Brand Review: UpCircle Beauty
Is UpCircle Beauty an Ethical Company?
Yes, UpCircle is an ethical brand, they are an independent business that prioritises quality and sustainability in their products and their manufacturing processes.
Their Vision states: "We strive to be a beauty brand that encourages and inspires people to make the right choices for themselves and the planet. We believe that providing competitively priced, high performing products from upcycled ingredients demonstrates that the beauty industry CAN be less wasteful. UpCircle products are all inclusive - we are body positive, gender neutral, represent all ages and encourage diversity. Our vision encompasses passion for sustainable beauty and always will. We stand for authentic, real beauty in its many forms"
• Sourcing: UpCircle sources ingredients that are sustainable, cruelty-free, and beneficial for the skin. They prioritise organic and natural ingredients, and avoid harmful chemicals.
• Upcycling: UpCircle upcycles materials like coffee grounds, fruit stones, and chai spices to minimize waste and reduce their environmental footprint.
• Transparency: UpCircle provides detailed information about each ingredient used in their products.
• Packaging: UpCircle's packaging is 100% recyclable. Their glass bottles and aluminium lids can go straight into your normal recycling.
• Values: UpCircle's values include diversity, collaboration, and building trust and mutual respect. They also care about their community and strive to create an ethos of honesty.
• Family-run: UpCircle is a family-run company founded by brother and sister Anna and Will.
Is UpCircle Beauty a Sustainable Company?
UpCircle are committed to using leftover natural ingredients to form their products – up until May 2023, they’ve given more than 450 tonnes of “waste” a new lease of life!
In addition to upcycling waste, UpCircle uses eco-friendly and sustainable materials in their packaging, such as glass jars and recycled paper. They also encourage customers to join their refill scheme, where it’s possible to send back empty jars to be refilled with product, reducing waste and the need for new packaging.
UpCircle prides itself on its vegan and cruelty-free values. They believe in using natural and upcycled plant-based ingredients that are not only good for the skin but also good for the planet. They do not use any animal-derived ingredients in their formulations and also do not test on animals, making them a cruelty-free brand.
Ingredients
- No animal testing: UpCircle Beauty does not test their products or ingredients on animals, and they do not work with suppliers or manufacturers who do.
- Leaping Bunny approved: UpCircle Beauty is proud to be Leaping Bunny approved, a global program that requires cruelty-free standards that go beyond legal requirements.
- Cruelty-free policy: UpCircle Beauty has a strict policy to ensure their products are cruelty-free, including not selling their products in countries that require animal testing by law.
- Vegan Society certified: UpCircle Beauty is Vegan Society certified, and uses natural, plant-based ingredients.
- Repurposed Ingredients: UpCircle uses food waste and by-products to make their skincare products. The company uses materials such as coffee grounds, fruit stones and chai spices.
From their website they have repurposed the following:
Packaging:
Their packaging is 100% recyclable and 99% plastic free.
UpCircle Beauty is now certified Plastic Negative by rePurpose Global. For every product they sell, they are contributing a percentage towards vetted impact programs that will remove more plastic waste from the environment than they create in their packaging and operations. Their vetted program is Project “Saaf Samudra,” a co-processing facility that recovers and removes ocean-bound plastic on their behalf.
100% of the plastic recovered is "Ocean-Bound". What this means is that this project focuses on the collection of plastic waste in a 100km radius from the coastline (as defined in the Verra Plastic Standards) that would otherwise have not been collected and would most likely end up in oceans. Essentially, it is an intervention to divert this plastic safely away from the oceans before it ever has a chance to leak into it.
B Corp status:
Today, the circular ethos of the Brand in reducing waste is stronger than ever. It's won countless Beauty Industry awards and is extremely proud to have achieved B Corp status, an official certification earned by businesses that have a beneficial impact on the world, whilst being profitable. Simply put, companies that use their business for good!
Transparency
UpCircle have a dedicated Values page as well as pages that explain in detail about their ingredients, their packaging and their certifications. They also share ethical and sustainability information in a blogs and on their social media accounts.
Kate's Conclusion
UpCircle are a rare find in the skincare industry. Their commitment to the circular economy is evident in the way they collect waste and by products from the food industry and repurpose them into effective skin and hair care products. Their products are very natural and skin kind as well as being sustainably packaged, without plastic in easily recyclable glass and aluminium.
Their Plastic Negative certification is evidence of a forward thinking and dedicated brand, who are constantly looking to improve their environmental impact.
Finding out about their values and commitments was easy as they have comprehensive details on their website and where UpCircle have stated ethical and eco-friendly claims, they have backed these up with details and accreditations. No room for greenwashing at UpCircle!
Finally, being awarded B Corp status shows their commitments to being a business for good. I have chosen UpCircle for my own skin and hair care and find them to be superb. You can find my favourite UpCircle products, here at Green Tulip.
Sign up for our newsletter to receive regular updates on the latest ethical and eco brands we stock and get exclusive insights into their sustainable practices.
