A recent Reddit post has highlighted the unnecessary wastefulness of cosmetic consumerism.
In a recent post on the r/Anticonsumption subreddit, a user shared an Instagram video showing a woman organizing 27 jars of body scrubs from the same company — and the comment section is appalled by the sheer volume of containers.
In the video, an Instagram user packs nine different (mostly unused) jars of scrubs from the same company into a clear drawer in her house — then repeats the process two more times and stacks the drawers on top of one another, making a grand total of 27 distinct body scrubs in the same space.
"Why do you need to buy 27 body scrubs at once," the Reddit user rightfully pondered.
The ridiculous hoarding of redundant products is all the more troubling when you consider that many beauty brands — including MAC, Lush, and Sephora — have launched recycling programs that allow customers to either refill old containers or send them back to be recycled or refilled for future sales.
This means there's no reason to have more than one or two of the same product at a time, as there's no need to possess a plethora of plastic packages because you could just continually recycle a few of them.
The beauty industry has a massive plastic waste problem. Nearly 7.9 billion units of plastic packaging were produced for the beauty industry in the United States alone, according to the Plastic Pollution Coalition. In the U.S., about 85% of all plastic waste ends up in a landfill, where it pollutes our environment and contributes to the dangerous overheating of our planet.
Users expressed their frustration and offered their own tips in the comment section.
"I do not understand the aesthetic of wanting to make your home look like a store," one user wrote.
"I've never tried this type of body scrub, but it's sooooo easy to make your own scrub. It's just sugar or salt, coconut oil or oil of your choice, essential oils for scent, and whatever other ingredients you want to add to spice it up," another user commented.
"These restocking videos are so cringe. Does she know that body care products expire?" a third user said.
Why do you need to buy 27 body scrubs at once
byu/reptomcraddick inAnticonsumption
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