Do Shampoo Bars Really Reduce Trash? | World Wide Waste

Presented by BASF

Beauty companies large and small are banishing the plastic bottle and selling chemical-free suds

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Do Shampoo Bars Really Reduce Trash? | World Wide Waste

[paraboo]

Honestly, if I could buy refills for my existing products, that'd already be a start. Why do I need to get a new plastic bottle every time?

[babybearandco]

As somebody who makes cold process soap, hearing chemical free, pains me. Chemical's don't always mean bad things. It's more important they're sustainable, eco-friendly and non toxic. You technically could make your own lye as it comes from wood ash. However then you have no measure of toxicity. Not all Chemical's are bad.

[tori_forte]

The Lush Shampoo Bars are primarily comprised of sodium lauryl sulfate needles. It's the main ingredient and the item that allows the bar to be formed. When you look at one in person you'll notice it's made of densely packed tiny white things that look like sprinkles - that's the SLS. If you ask them they'll tell you "it's coconut derived, " which doesn't actually make any difference. The chemical is the same regardless of where it originates. SLS isn't the devil the media makes it out to be, but I hate that Lush tries to gloss over this aspect of their shampoo bars or manipulate their customers into believing it matters where the SLS comes from. If you have dry hair, a sensitive or dry scalp, or want to avoid strong surfactants for any other reason, do not buy Lush shampoo bars. If that's not an issue for you, they're a great alternative to traditionally packaged shampoo. Signed, a cosmetologist

[angelaliu]

I physically cringe whenever I hear “chemical free” and it automatically turns me away from a brand because it tells me they are willing to market a lie

[anapeleteirovigil]

I feel I did not get any new insight into this issue. The question is: are shampoo bars more sustainable to produce, pack and transport? Because sustainability is not only about plastic, but also about CO2 production, and paper and glass industries do not make any good on this. Of course, it is great to reduce plastic waste, but as they say at the end of the video, that is just the peak of the iceberg. Big companies keep on blaming consumers, intead of working on a big change in their policies and life cycle assesment.

[pegmama]

It’s disappointing that this video didn’t consider the question in it’s title— do shampoo bars actually produce less waste than shampoo in plastic bottles? Shampoo ingredients are packaged before they reach the factory, and bars are sent to vendors in bulk packaging, neither of which was shown or discussed

[BrettonFerguson]

Stores could just have big barrels of shampoo they refill and keep in the stores, then customers could go in and refill their bottles. Like they do with distilled water, or different kinds of bulk nuts and things.
An easy way you can reduce waste is to bring plastic grocery bags with you to the store. I put them in my pocket before I go shopping. They are just as reusable as the "reusable" fabric bags stores sell.

[HopePetunias]

“Chemical-free”. Um, everything is a chemical, what we want to avoid are harsh chemicals.

[apumapence]

Why go through all this trouble when we could just switch to refilling the containers we already have?
1. It's cheaper: A massive percentage of a product's cost comes from its packaging. Certain products could even be sold in a concentrated or powdered form at the store in order to cut down on shipping expenses as well.
2. Better packaging: Brands could sell their initial product in a much nicer glass bottle with a pump dispenser at the top, instead of a cheap plastic squeezy bottle. These nicer bottles, although more expensive initially, could be used basically forever; therefore, these nicer bottles would become cheaper to use after just a few refills, and could even be used for other purposes if the customer no longer used that brand.
3. Shipping would be much easier: The shipper would only have to replace one item per SKU; this item being the bulk-sized refill containers. These containers wouldn't need to be manufactured as often as they too could be used almost an infinite amount of times.
4. There would be no need to change the products' formula: a lot of these companies are getting creative with their ingredients, but as someone with sensitive skin, I don't want or need these artisanal ingredients. A simple switch to refills wouldn't require any of this in order to be considered waste free.
5. No product sold in packaging is waste free.

[gnvw]

It's hard for me to pay 3x as much for things like biodegradable and sustainable shampoo bars and toothpaste pills... I wish these household items becomes more mainstream and affordable in the future

[ash_tbh]

I like how they talk about how sodium lauryl sulfate is bad for the environment while they're showing Lush literally pressing all of their ingredients into a bar of blue dyed sodium lauryl sulfate.

[Bear]

One of the most frustrating things to me about the sustainability movement is the cost. I whole heartedly support doing anything I can to eliminate waste/ help the planet/ live healthier, but I often can't afford it. $12 for a bar that equals 3 bottles? I pay $2 per bottle, equaling $6 for 3. Shop local at farmers markets (I live rurally amongst a bunch of farmland)? A head of brocoli is $5 whereas I can get 3 or 4 heads for $5 at my local chain grocery store. Is it really sustainable long term if the masses can't afford it and therefore utilize it? I'm a working student with no time to make my own and no stores around me sell anything that is sustainable and affordable.

[vylbird]

"The same type of blue food coloring used in M&Ms makes it pop on the shelves and online." A very casual acknowledgement of how easily the consumer mind can be manipulated. The product sells better because it is blue, and people associate blue or white with cleanliness.

[AlexanderGee]

"No chemicals" cut to them using lye (sodium hydroxide). Reducing packaging is good. Telling people chemicals are harmful is some cult of ignorance bullcrap.

[danielasalazar]

I’ve tried shampoo bars in the past trying to reduce waste, but they made my hair very dry and damaged. The problem with trying to use “natural” ingredients is that often they are not as tested and controlled than lab produced products and they can be irritating for your scalp and skin and they often use really harsh perfumes which are also irritating for some people.

I'd much rather try to refill glass jars with shampoo at the stores, and have the brands trying to replace some ingredients that are harmful to the environment, but use products that are safe for my hair and skin.

I’m all in for trying more sustainable options, but I think we need to improve them constantly and look at which ones are actually helping, not just label them as “chemical free” and have the consumers not look at what the actual ingredients do to you and if they’re really more sustainable.

[NotHPotter]

Kudos to them for trying to make a difference, but suggesting that "lye" isn't a chemical is partly why people don't take this sort of project seriously.

[treasureteume]

You know, when they said that the Clay was from Morocco and Lye is from Tasmania, imagine how many litres of gas was wasted for the transfer of it... So in the end, is it really sustainable?

[joshuahancock]

Honestly I feel a great way would be to have giant dispensers at stores where you can buy your shampoo by weight, filling your own bottle for reuse. The shampoo will look and feel the same, which will motivate more customers to adopt the system. The large bags the company uses to fill the dispensers will produce much less waste than many single use bottles. Problem is that this requires the company to take the initiative in changing a system that works and has preexisting infrastructure, so most companies are very unlikely to make such a change.

[temhawpin]

How eco friendly is it to ship clay from Morocco to Tasmania, or all the other ingredients for that matter?

[goldenrose]

I love the concept of shampoo and conditioner bars… I’ve tried many different brands. I’ve personally never had one last 80 washes.
I also have really thick, corse hair and so for me they don’t seem to last as long and my hair started to feel really dry and brittle. Which is saying a lot because I don’t wash my hair more than twice a week.
I personally think having stores where you can reuse plastic bottles and refill your shampoo, conditioner, and soap is the way to go. There aren’t a lot of places like that and if there are there aren’t very many product options.