Y'all! Our Balmies have won not one, but two, awards!
We were named Beauty Independent’s 2020 Beacon Awards Sustainability Champion, and we won Byrdie's 2021 Eco Beauty Awards for The Best Affordable Eco Beauty Products (#11, "The One-Swipe Staple").
These awards mean the world to us because we believe so strongly in our work to make plastic-free, zero-waste products that are both beautiful and accessible.
Worth The Work
We believe that makeup without the waste is possible. Awards like these validate the hard work we put in every day to make that reality, and also inspire us by highlighting how other brands are tackling the beauty industry's crippling waste problem.
The amount of plastic garbage generated annually by our industry is hard to fathom. It's estimated that the beauty industry alone creates 120 billion units of plastic packaging every year, and that most cannot be accepted by curbside recycling programs because of small sizes and creative shapes. That means the vast majority—like all plastic—goes to landfills, and, often, the ocean. According to the UN, if the global keeps our waste pace up, the oceans will have more plastic than fish (by weight) by 2050.
The hard work to re-imagine product packaging and use in the beauty industry is worth every bit of effort!
Beauty Independent's Beacon Awards Sustainability Champion 2020
The sustainability champion category was dedicated to honoring a brand that, in their words, is “making people's lives better through beauty and wellness and is leaving the world in a better place as well. Wasteful processes and packaging will soon be a thing of the past, thanks to the innovative efforts of our 2020 nominees.” We were nominated along with amazing brands like Aether Beauty, Loli Beauty, Cleo + Coco, and Alpyn Beauty.
The winners were announced on their LIVE virtual event where 500 people were in attendance including beauty journalists, beauty retailers, and beauty influencers.
I didn’t know we were going to win, though I hoped for it! Everyone was muted on the call and just before they announced the winner I noticed that the host unmuted me. That’s when I knew our name was about to be announced as the winner! I also knew I was going to have to give an impromptu acceptance speech so my heart started racing and my hands shaking and well. You can watch my full speech here.
This was super exciting for us, as we have worked really hard at creating our zero waste Balmies!
Byrdie Eco Beauty Awards
Byrdie's award winners were chosen by nine beauty editors and four guest judges according to good-for-you ingredients, transparency and nuance, sustainability, and — of course — performance. For 2021, Byrdie placed emphasis on ingredients and sustainability, awarding brands going "above and beyond" to source sustainably and to reduce carbon footprint.
We are so proud to have been recognized for our up-cycled, zero-waste packaging, and multi-use, layer-able product. Thank you, Byrdie!
Here’s a bit about why we won:
Balmies are 100% Zero Waste
First of their kind, Balmies are wrapped in recycled and recyclable paper. Just rip the paper as you go (think Crayola crayons).
Eyes, Lips + Cheeks
Multi Use products are a great way to cut down on waste. The fact that you can use Balmies as lipstick, eyeshadow, and blush means you need fewer products, which means less packaging in our world.
Recycled Boxes
Our boxes are handmade using recycled trash from around the island of Bali. Learn more about our box story here.
Totally Plastic-Free
As of Earth Day 2022, Axiology is totally plastic-free! Our fan-favorite lippies will be back later this year in revamped, zero-waste packaging.
