Toiletries are a necessary thing to pack to maintain our hygiene and personal maintenance, but the number of things we pack can easily add up, especially when we pack unnecessary and wasteful products. Zero-waste travel toiletries are a great way to reduce your waste while traveling, and save money! This article will cover some of the best zero waste travel toiletries for you to consider for your next adventure.
By choosing low-waste, reusable solutions you will not only reduce the waste you create but also save space in your bag and save money on future purchases! With this guide, you can save $150 annually with sustainable swaps in your toiletry bag alone!
These products are designed to minimize waste and reduce the environmental footprint of your travel, while also saving you money and hassle from shopping in foreign places. In this article, we’ll discuss some essential zero-waste toiletries that can help you maintain your hygiene and keep the planet clean.
Table of Contents
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1. Makeup Palette
We are starting the list strong, with a game changer for your toiletries with a completely zero-waste makeup palette. Makeup has always been a source of waste in my cosmetics since they are so often made with plastic packaging, are non-refillable, and have a short lifetime.
Level up your low-waste lifestyle with this completely zero-waste palette by Elate. This is a 100% customizable palette, where you can pick and choose which capsules you want to complete your look. Choose from eye shadow, blush, eyebrow color, eyeliner, foundation, concealer, and more! You can mix and match to make your perfect set, without buying all the extra crap.
This palette comes in different sizes, so you can design it for your glam desires. The palette housing is made from Bamboo, and each tablet is set in 100% aluminum, so you can recycle them everywhere! When one is finished, simply order a new one and receive it in 100% recyclable packaging.
Sunscreen
If you don’t consider sunscreen in your daily makeup application, that should change. Your face is constantly taking on the sun’s harmful rays, which can increase the appearance of aging and create skin cancers. The catch is, not all sunscreens are created equal. In fact, popular brands like Banana Boat, Coppertone, and Neutrogena cause a lot of damage to our marine ecosystem.
The chemicals in these sunscreens cause reproduction issues, growth defects, and more (and you’re putting that on your body?!) Look out for these harmful chemicals in many name-brand sunscreens that lead to marine degradation and coral bleaching.
- Oxybenzone
- Octinoxate
- Benzophenone-1
- Benzophenone-8
- OD-PABA
- 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor
- 3-Benzylidene camphor
- Octocrylene
2. Makeup Remover
On the topic of makeup, makeup wipes are quickly filling our waterways and landfills, and for no reason at all. Not only are they a major source of waste, but also a major source of money spent. Save yourself the trouble while traveling, and swap to a zero-waste option that you can even make yourself!
For the past few years, I have been using reusable cotton pads and a DIY makeup remover which leaves my skin feeling clean and hydrated – yay no toxic chemicals on my skin!
DIY Makeup Remover
The makeup remover is a combination of almond oil and rose hip water, but any oil-based solution will work! It even takes off my waterproof mascara! Look around you for a ‘Refill Store’, and get a makeup remover created just for you.
This is a great chance to reuse any old bottle (make it under 3oz. so you can take it on a carry-on), and refill it to make your perfect remover. I wear some makeup daily and only need to refill my 3oz container 1x per year! The cost is about $4 to fill the bottle.
Reusable Cotton Pads
Cotton pads are the best way to remove makeup with your new DIY remover. They are soft, eco-friendly, and can be homemade! Once I am low on clean cotton pads to use, I simply soak them and wash them with non-toxic soap, and they’re good as new! No searching for makeup wipes in a small town in Vietnam, you got yourself covered for months (if not years). The cost is free or $5 if you purchase them!
| Makeup Wipes Annual Cost | Re-usable Annual Cost | Annual Cost Savings |
|---|---|---|
|
$0.02 / wipe * 365 days = $73 |
Pads + DIY Remover = $9 |
$64 Saved Annually |
3. Menstrual Cup
If you’re a person that has periods, you need to get on board with this one. Menstrual cups are a complete game-changer for your monthly cycle in terms of health, ease, comfort, and cost.
Not only do they reduce unnecessary waste, but they are also so much better for your health. Shoving cotton *up there* affects your pH, meanwhile, silicon has no adverse effect on your body. Once the cup is in, you don’t even feel it!
If that doesn’t convince you, the cost savings will. Let’s assume the average period requires 4 tampons/day and lasts 5 days, that is 20 tampons/month. A box of tampons containing 47 tampons = $10.47, or $0.22/tampon. Over 1 year (13 cycles), that is $57!
I have been using a menstrual cup for over a decade, and I couldn’t imagine ever going back. I do keep a few ob-applicator free tampons in my purse and bag for emergencies, and mostly since I have had them for years and can’t just toss them!
| Tampons Annual Cost | Menstrual Cup Annual Cost | Annual Cost Savings |
|---|---|---|
|
$0.22 / tampon * 20 tampons * 13 cycles = $57 |
Menstrual cup = $23 / 8 years = $3 |
$55 Saved Annually |
4. Reusable Cotton Swab
Cotton swabs serve such a simple purpose, and they can easily be swapped out for something that will save you money and waste. Not to mention how bulky they are to keep in your travel bag.
| Cotton Swab Annual Cost | Last Swab Annual Cost | Annual Cost Savings |
|---|---|---|
|
$0.01 / swab * 365 days = $3.65 |
The Last Swab = $11 / 5 years = $2.2 |
$1.45 Saved Annually |
*Okay, so not a major cost savings, but it is a major waste reduction. Not to mention you won’t have to go buy some while you’re traveling and make space in your bag!
5. Soap + Scrub Bag
Once you’re traveling, you realize anything in a bottle takes up so much space. And if it is any type of soap or product, you realize it is mostly water taking up all that space!
Going for a bar of soap will save you so much space, and you have more control of what you’re putting on your body! Not to mention it will last at least 2x as long as a bottle of body wash.
You’ll never see organic, natural body wash soap, but you definitely can get that in a bar of soap, while also supporting local artisans as you travel!
Scrubber Pouch
Some people can just use soap and not scrub their bodies, and still feel clean. That’s not me, and if it’s not you either then a scrubber pouch for your soap is the perfect solution. Simply slide your soap into this woven little bag and you have an upgraded loofah that will last a while!
They come in a variety of designs and materials, so you can get one that works well for you. You can even try out making one yourself!
6. Bamboo Toothbrush
The bamboo toothbrush is the icon of ‘sustainable living’, but hey it’s true! Toothbrushes have a relatively short lifespan and should be replaced every 3 months. That means 4 of these plastic sticks end up in the landfill, or more likely washed up on a beach somewhere, where they stay for the next 500 years.
| Plastic Toothbrush Annual Cost | Bamboo Toothbrush Annual Cost | Annual Cost Savings |
|---|---|---|
|
$3.98 / toothbrush * 4/year = $15.92 |
Toothbrush = $0.8 * 4/year = $3.2 |
$12.72 Saved Annually |
Toothpaste Tablets
On the note of dental hygiene, toothpaste tablets have taken over the ‘zero-waste’ market. They are an ingenious solution to toothpaste tubes that typically can’t be recycled. But how feasible are they for travel?
To be honest, they’re not easy to come by in many parts of the world. And if they are, they can be outrageously expensive. While traveling for the past year, even in Westernized areas of Europe, I struggled to find them!
| Generic Toothpaste Annual Cost | Hello Tablets Annual Cost | Annual Cost Savings |
|---|---|---|
|
$1.0 / oz. * 14.2 oz / year = $14.2 |
$7.99 / month * 12 months = $95.88 |
-$81.48 Saved Annually |
Toothpaste tablets aren’t a feasible swap for everyone yet, due to the high cost. Sustainable purchasing doesn’t have to be perfect, just be mindful and do what you can!
7. Medicine Organizer
Traveling with medicine is a good idea for a lot of reasons. You never know when you’re going to feel a type of way (headache, fever, stomach issues, no sleep, etc). Rather than bring a bunch of bulky bottles, or worse, not bring anything and try to find it in a foreign country when you need it most, get an organizer!
8. Jewelry Organizer
Okay, so not really toiletry per se. But, I have seen way too many people using zip-loc bags to hold their jewelry. While this does work, it wears down over time, resulting in waste, or doesn’t protect your jewelry, resulting in waste.
I am a big jewelry person, so this is a must-have for me. My case is reliable and durable, and it was a gift from a friend, so there was no unnecessary consumerism on my part! Ask around to your friends and family to see if they have something laying around for you that will help you stay organized!
Summary - Top 8 Must Have Zero Waste Travel Toiletries
By choosing zero waste toiletries, you will reduce the amount of waste you create, save money, and reduce the number of items in your luggage while traveling. Many of these items are affordable, and pay for themselves over a few months! Every item you purchase supports a future state of the world; one filled with trash that litters the planet for millennia, or one that prioritizes innovative solutions in a sustainable way.
We travel to see the beauty of nature around the world, let’s not fill it with trash and waste. Support low-waste items and support a cleaner future, for all.
