Do you know what beauty products you can recycle?

The beauty industry is booming with innovations to suit all budgets and faces.

But all too often consumers are unaware of the harm that the packaging can cause to the environment. 

And now aesthetics experts CurrentBody have revealed the ultimate guide to properly disposing of a range of cosmetics, revealing that pumps are the worst offenders as they aren’t recyclable.

Speaking to FEMAIL, the experts revealed where you can recycle your empty cosmetics containers and just how you can help make a positive impact on the environment. 

Pumps

The beauty insiders claim that there currently aren’t any pumps used for cosmetics that are recyclable. 

As the component can make recycling items such as empty foundation bottles difficult to dispose of, they advise removing the pump and then washing and cleaning glass bottles.

They say it’s important to check instructions on the product before recycling.

The experts said: ‘Whilst the glass is recyclable, the pumps usually can’t be separated from the bottle without great difficulty, which makes them challenging to recycle correctly.’ 

Experts recommend giving electrical appliances such as hairdryers and hair straighteners to a professional to be recycled (file image)

Hairdryer

According to the experts it’s easy to recycle hairdryers, but it needs to be done at a recycling centre. 

They said: ‘All electrical equipment must be disposed of properly due to the large number of components – which is why it needs to be recycled by a professional – otherwise it could be dangerous!’

Make-up palettes

The beauty experts advise disposing of the individual parts of make-up palettes separately as they usually contain magnets and mirrors which can’t be recycled. 

Although mirrors are glass, those used in palettes often have a paint coating on the back which shouldn’t be mixed in recycling. 

Currentbody advises removing detachable parts from bottles and deodorants once they are empty for recycling easily (file image) 

Deodorant and shampoo bottles

The insiders say most empty steel or aluminum deodorant cans can be recycled, however it’s important to remove any detachable parts.

The beauty specialists revealed a similar method is best for disposing of shampoo bottles, advising that plastic caps are removed and bottles are cleaned. 

Mascara

Speaking about the challenges of recycling mascara, the experts said: ‘Whereas mascara tubes are often made from recyclable material, applicators typically aren’t, so make sure to separate these out before disposing.’ 

The beauty experts say makeup brushes can be the most difficult item to recycle due to their super-fine non-recyclable hairs (file image)

Brushes and applicators 

According to the insiders, makeup brushes and applicators aren’t recyclable -whether or not they are vegan or made from animal hair.

The beauty enthusiasts say the items are made from ‘tiny, superfine, non-recyclable nylon or plastic hairs’ that can be more of a headache to dispose of than any other beauty staple.      

Synthetic fibres are also an issue when recycling makeup wipes, and they recommend using reusable pads instead.

Nail Varnish

The experts said: ‘As they are normally glass, the nail varnish bottle can be tainted by stains from the colour. If this is crushed with other glass bottles during the recycling process, it will contaminate them. 

‘On top of this, not all nail varnish bottles are made of glass, some of these are made of various plastics, and not all of these are recyclable, so you’d have to be sure of the type of plastic and check with the local council.’