自分たちが綺麗でいるために、環境に負担をかける…。果たしてこの構造は持続可能なのだろうか…？ととても疑問を感じます。

■毎日の選択を少しずつ変えることがサステナブルにつながる

最近肌で感じる環境の変化。温暖化が進み、異常気象や豪雨災害も増えています。子育てをしていると、ふと「この子が大人になった時、環境はどれほど変わってしまうんだろう」と不安になることがあります。

2050年問題として話題になっていますが、地球環境が悪化するのは遠い未来のことではなく、たった27年先の話。

少しでも将来の環境に不安を感じたら、まずは、「毎日の選択を変えてみる」を試してみてはいかがでしょうか？ なぜなら、いくらメーカーが環境負荷を減らす努力をしても、選ばれなければ意味がないからです。買い物は、商品に対して「これが欲しい」と投票しているようなものなので、投票数が多いものが支持されていることになります。

未来のためのより良い選択。では、具体的にどう変えたらいいの？という時に参考にしていただきたいヒントがこちら！

【選択のヒント】

・使い捨てではなく、長く使えるものを選ぶ

・合成製品より、天然由来の製品を選ぶ

・動物由来より、植物由来の成分を選ぶ

・個包装より、簡易包装を選ぶ

資源の無駄遣いをしていないか、プラスチックを減らす努力をしているか、中身は環境に配慮しているか、といった視点で選ぶのがポイントです。

■編集部おすすめ！クリーンビューティアイテム

・プラスチックごみが出ない紙パッケージ

パッケージはいずれゴミになります。クリーンビューティを謳った化粧品は過剰包装がされておらず、品質が保てる最低限のシンプルなものが多く、中にはプラスチックを全く使わないものも。

中身が液体だとどうしてもプラスチックを使わざるを得ませんが、パウダーや固形タイプなら紙製のパッケージを使うことができるメリットがあります。

固形のシャンプーバー「Ethique(エティーク)」のパッケージはプラスチック不使用。https://ethicame.com/shop/pages/ethique-top

・使った後に水を汚さないかどうかの観点も

日やけ止めやメイクや洗顔料、クレンジング類は、使用後に水で洗い流します。それらの中には水中の微生物が分解できないマイクロプラスチックや紫外線吸収剤、合成の界面活性剤等が含まれています。

使用後にマイクロプラスチックを出さない、合成の紫外線吸収剤ではなく天然由来の紫外線散乱剤を使う、生分解（微生物が分解できるかどうか）テストをするなど、使用後の環境負荷を抑えた製品を選びたいですね。

洗顔料「USS by Papawash（アスバイパパウォッシュ）」は使用後の生分解性をテストしている　https://uss.papawash.com/

■「クリーン」だからという選択軸で、心も環境負荷も軽くなる！

環境問題に取り組もうと思っても、何から始めたら良いか分からなかったり、何かを我慢しなければいけないんじゃないか…と躊躇してしまいがち。

実はそんなに難しく考える必要はなく、買う時に「どちらがより環境負荷が少ないか」という選択軸をもつだけなのです。

流行っているからではなく、クリーンだからという視点を持つことは、選択に自分らしい意思を持つことにも繋がり、人生がより豊かに。 皆さまもぜひ、新たな視点での買い物を楽しんでみてくださいね！

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What is Sustainable Beauty? A way of choosing cosmetics that reduces the burden on both the environment and the soul.

To continue living healthily, we cannot ignore the state of our living environment. Now is the time for us to take sustainable steps in our daily actions. As a slowz writer who has been working in the cosmetics industry for nearly 20 years, I will introduce you to the benefits of embracing 'clean beauty'.

■Cosmetics are ubiquitous around the world. However, the consequences behind them, from manufacturing to disposal, are alarming.

Are you familiar with the term 'clean beauty'? 

Clean beauty is about eliminating harmful ingredients and manufacturing cosmetics that are friendly to the environment. Nowadays, not only women but also men are starting to take skincare and makeup seriously. Maintaining beautiful skin and applying makeup are among the ways to like ourselves more and boost our confidence. Cosmetics are a powerful ally, solving our concerns and adding colour and variety to our daily lives.

On the other hand, the truth is that the manufacture, use, and disposal of cosmetics consume a great deal of energy and resources, placing a certain burden on the environment.

According to research by MANGATA Ltd., just the top five domestic cosmetics manufacturers dispose of around 20,000 tonnes of product (in bulk) each year. This is not only on the part of manufacturers and consumers — if you add stock and samples from stores and retailers, the amount of cosmetics discarded yearly is tremendous.

In the quest to make ourselves more beautiful, if we likewise impose strains on the environment... can this truly be termed sustainable? This leaves me rather perplexed. 

■Sustainability can be achieved by gradually changing our daily choices.

Recently, our skin is feeling the effects of environmental changes. Global warming is intensifying, and extreme weather and heavy rain disasters are increasing. As I take care of my child, I sometimes feel a sudden unease: 'How much will the environment change by the time this child grows up?'

Although it's referred to as the '2050 problem,' the deterioration of the global environment is not a distant future issue but a reality just 27 years away.

If you feel even a little uneasy about the future environment, why not try 'changing your daily choices'? Even if manufacturers strive to reduce environmental burdens, these efforts are meaningless if consumers do not change their choices. Shopping is like voting for a product saying, "I want this", and the product with the most votes gets supported.

To make better choices for the future. So, how exactly should we change? Here are some suggestions:

【Tips for choices】

• Choose products that can be used for a long time, rather than disposable products
  
• Choose products made from natural materials, not synthetic ones
  
• Choose plant-based ingredients, not animal-based ones
  
• Choose simple packaging, not individual packaging
  

The key is to make choices from the perspectives of "whether resources are wasted", "whether efforts are made to reduce plastic use", and "whether the content of the product considers the environment".

■Highly recommended by the editorial department! Clean beauty products

・Paper packaging that doesn't generate plastic waste

Ultimately, cosmetics packaging becomes waste. Most clean beauty products use the simplest packaging necessary to preserve their quality and do not overdo the packaging. Some even avoid plastic altogether.

It's difficult to avoid plastic packaging when the contents are liquid, but a strength is that paper packaging can be used for powdery or solid types.

For example, the packaging of the solid shampoo bar 'Ethique' (エティーク) is completely free of plastic. [Ethique Website ↗️](https://ethicame.com/shop/pages/ethique-top)

・It's also important whether it pollutes water sources after use

Sunscreen, makeup, facial cleansers, and makeup removers need to be washed off with water after use. These products may contain microplastics, UV absorbers and synthetic surfactants that cannot be decomposed by microbes in the water.

To reduce environmental burden after use, we should choose products that do not release microplastics, use natural UV scatterers instead of synthetic UV absorbers, and have passed biodegradation tests.

The facial cleanser brand 'USS by Papawash（アスバイパパウォッシュ）' has verified its biodegradability after use through a biodegradation test. [USS by Papawash Website ↗️](https://uss.papawash.com/)

■Choosing 'clean' lightens the load on the mind and the environment!

Even if we want to solve environmental problems, we might not know where to start or worry about having to sacrifice something...

One doesn't need to overthink it, it's simply about having 'which product has a smaller environmental footprint' as a key consideration when shopping.

Having a shopping perspective focused on 'because it's clean' rather than 'because it's trendy', not only communicates your true intentions but also enriches life. I hope everyone can try to enjoy shopping from a new perspective!