I'm Hayley Pearce and, like most people, I rely a lot on plastic.
I'm guilty.
Everything from my shampoo and shower gel,
to my face creams and make-up contains some form of plastic.
It seems to be in everything.
Now, I'm on a mission to adopt a more eco-friendly make-up
and beauty routine.
It's just like flushing a plastic bag down the loo,
every time you flush a wet wipe.
On average, a woman will spend around £22,000 on make-up
in their lifetime,
most of which ends up in landfill.
I know I'm going to be guilty of a lot of stuff that I use
on a day-to-day basis that contains plastic and they just come in handy
because they're convenient.
For the first time ever,
I'm going try having a zero-waste beauty regime.
To help me brush up on it all, I've called in an organic make-up artist
to give me some tips.
Right then, so here's my blank canvas. Ready?
Yeah. So this foundation is natural
and it's also completely plastic-free.
Why is there plastic in foundation?
Because it's a cheap ingredient
and also because it gives the product
that texture that they want and it's easy to produce in a lab.
Basically, the texture that we're used to in make-up
is all to do with the synthetic plastics that they use.
I'm just baffled by it all, it seems to be in everything.
You'd never imagine that there would be plastic in your... No. ..in your make-up.
So, Mel, how are we actually supposed to know
if there's plastic in a product?
So, you'll be able to tell by looking at the ingredients list.
PEG, nylon, silicones,
it'll be written as dimethicone.
You just don't think about it, do you? No.
If it looks good or it makes you look good, you just think,
"Sod it, I'll buy it."
I've never looked at ingredients on my make-up that I've bought.
Mel, I would absolutely love to have plastic-free make-up,
but it all comes down to cost.
Yeah, so it costs more initially, but you buy this once
and then the next time you buy the refill, so you just buy this.
Long term, you end up spending less
and you end up being a lot less wasteful.
Yeah. I mean, if there was more alternatives in the shops,
I definitely would try and go plastic-free gradually.
Yeah. Change my make-up bag over time. Yeah.
All done.
And I've still got full coverage, so thank you.
Now I'm on board with the benefits of plastic-free make-up...
The exits are here, here and here.
..I wonder if I can convince some make-up fans to try it out.
So, girls, how important is make-up to you all?
Well, it's quite important, isn't it?
Because we are going into cabin crew
and, obviously, with cabin crew, make-up's a really big part
of the uniform.
I've got totally plastic-free make-up for you to try today.
Organic make-up, I've got eyeshadow.
Do you want to try the eyeshadow out?
I've got mascara for someone to try. Yeah?
Cool.
And then some lippy.
Do you want to try the lippy? Yeah. Thank you. Cool.
It's got a nice pigmentation as well. Yeah.
The eyeshadow, like, from here you can't even really see it,
it's that subtle... Yeah. ..and natural. Really natural. Yeah.
How are you getting on with the lipstick?
It's really nice, it smells good, as well.
Does it smell really nice?
That's a lovely colour, suits you loads. Thank you.
Right, Hannah, how are you getting on?
I think that looks better than, like, my original one.
Yeah, I mean, would you now go out and buy
organic, plastic-free make-up or...?
I think I'd be a bit more mindful that it's actually out there,
but, um, I don't think I'd be buying it,
unless it's, like, the same colours as I usually buy.
So, what do you think, girls? Would you buy it?
Probably not.
Why?
It's the same end result, I'd rather spend the cheaper option and...
OK, yeah, fair enough. No, I do agree with you.
I mean, organic, plastic-free make-up is a lot more expensive. Yeah.
If you don't have the cash to splash on buying organic make-up,
apparently you can make your own.
I will be gobsmacked if this actually works.
Shea butter, aloe vera gel and some charcoal powder.
So, apparently, it's a tablespoon of it all.
It's not very practical.
It is a little bit of a potch.
But so far, it looks...
..like mascara, I suppose.
It's just got to set and get in my tube.
Wahoo! I've actually made my own mascara.
Let's give it a go.
Well, it's definitely coming out black.
OK, so it's a bit messy, but it definitely works, look.
Go me! Go me! I made my own mascara!
So, I'm with my boy Christian now,
and he usually uses mascara to paint on his beard.
Let's give it a go.
Oh, yeah. It's working.
I'm not so ginger now!
It's working!
Aw, look at that, Chris!
You'll save loads of money now, boy.
Wahoo! What do you think of that, Chris?
Pretty good.
There we are, look. Well, I'll give you the ingredients now
and you can make your bloody own.
Shampoo. Shampoo bar or refill.
Having tackled my make-up products,
it's time to ditch the not-so-fantastic plastic
from my daily cleansing routine...
Moisturiser? Coconut oil.
..with environmental expert Natalie Fee.
So, out of all my products, what would you say is the worst
culprit, maybe, for the environment?
I'm going to go for the wipes.
OK. These are a bit of a scourge when it comes to the environment.
Most wet wipes contain plastic in them.
I didn't know there's plastic in wet wipes, though.
These are being flushed down the loo in their millions.
I mean, it's just like flushing a plastic bag down the loo
every time you flush a white wipe.
They should go in the bin.
So, I've got a few things for you to try.
Oh! Which I'm excited about sharing with you.
So, here is some deodorant. What, you just rub it like that?
You just rub it like that.
This is a face moisturiser.
This is moisturiser? Yeah, that's a face serum.
Oh, it's lovely and soft, yeah. It's fantastic.
Every plastic-free person needs a bamboo toothbrush.
Oh, but I love my electric toothbrush.
Well, maybe that can be for travelling.
And finally, this, my favourite of all, the make-up remover pad.
Right, I'm looking forward to using this, because I have been told
in the past that wet wipes are not the best to take make-up off with.
So, maybe THIS will make me ditch the wipes completely.
Time to try out my new zero-waste, plastic-free goodies.
Right, so Natalie said all you need is just warm water.
Guys, it is really good.
If it gets the mascara off,
then I'm going to fall in love with it.
Oh, my God, it is.
It's taking the mascara off with no cleanser.
Take one for the team, eh? No-make-up selfie and all that.
CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS
OK, guys, so I've just used the face serum instead of moisturiser.
It's just like coconut oil, to be honest with you.
But it smells really nice.
And, you know, there's no packaging, more room in my cupboards...
..and great if you're travelling.
So, I would buy that again, yeah.
So, I'm just trying the deodorant, guys.
I don't like it, don't like it at all.
Don't like the texture of it, it's quite powdery.
I don't like it, at all.
I really did like the flannel, though,
enough to think, "I might ditch my face wipes once and for all."
Natalie's brought me to Wessex Water Treatment Plant to help convince me.
Ugh!
So all the wipes that we're seeing here are the ones that have made it
through the sewers, to the treatment plant,
that didn't spill into the rivers and seas.
Unbelievable.
It's just really making me think about the impact
it's having on our planet
and, you know, our future generations, like.
I feel ashamed.
Ready to see where the wipes go next?
Yeah, I just hope the smell gets better.
Can't guarantee that.
So, this is where all the wipes end up.
Every year we throw away
around 10.8 billion wet wipes.
Some of which get washed up
as far away as the artic.
But most of it is plastic that won't biodegrade.
And what happens to the plastic, then?
So, in this case, it goes off to be incinerated,
10,000 tonnes a year of it,
just from this place here. Wow.
But in some places around the country it goes to landfill.
So, it's either being burnt or sitting in the ground.
Shocking, absolutely shocking.
You know, you did say that there's plastic in wet wipes,
but never, ever did I imagine it to be this.
You know, it's sick, it's sick
and it's really...I'm worried for our future, I really am.
It's opened up my eyes to a lot.
Do you think it's going to change how you use your make-up wipes
and wet wipes.
Well, yeah. I mean, today has shocked me.
And if I can change anything in my day-to-day
just to cut out plastics, I will do.
I mean, I don't need to use as much wet wipes as I do.
Yeah, they're good,
but it is something I'm definitely going to cut back on already.
See, that'll help. So, well done, kid!
I'm a self-confessed beauty addict,
yet I never realised how much single-use plastic
that is in my make-up or the daily beauty basics I used to rely on,
like face wipes.
Now I know there are affordable, non-plastic alternatives,
I would look at buying or even making them in the future.
From now on, I'm going to make an effort to buy less and recycle more.
I won't forget the smell of those face wipes piled high,
so it's back to basics for me,
with my old school flannel and water.
Right, knock it off now!