Our Ethics

OUR ETHICS

OUR DUTIES TO MOTHER NATURE

We’re committed to protecting our planet for the generations to come whilst simultaneously providing healthy and effective beauty and wellbeing products. 

We use science to get the best from Nature without harming nature or our customers in the process. 

ETHICALLY SOURCED INGREDIENTS

We are committed to advancing the science of natural skincare and beauty. Known for our high concentrates of botanicals, nature is preserved as an important part of all URBAN RETREAT products. 

We use ethically sourced active ingredients from plants, algae, or the sea which are all carefully selected not only for their efficacy but also for their origin and safety.

BIODEGRADABILITY & TOXICOLOGY SCREENING FOR OUR ECO-SYSTEM

As far as we are aware: URBAN RETREAT was the first cosmetics brand to test all of its rinsable products for both biodegradability and toxicology. In short: if it goes down a plug hole we send it to be tested so that we can be sure that it is biodegradable without damage to the Ecosystem. 

POWERED BY SUNSHINE

Our new headquarters are developed as an eco-sustainable centre where natural resources allow the lowering of energy consumption, and a solar power system covers our entire consumption requirements meaning we’re literally powered by sunshine. We’re very proud that our Laboratory, and staff, received a Government Environment Award for a “low carbon footprint”. 

COMPOSTABLE PACKAGING

Our new product packaging and postal boxes are now made from recycled kraft paper. Recycled kraft paper is made from recycled materials. Cardboard boxes, books and other materials are broken down back into pulp and turned back into recyclable brown paper. As it retains its natural colour and texture, it doesn’t need the extra step of being bleached. 

This saves money as the material has to be handled less and keeps chemicals out of the environment.

If you take coated unbleached brown paper, or corrugated cardboard and throw it into your garden, it’ll start to naturally compost. Within a short time, it will have disappeared back into the ground, and there will be no trace of your brown packing paper left. This process doesn’t release any bad chemicals into the soil, either. 

We also use vegetable ink for print.

ECO-REFILLS

We now offer an eco-refill on a large selection of our products. Meaning our packaging can be safely washed and either recycled, composted or refilled.

RECYCLING

We have a recycling contract to deal with everything that enters our facility, be it glass, plastic, or cardboard. We use recyclable materials for everything that leaves our facilities, including our shipping boxes and filling tissue paper. 

Our new skincare containers have now been changed to recycled glass. 

Just a few of the advantages are:

The cost savings of recycling is in the use of energy. Compared to making glass from raw materials for the first time, the cullet melts at a lower temperature. So we can save on the energy needed to melt the glass.

Glass produced from recycled glass reduces related air pollution by 20% and related water pollution by 50%.

Recycling glass reduces the space in landfills that would otherwise be taken up by used bottles and jars.

Using glass for recycling means fewer glass objects are lying around in the landfill or bin.

BENEFITS OF GLASS RECYCLING

Glass can be recycled many times over without it degrading, so this infinite usage means that no further raw materials need to be used to create more. If we all recycled our glass it can go on being used forever. 

Save energy and reduce carbon emissions by using recycled glass – every 1000 tonnes of recycled glass that gets melted down saves 314 tonnes of CO2.

Recycled glass has lots of commercial uses – not just in new glass containers, but it’s also used in tiles and fibreglass products in the construction industry.

Our new caps are made from aluminium. Our Tubes are made from aluminium laminate. Aluminium can be recycled forever: It can be melted down and reformed without losing any quality, and the process can be repeated over and over again.

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

Recycling aluminium uses 95% less energy than producing aluminium from raw materials.

It also saves 97% of greenhouse gas emissions produced in the primary production process.

Recycling 1 tonne of aluminium saves 9 tonnes of CO2 emissions and 4 tonnes of bauxite – the raw material from which aluminium is made.