One for you, one for me. This year, we’re proudly placing beauty gifts including cruelty-free makeup, natural candles and sustainable skincare under the tree.
From plastic wrapped gift sets, to harmful hidden ingredients, finding clean and conscious Christmas beauty gifts can lead you on a reluctant treasure hunt. So, we’ve done the hard work for you and rounded up some of the earth-friendly beauty brands doing their bit to gift responsibly.
From natural night creams to luxury soy candles, the hardest bit might be giving them away…
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette (Cheeks)
Loved for its breakthrough formulations and elegant packaging, Hourglass is the cruelty-free brand redefining the social responsibility of luxury cosmetics. Driven to protect animals and the planet, their products are innovative, sleek and oh-so gift-worthy. This limited-edition palette creates the perfect cheek flush and lift-from-within glow, designed by London artist, Katie Scott. And that’s not all. Hourglass donates 5 per cent of annual profits from this collection to the Nonhuman Rights Project, an organisation working to secure fundamental rights for animals.
The palette includes two bestselling finishing powders, one best selling blush, and three brand-new shades of blush, bronzer, and highlighter to give a multidimensional glow for the festive season, and beyond. A perfect beauty gift for your loved one!
Sculpted by Aimee Sultry Stories Eye shadow Palette
Create your own unique eye narrative with Sculpted By Aimee’s vegan eyeshadow palette with a range of hues designed for buffing, smoking, shimmering and elevating any eye makeup look. Boasting pigmented mattes for definition, metallic shades for a luminous touch, and super-soft shimmers for a burst of colour this vegan-friendly palette with 12 different shades will take your loved one from day to night with ease this festive season.
All Sculpted by Aimee products are cruelty-free and parabens-free and the award winning team are committed to clean beauty, scouring the world for the finest ingredients. Only those deemed beneficial for your skin, environmentally friendly, and cruelty-free make the cut. Spanning South Korea to various corners of Europe, the team, led by Aimee, personally visits factories to oversee the entire process and ensure fair working practices.
Chado Winter Wonder Kit
Treat your cosmetic-loving partner this Christmas with a fab winter beauty gift set from CHADO, the clean beauty pros. Packed with must-haves for lips, lashes, skin, and brows, this non-toxic all-in-one kit will keep her shining well into the new year. This gorgeous set from the Swiss beauty pioneers includes the Crème Genereuse 4-in-1 face cream, Primer Matte Absolu, Le Soin Pyjama brow and lash care, Baume Magique lip balm and Raise Me Up Volumising mascara.
CHADO are dedicated to avoiding any ingredients derived from animal testing, instead their gface creams use a star ingredient sourced from an ancient Swiss apple variety. Bursting with plant stem cells, it enhances longevity of the epidermal stem cells, effectively slowing down the aging process.
Doll Smash Vegan Luxe Brush Collection
Challenging the status quo of the beauty industry one vegan makeup tool at a time, Doll Smash’s mission is to prove that brushes don’t have to be made from animal hair to give your face an immaculate finish. Most quality brushes on the market are often made from sable, goat or squirrel hair for their super soft fur and claimed blending abilities, but this female-owned company reject any exploitation of animals. Creating 100 per cent synthetic makeup brushes that are both cruelty-free and compassionate, this full brush collection is the perfect beauty gift for any cosmetics (and animal) lover. It even includes a handy faux leather carry case.
Tata Harper Crème Riche
A pioneer in luxury natural skincare, founder Tata Harper couldn’t find 100 per cent natural skincare that delivered the high standard of results she desired – so she created her own. The brand’s signature look is a fresh-faced, illuminated glow which is exactly what you wake up to with the Crème Riche night cream. A beautifully rich formula that targets visible signs of aging, it is packed with natural antioxidants, vitamin F and essential fatty acids. What’s more, 100 per cent of the total ingredients are from natural origin and 47 per cent of the total ingredients are from Organic Farming, much like the rest of the handmade range. Hello hydrated, soft skin.
Aesop Hand and Mouth Bundle
Elevating the bathroom sink is as easy as 1, 2, 3 with the aesthetically pleasing power of Aesop’s minimal soap dispensers. Rest easy knowing the body and hand wash bundle not only promise a sensorial experience, but an ethical commitment to beauty standards, too. All formulations are made from responsibly sourced ingredients – none of which are derived from animals – and come in sustainable, refillable packaging. Aesop is also committed to using suppliers who share their values in responsible processes, safe working conditions and zero animal testing. With this beauty gift set, your hands can be as clean as your conscience.
Sezane Cosmetics Bag
Sezane’s sell-out cosmetic pouches fly off the digital shelves for good reason. Crafted from organic cotton in regularly audited factories, they’re both practical and planet-friendly. With a range of pretty prints to choose from, they’re roomy enough for toiletries and soft enough to carry on-the-go. The Parisian brand is proud of their sustainable practices and transparent about their responsibilities as a retailer.
Currently, Sezane shipping materials are 100 per cent recycled, boutiques are run on 100 per cent renewable energy, and more than 80 per cent of their collections are made with eco-friendly materials. But be quick as most of their beauty gift offerings are already eco-wrapped under someone’s tree!
Napp Bamboo Pillow Cases
Gift the luxury of beauty sleep with Napp’s ultra soft bamboo pillow cases. Made of 100 per cent organic bamboo, this pillow case set is breathable, silky against the skin and best of all, sustainable.
Studies show that friction from tossing and turning in the night causes creases in the skin. Thanks to bamboo’s smooth, silky surface, there is less tugging on both the skin and hair reducing the negative effects in the long run. Bamboo is also less absorbent than cotton, helping your hair and skin to retain their natural moisture levels. So this Christmas, shun the cruel practices linked to silk and opt for this vegan bamboo set instead. Plus with Napp, for every set sold, they plant a tree through a partnership with One Tree Planted. What’s not to love?
Light of Sakina Ruhi Candle Gift Set
Dubai-based luxury scent company, Light of Sakina, is a socially conscious brand dedicated to sustainability. Choose from candles, oil perfumes, bakhoor and more to indulge in cruelty-free materials, 100 per cent vegan ingredients and refillable products that reduce waste and landfill impact. The clean-burning candles in the Ruhi gift set are made from hand-poured natural soy wax and eco-cotton wicks as opposed to more commonly used beeswax. This trio of elysian fig, eternal oud and Persian rose are made locally in the UAE and $1 from every purchase is donated to widows, children in refugee camps, and war-torn countries.
