WILD X Parapura Q & A: Plastic Free Beauty

One of the hardest parts of moving to a zero-waste lifestyle is finding plastic free beauty and skincare. It takes a long time to find products that work for us, that we enjoy and rely on. So, transitioning to zero waste means you must lose a lot of your essential products and try and swap for the most similar Eco alternative. This can be daunting for a lot of us and even put us off spending our money, especially as cash strapped students. Parapura is a great website that sells a huge variety of plastic free swaps. They are the beauty and skincare go-to for plastic free essential and luxury products.

Parapura is an online destination for all your plastic-free and natural beauty and personal care essentials. Launched on the premise that becoming environmentally conscious need not be uncompromising towards ourselves, their mission is to make readily available best in class products that are both kind to the planet and kind to you. 

Here is our WILD X Parapura Q&A for their recommended student swaps, favourite products and sustainability!

What does sustainability mean to you?

To us, sustainable living means developing an understanding of the repercussions our lifestyles have as a result being more mindful of one’s attitudes and daily actions. We flinch at the idea of out of sight, out of mind so hope to see more people become increasingly compassionate towards the environment.

Georganics is one of the many zero waste brands Parapura sell

Why was it important to include sustainability within your business ethos? 

We were keen for our business to positively contribute towards the planet, as well as be aligned with our values and hobbies which is where our passion for the natural world came into the mix. No matter how small they may be, we hope to inspire others to start making more conscious purchasing decision and show them just how easy it can be!

What is your favourite sustainable brand?

A tricky one as the brands we stock are all unique in their own way and as such a direct comparison is hard to make. Off the top of our heads, Flow Cosmetics would have to be a front runner. They are part of the Finnish Natural Cosmetics association and harness the energy of their native flora and fauna. Much care is put into their ingredients, with many being certified organic or wild grown in Lapland. We consider ourselves lucky to be one of the few UK-based stockists.  

Flow Cosmetics are on of the brands Parapura is proud to stock. Their range includes facial soap, solid shampoo and hair masks.

What are your five favourite products you sell?

Now this is a hard one as there are so many products to choose from, but here are 5 bestsellers that most households can adopt with minimum difference.

1. A double edged safety razor

Entirely plastic-free and durable, only the fully recyclable blade needs changing as and when. Frankly, it’s the perfect zero waste swap plus you’ll no longer have to deal with costly plastic razor head refills. In this product category, Rose & Thorne is the latest brand we’ve welcomed to the family. 

The Rose & Thorne razor range stocked by Parapura

2. Natural Deodorant

A swap that can take a few attempts to get right for your body type but honestly, performs no differently and is free from harmful ingredients. Kutis and Scence sticks are probably what will feel most familiar for first timers.

The Natural Deodorant Parapura recommends

3. Reusable Makeup Pads

These can last years and clean up well on a 40-degree wash. Single-use cotton pads generate a lot of waste and as we know, cotton is a resource-intensive crop that requires crazy amounts of water. Bambaw pads are great value for money and come with a handy cotton wash bag.

Bambaw reusable makeup remover pads are excellent value for money

4. Zero Waste Toothpaste

Entirely natural and packaged in infinitely recyclable glass jars, gone are the days where toothpaste tubes are left to waste away in landfill for centuries to come. Georganics is most widely known, but we have also recently taken on a dentist-led brand called Brushd.

Brushd is a dentist led oral hygiene brand stocked on Parapura

5. Shampoo and Conditioner Bars

This swap can take your hair a few washes to acclimatise as your scalp re-equilibrates the natural oils that conventional treatments tend to remove. The bars pack a punch in a fraction of the size, massively reducing the amount of packaging required. Same goes for bulky body washes by the way as they’re easily replaced with the good old soap bar. Our Beauty Kubes’ range is on sale at the moment!

Another brand stocked on Parapura

Sustainability is such a wide concept, are there any specific sustainability challenges that interest you most?

Totally agreed that sustainability is a vast topic area. Perhaps to briefly add to that, we find that many people take the approach of zero to a hundred when they try to commit themselves. From personal experience, that can be hugely demoralising and counterproductive. It’s not about depriving one’s self of everything, rather building habits over time and remaining consistent – like everything in the natural world, balance is key.

There are many worthwhile causes out there but the challenge that struck us the most is plastic pollution, hence Parapura’s focus to reduce plastic consumption. We know that plastic is toxic with much of it making its way into our waterways and ultimately our oceans. Annually, around 8 million tonnes of plastic enter the seas causing severe distress to entire marine ecosystems. Unfortunately, our households remain an immense source of this waste.

How does your business appeal to sustainable minded students?

We’ve tried to take a more playful approach to the plastic-free lifestyle versus others. Being more sustainable in our everyday lives doesn’t have to be a chore. We believe in the products we stock and want to see them become more widely adopted, hence a lot of time and effort goes into our messaging and aesthetics. Our stance is that zero waste stores, be it bricks and mortar or online, don’t always need to follow a neutral or green colour palette… let’s have some fun along the way! Also, we conveniently deliver straight to your doorstep.

You find Parapura on Instagram, Facebook and shop online here.

Parapura are also giving WILD Magazine readers a 10% off discount code ‘WILDMAG’!

For any comments or feedback, please feel free to reach out via info@parapura.com!

About the author: Megan Tarbuck is a 3rd year Geography & Environment student and the lifestyle editor for WILD Magazine.