Beauty knowhow: For some good, very clean fun
Meet the soap brand taking eco to the next level
As hand-washing remains at the forefront of our thoughts and actions, liquid soap has been having a bit of an eco makeover. I’ve written before about brands such as KanKan, which offers glass bottle containers and refills that come in endlessly recyclable aluminium cans, and Diptyque’s plastic bag refills that empty into very stylishly branded glass dispensers (both are lovely to use and not overly fragranced).
But taking things to the next eco level is Forgo, a liquid hand-wash brand created by Stockholm-based design studio Form Us With Love. It has created a very sleek glass container with an elegant pump, which is meant to be refilled and reused to your heart’s content.
The soap is where it gets really different, for this comes in the form of a soap powder in a recyclable, compostable paper sachet. Simply fill the bottle with some warm water, pour in the soap, give it good shake and, hey presto, you’re good to go with the absolute minimum of packaging waste. And because the powder is, of course, incredibly lightweight the carbon footprint from its transportation is radically reduced compared with fluid-filled containers. You can buy the sachets when you like or sign up for a regular delivery subscription which arrives in a thin paper envelope.
The soap itself is pretty luxurious: it dispenses as a light foam so feels lush and lathery. It also comes in three fragrances: neutral, citrus and wood, which are made from excess lumber and repurposed fruits from the juicing industry.
A starter kit of a bottle and three refill sachets costs £41; refills, £20 for three, forgo.se
My handiest new buy
Honestly, I’ve been struggling to find an affordable hand cream that really keeps pace with my hands’ needs at the moment. But I can now highly recommend L’Oréal Paris Restoring Hand Serum-Cream (£4.99, boots.com). It comes with 30 per cent glycerine to moisturise and panthenol (vitamin B5) to repair. I find an application last thing at night keeps hands in great condition throughout the next day and has cleared up my dry – almost sore – patches of skin.
A star bar for hair
Continuing the eco trend for waterless formulations (a big trend in beauty generally as the industry tries to be less wasteful with resources) is the Garnier Ultimate Blends Shampoo Bar (£7.99, boots.com). It also comes in a cardboard box so no plastic waste. The formula really lathers up, is lovely to use and leaves hair clean and shiny (I didn’t even need conditioner).