Eco-Luxe, Eco-Beauty, and Eco-Friendly are terms that have gained a great deal of momentum and are becoming part of a new vocabulary for discussing luxury, beauty, fashion and our overall standard of living today. What do these terms mean and why have they become relevant?
Environmentally friendly or environment-friendly, (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green) refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that inflict reduced, minimal, or no harm upon ecosystems or the environment.* This term most commonly refers to products that contribute to green living or practices that help conserve resources like water and energy.
If we want to live on a planet with clean water, fresh air and a diversity of plants and animals, we have to do everything we can to protect the Earth’s health. Being environmentally friendly means choosing a lifestyle that helps the Earth more than it hurts it, and speaking up when you see the world around you being harmed. Conserving water, driving less often, gardening, and caring about animals are all good ways to start helping. The key is to make a concerted effort to live your life in a way that is conscious of the earth, it’s beautiful creatures and eco-systems.
Eco-Luxe means ecologically-friendly luxury. Some say that ‘Eco’ (design based in environmental sustainability) and ‘Luxe’ or luxury, cannot exist simultaneously and are contradictory. This may be true in the older definition of ‘excessive consumption’, however, the way people define luxury is changing. Today’s definition moves away from heavily marketed mass-manufactured brands put together in massive factories in foreign countries to local hand-made products created by artisans with love and reflecting the local culture. People want to relax in the knowledge of where, how and by whom their products were made. Today’s luxury is ‘guilt-free’ and tells its own story.
The new ‘luxury’ returns to products of quality that provide a unique experience of ‘immersion’- embracing the natural environment and the unique culture of a place, it operates in the face of globalization and its mono-culture. It is not necessarily showy – it’s all about details. Today’s luxury indulges the soul not the ego.
Eco-beauty. When it comes to beauty, we can ask as ourselves “how do the products I buy and the companies I support, contribute to the Earth’s well being, as well as my own?” Are these products good for me and good for the earth? Are these products cruelty-free, meaning the ingredients are not tested on animals or harmful to one’s health and the environment? Is the packaging eco-friendly and biodegradable? The answers to these questions are about wellness, for yourself and the earth. Many companies like YASOU natural skin care have emerged with this in mind.
The terms eco-luxe, eco-beauty and eco-friendly have become more than marketing terms, these are being embraced by eco-conscious consumers around the globe. It’s a new movement that is returning to quality and responsibility. It is not about ego but about ones beliefs.
Today’s well-off and eco-conscious consumers are turning to eco-luxe products, ranging from cosmetics to diamonds to cars that are beautiful, luxurious ⎯ and eco-friendly.
* wikipedia