Often, the best way to reduce your impact on the environment is to switch out a low-quality, disposable product for something high-quality and long-lasting that will save you money in the long run.
But sometimes, a product is so pointless that the most budget-friendly and eco-conscious choice is not to buy it at all. That's what commenters thought of this "facial spray" ad that was recently posted on r/Anticonsumption.
What happened?
"Just, why?" asked the original poster, above a screenshot of an ad for an Evian Brumisateur facial spray.
The image shows a pair of travel-sized 1.7-ounce spray cans with pink lids. They're said to provide "an ultrafine microdroplet mist" of the famous — and famously expensive — Evian water to "hydrate and refresh" your skin. The ad also says that the Evian is 100% pure — in other words, it's just mineral water.
"That's honestly just sad," said one commenter.
Why does it matter if Evian sells spray bottles?
The idea that there's any significant health benefit from misting your skin with Evian is just silly. The claim that it will "hydrate" your skin is meaningless; "hydrating" just means adding water, which is indeed what happens when you spray water on yourself, Evian or not. "Refreshing" is a vague term that doesn't point to any actual health outcome.
Shoppers who buy into the hype of this product aren't just wasting money; they're also generating trash needlessly, as the disposable spray bottles cannot be readily refilled or used for anything else.
Meanwhile, since Evian is imported from a specific region of France, American users will have contributed to the massive amount of air pollution caused by intercontinental shipping — all to mist their faces with water.
Is Evian doing anything to keep the product eco-friendly?
According to the company's website, Evian Brumisateur canisters are made with recyclable materials. The cans also use nitrogen to pressurize the contents; most of the atmosphere is nitrogen, making this a safe option compared to many past spray can designs.
However, the travel-size cans pictured in this ad still sport plastic lids, which are bad for the environment because they are impossible to recycle, and they shed microplastics.
What can I do about wasteful products?
When it comes to an unnecessary luxury like spring water facial spray, the answer is simple: just don't buy it. A company will stop making a product if it's unprofitable enough.
More broadly, you can cut down on plastic pollution and air pollution by buying local, plastic-free products when possible, especially when it comes to food. For non-food purchases, consider buying secondhand to get all the quality at a fraction of the cost — to benefit both you and the environment.
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