The Next Big Beauty Trend, Upcycled Ingredients

Calling all clean beauty bosses, it's no secret that consumers prefer natural ingredients and that interest in sustainability is rapidly growing. These preferences are paving the way for a whole new trend in beauty: upcycled ingredients.

A beauty industry report by THG Ingenuity described how consumer behavior is evolving in 2023.

"From brands being honest about their ‘clean’ beauty claims to sustainable and scalable ingredients processing, beauty consumers will be even more discerning in 2023 about what they buy."

This astute passion for more mindful spending is creating a surge in demand for upcycled ingredients and products made with them.

A report by Allied Marketing Research predicts the upcycled ingredient industry will grow from $232 million to $434 million by 2031.

Makesy's upcycled collection includes actives and fragrance oils made using natural, high-quality leftover materials. They're ideal for beauty makers like you who want to make handmade products using sustainable, eco-conscious, upcycled ingredients.

Before we dive into our upcycled ingredients and their benefits, let's learn a little more about the process of upcycling.

what is upcycling?

Upcycling is the practice of repurposing ingredients that otherwise would be discarded into something of greater value. Upcycling in beauty products is a method to reduce waste and create more sustainable products. This approach is becoming increasingly popular, with more and more products being created in this manner.

It all starts with using leftover natural ingredients such as coffee grounds and fruit peels to create new beauty products. A lot of the most commonly upcycled ingredients are waste from food production.

Brands like Kadalys have become well known for reducing food waste by upcycling bananas into their products. And UpCircle Beauty is all about waste-fighting formulations. They use repurposed blueberries in their night cream and leftover date seeds in their body cream, among many others.

benefits of using upcycled ingredients

Consumers are becoming more conscious of their buying habits and are seeking eco-friendly alternatives to traditional products. Upcycling provides an opportunity to reduce waste and create a more sustainable beauty industry! 

Another reason upcycling can benefit small beauty businesses is the opportunity to stand out in a crowded market. Incorporate unique, eco-friendly ingredients into your products. This will help you stand out and appeal to a growing demographic of environmentally-conscious consumers.

If you don’t know where to start, consider this your introduction to upcycled ingredients!

upcycled coffee

Our upcycled coffee oil is an active that is extracted from 100% upcycled industrial coffee waste through a proprietary method that preserves coffee's beneficial, bioactive compounds!

When used in skin care, it has anti-aging benefits, provides UVB sun protection, and enhances the skin barrier. As an active in hair care, it repairs and strengthens, reduced breakage and split ends, and increases shine.

Our coffee scrub is made using our upcycled coffee oil. It's ideal for making body scrubs, soap, and skin care products including face and lip scrubs. Not to mention, it's 100% upcycled, all-natural, and vegan!

Every KG of upcycled arabica coffee scrub produced upcycles over 150 cups of coffee's worth of waste. The scrub is ideal for removing dead skin cells and may reduce the appearance of cellulite.

upcycled fragrances

Makesy has four upcycled fragrance oils that utilize natural leftover ingredients. These fragrance oils can be used in candles, soap, bath and body, or beauty products.

• Cedarwood & madagascar orchid features upcycled cedarwood
• Cardamom & pecan cream features upcycled cardamom, eucalyptus, orange
• Gajar seed & black iris features upcycled carrot seed
• Pomelo & purple basil features upcycled grapefruit, lime, & eucalyptus

Sample 10ml of each fragrance oil in our upcycled fragrance discovery kit.

how to start using upcycled ingredients

If you want to incorporate upcycled ingredients into your products, start by researching and sourcing potential ingredients. Makesy offers several mentioned in this blog and you can expect the collection to continue to grow as we find more high-quality sources for our makers.  

When it comes to formulation, be creative and experiment with different combinations of upcycled ingredients. Remember to consider the texture, fragrance, and effectiveness of the final product, as these factors will ultimately determine its success.

We created a few recipes to get you started: 

• 100% squalane face oil recipe
• eco-friendly squalance + vitamin C face mask recipe
• upcycled coffee body scrub recipe

market your sustainable side

Make sure to market your upcycled products effectively! Highlight the sustainability aspect and the unique ingredients in your marketing materials by calling out your commitment to reducing your environmental impact.

Consider partnering with eco-friendly bloggers and influencers to help spread the word about your products. When you share a passion for similar causes, it makes for a truly authentic partnership.

Upcycling is a great way for small beauty businesses to differentiate themselves. You can appeal to a growing market of environmentally-conscious consumers.

By incorporating unique and sustainable ingredients into your products, you can create something truly special and make a positive impact on the environment.

If you use Makesy's upcycled ingredients in your products, be sure to tag us on social with #makesy so we spotlight your sustainable biz!

Happy upcycling!