Reddit users were appalled by a TikTok influencer's home video showing hundreds of body care products. The video clip pans to seven different tiered shelves, each packed with duplicates of soaps, lotions, exfoliants, and perfumes.
"No one needs this many body care products," wrote the Reddit user who shared the video. "And no one needs THIS many products to keep themselves clean. Large corporations tell us (mostly women) that we need to spend money on these 'self care' products."
The TikTok video highlights the increasing problem of overconsumption and its negative effects on the environment. The production of consumer goods accounts for 60% of planet-warming gases, according to a study from the Journal of Industrial Ecology.
In an interview with NPR, science journalist J.B. MacKinnon explained the impact of consumption on the environment.
"According to the U.N. panel that studies global natural resources, consumption is the leading driver of our environmental problems around the world today, surpassing even the growth of the human population on the planet," said MacKinnon.
Overconsumption of beauty products alone is a major contributor to our planet's changing climate. The plastic containers used for cosmetic products contribute to global plastic pollution and end up in landfills, increasing planet-warming gas pollution.
🗣️ Which eco-friendly initiative would make you most likely to buy products from a clean beauty brand?
🔘 Using less plastic packaging 🗑️
🔘 Using more organic ingredients 🌿
🔘 Recycling empty containers 🫙
🔘 I don't buy clean beauty products 🚫
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Reddit users were frustrated by the waste this type of overconsumption causes.
"She not only doesn't need all this, but there's no way she could possibly use all this before it expires/passes its 'best by' date," wrote a Reddit user.
As of 2018, the plastic packaging of beauty products accounts for 120 billion units of trash each year, according to data collected from Zero Waste Week.
Commenters also noted the irony of the situation. While this beauty influencer's platform promotes skin care, the brands showcased in the video are not healthy for the body due to their harmful ingredients.
"All the worst stuff too," commented one Reddit user. "Parabens, sulfates, alcohol, parfum, colors. And all the plastic."
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