish soap, and shower gel.

Further may have begun in the Dostal's garage, but they now use local producers in Los Angeles County to create their products. And many of the restaurants from which they obtain the waste vegetable oil they use for their product formulas also use Further Soap, supporting the brand's full-circle, upcycled, no-waste process.

Working to reverse climate change by reducing food waste, Kadalys uses upcycled waste and by-products from the agro-food industry. And its main source of agro-waste is the banana plant.

As stated on Kadalys's website, 22 million tons of bananas, which equals 20% of the world's banana production, are tossed in the trash every year just because they are, well, not so cute. That's right, this brand takes misshapen, old, or otherwise unsightly bananas that are sent to the bin and creates bioactive ingredients for use in skincare products. Working with banana growers in Guadeloupe and Martinique means the brand can preserve a standard of quality and safety through traceability, environmentally-friendly methods, and sustainable and fair trade agricultural practices.

Rich in essential fatty acids, phytosterols and polyphenols, and tocopherols, banana oil works to protect the skin's barrier, hydrating and strengthening the skin. This creates a more youthful and healthier appearance. All Kadalys products contain a form of active banana ingredient, from pink bananas in the Organic Pink Banana Glow Booster Serum to green bananas in the Soothing Day Cream to yellow bananas in the Radiance Precious Oil.

Uni is a brand that works on The Uni Cycle, which is a protocol developed by the company that considers every aspect of the design process when crafting its products. These efforts result in a product line that utilizes sustainable, reused, and recycled ingredients that reduce the impact of food waste.

One upcycled ingredient featured in Uni's lineup is Olea europaea seed powder, also known as ground olive pits or Australian "pips". This powder is added to the Exfoliating Hand Wash to exfoliate and smooth the skin. Uni also works to reduce its carbon footprint by sourcing renewable energy and forgoing single-use plastic, offering a recycled refill program instead. Research has shown that other uses for discarded olive pits are in the production of ceramics materials, as stated in a study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, and as a means to eliminate heavy metals from wastewaters, as published by Science Daily.

Pelegrims is a beauty brand that obtains waste material for its products from a nearby English vineyard, creating grape extracts in small batches at in-house laboratories. Such close proximity to the vineyard means a reduced carbon footprint and direct traceability from raw materials to final creation.

The brand doesn't simply offer one type of grape extract but extracts from a variety of different types of grapes. For example, there's the pinot noir extract, abundant in polyphenols and resveratrol (a natural phenol that has antioxidant properties, good for fighting inflammation and aging). You can try the pinot noir extract in Pelegrim Face Balm and Face Oil. The brand also utilizes the Ortega grape (used to make white wine) to create an extract that hydrates the skin and stimulates cell regeneration, leaving the skin feeling soft and repairing damage. Experience the Ortega grape extract in Pelegrim body products: hand cleanser, hand pomade, and hand cream.

A true natural beauty pioneer, Green People has been crafting organic skincare since 1997. The brand has long supported charities that conserve nature and protect people in crisis. So, it should come as no surprise that it is also one of the beauty brands that upcycle food waste into sustainable skincare options.

Green People uses upcycled coconut shells in its Purifying Face Mask to create the activated charcoal ingredient, beneficial for drawing out toxins and refining the pores. Using coconut shells to make activated charcoal is a purer and more environmentally-friendly way to get the ingredient versus using coal-based carbons, according to research published in the Journal for Cleaner Production, because it uses less non-renewable energy and creates a smaller carbon footprint. As stated in Scientific African, the manufacturing process of coconut products produces approximately 62.5 million tons of waste each year, one of the largest amounts of bio-waste found in over 90 countries worldwide, which means coconut shells are widely available for upcycled usage.