4 sustainable beauty brands (and 3 brand partners) that impressed at The Natural and Organic Beauty Expo 2025
Did you go to the Natural and Organic Beauty Expo a few months ago? I did, and was impressed by the huge variety of brands in the sustainable beauty space and the conversations that were sparked.
On a side note, what a shame that NOPEX is shutting the beauty part of its exhibition in years to come. Let’s home something else steps up to take its place.
Why is sustainable beauty so important now?
There are loads of 'eco-considerers' out there who want to buy products that align more with their values. But their actions aren't following through. They're interested. The market's there. But their actions don't always match their values. This is a huuuuge opportunity for brands that can tell their sustainable story well and can back it up with credible claims. And it's worth £9 billion.
Which sustainable beauty brands stood out at the Natural and Organic Beauty Expo in 2025?
Bufarma
Cleansers, face oils and scrubs made from buffalo milk and Italian botanicals.
Packaging: mostly aluminium. They do use some plastic in the form of a 100% recyclable pump. However, unlike most other pumps used in the beauty industry, it contains no spring. This means it’s much more likely to be recycled.
Ingredient sourcing: made exclusively with organic natural ingredients. The buffalos are raised on organic foliage and other ingredients are organic botanicals.
Certifications: AIAB (Italian association for organic agriculture)
Storytelling: With buffalo milk sourced from a farm near Napoli now into its third generation, this brand has a rich history to draw on. They have a quietly timeless feel, referencing their recipes handed down by nonna and packaging decisions. For their UK launch, they partnered with model and activist Kiera Chaplin.
My take: As the only Italian brand on show at the expo, I couldn’t miss out on paying Bufarma a visit! With its antioxidants and high fat content, it turns out buffalo milk is pretty good at skincare. Was this the milk that Cleopatra famously bathed in? I enjoyed a chat with the team about their packaging and origin story.
Beauty Kitchen
Vegan and cruelty-free skincare full of vitamins and antioxidants in refillable and reusable packaging.
Packaging: Mostly aluminium and low-impact card. In partnership with Canopy’s Pack4Good campaign. Beauty Kitchen believes manufacturers need to take the lead in the circular packaging revolution – they’ve partnered with Reposit to make it easier for consumers to turn packaging and earn rewards, and have saved over 4 million single use plastic bottles from going to landfill.
Ingredient sourcing: The brand focuses on naturally-derived, antioxidant-rich ingredients. 95% of their range is vegan and the rest sustainably sourced beeswax.
Certifications: 100% cruelty free, Leaping Bunny, Zero Plastics Inside, Cradle-to-cradle, Vegan Society, B-Corp
Storytelling: The brand is taking a vocal role in promoting circular packaging across the entire beauty industry. From a consumer perspective, their communications are infused with references to the natural world and its treasures, and the effectiveness of their natural products.
My take: This brand didn’t have a stand, but their co-founder Stuart Chidley took to the stage to share his thoughts on the state of packaging in the beauty industry. What stood out for me was that they’re working industry-wide to introduce reusable containers that can be used by multiple brands. If they’re successful, this’ll make reuse even easier and (probably) more cost-effective.
Upcircle
Skincare and haircare made from upcycled ingredients from the food industry.
Packaging: They’re plastic-free, with recyclable glass jars with aluminium lids and biodegradable cardboard cartons. They’re also one of the most recognisable brands you can find at your local refill shop – just take any jar or container in, tare it and then pay for the amount your need. Truly zero waste.
Ingredient sourcing: Upcycles food industry by-products (coffee grounds, fruit stones, chai spices), creating new revenue for growers.
Certifications: Certified plastic‑negative by rePurpose (removes more plastic waste than it produces), B Corp, Leaping Bunny. Some products are certified organic by the Soil Association.
Storytelling: Centres around their upcycling story. They have to tread a fine line – focusing on food waste could put off their target audience. According to their founders, they quickly learned to talk about their mission consistently, encouraging PR and media outlets to mirror their language. They’ve also done a great job of developing a fun and fresh brand voice.
My take: I’ve written about the pioneers of upcycled ingredients before and they certainly didn’t disappoint at the show. Upcircle famously began when its sibling founders realised the coffee grounds their local coffee shop was throwing away each day could be upcycled into a nutrient-rich scrub. Since then, they’ve developed a whole range of products from waste from the food industry, neatly solving two problems in one.
Djusie
Skincare made from science-backed Finnish botanicals.
Packaging: Their distinctive playful colour-blocked packaging has won design awards. They use aluminium tubes and FSC-certified card, but they do also use some plastic.
Ingredient sourcing: They use organic, wild-harvested and upcycled botanicals and ingredients, including blackcurrant seed oil, chaga and reishi. All ingredients are sourced for their active skin benefits, but I haven’t been able to find much information about the sustainability of their sourcing practices.
Certifications: Ecocert
Storytelling: They’ve taken it upon themselves to coin F-beauty as a response to K-beauty and have a quiet, anti-hype brand philosophy. Stories of Finnish botanicals and ingredients are woven into their narrative, while the bold branding also does a lot of heavy lifting. They also have a strong founder story.
My take: I loved Djusie’s vibrant personality, so different to anything else out there on the market. I would, however, loved to have learned more about their sustainability practices, including how their wild harvest their botanicals. Wild harvesting sounds romantic, but it’s important that it’s carried out responsibly to avoid ecologicl damage and habitat destruction.
Which sustainable beauty partners stood out at the Natural and Organic Beauty Expo in 2025?
Of course, the show wasn’t all about the discovery for retailers. It was also a chance for sustainable beauty brands to discover new partners who could help them grow. Here were three that stood out most for me.
Provenance
According to Provenance, a huge 75% of green claims brands make are at risk of greenwashing, but it can be hard for brands to know how to navigate new rules in the UK and EU. Provenance took to the stage to talk about how brands can manage their green claims responsibly, highlighting their new tool for brands who want to check the status of their website copy.
Their tool, the Provenance Framework, reviews claims and checks whether they meet existing sustainability standards and regulations. It’s currently available for UK and EU rules, and I believe it will become a valuable tool for companies that are struggling to hit the right notes amidst greenwashing and greenhushing.
Vegan Trademark
When it comes to green claims, 78% of consumers say a sustainable lifestyle is important to them, and their biggest concern in the beauty category is animal welfare. Consumers don’t always realise that certain ingredients are animal-derived – like squalene from sharks or lanolin from sheep. Vegan alternatives appeal not just to vegan consumers, but also to those who are recognising the impact of farming animal products on the climate.
Certifications like the Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark give consumers peace of mind that their products don’t contain animal products – and mean they don’t need to scrutinise the ingredient list.
I chatted to the team about the various merits of choosing 'plant-based' or 'vegan' in your copy. And while ‘plant-based’ has gained ground in recent years and is perhaps more fashionable than ‘vegan’, it’s a clearer label. ‘Plant-based’ can be open to interpretation and does not mean that a product is completely animal-product-free. And another benefit? ‘Vegan’ is also more searchable on Google.
Nativilis
Ingredient sourcing is another major challenge for sustainable beauty brands. Without complete visibility over their supply chain’s practices, brands can unwittingly work with suppliers who practices contract with their values – such as habitat destruction, pollution or illegal logging.
Nativilis sources natural and organic beauty ingredients such as rainforest oils, using environmentally responsible, traditional methods, ensuring ecosystems aren’t damaged in the process. They also support communities living in the Amazon basin, supporting livelihoods along the way. and use practices that extract oils in a way that doesn’t overwhelm the ecosystem.
Need help telling your sustainable beauty story?
Looking to refine your messaging, tell a compelling story and develop a strong brand voice for your plastic-free beauty brand? I can help. Get in touch with me to discuss how my brand voice development, copywriting and Italian-to-English transcreation services can help you.
