Can You Recycle Your Beauty Blender?

If you’re wondering “is beauty blender recyclable?”, the good news is that yes, it is! Here’s three ways you can recycle your beauty blender:

1. At a recycling center that accepts polyurethane plastics.
2. Sending them to the Beautyblender Recycling Program.
3. Repurposing your beauty blender (more on that later).

The canisters can be recycled with the rest of your household plastics, so make sure you don’t throw them in the regular trash. 

The new Bio Pure beauty blender is made of 60% plant fibers, but it still contains plastic so also needs to be recycled.  

Where can I recycle my beauty blender?

Original beauty blenders are made of a polyurethane foam so check your local recycling facilities to see if they will accept them. 

If your beauty blender is past its best, then drop the sponge and canister in with the rest of your plastic recycling.

If you can’t recycle locally, you can send 3 or more sponges back to the Beautyblender Recycling Program. 

Find the link on the Beautyblender website to print a label and ship them off to be recycled responsibly.

What’s the difference between Bio Pure and original beauty blenders?

Bio Pure Beautyblender was launched in 2021 as a more sustainable alternative to the original beauty blender. Both the original and the Bio Pure beauty blenders have the classic egg shape and deliver the same smooth results, but the true difference is in the sponge itself.

The hot pink color we know and love has been replaced with a bright green, and 60% of the Bio Pure sponge is made of sustainable sugarcane fibers.

Even better – the canisters are made from recycled resin all of which dramatically reduces their carbon footprint.

Are beauty blenders compostable?

Beauty blenders are not compostable because they contain plastics. 

Although the Bio Pure contains less plastic than the original beauty blender, it still can’t be composted. 

Stick to recycling or repurposing your beauty blenders and keep them out of compost bins.

Are beauty blenders bad for the environment?

Before beauty blenders, most make-up sponges were single use so they had to go straight in the trash. If you use a make-up sponge every day, then that’s definitely a lot of sponges!

Luckily for us, you can wash and reuse your beauty blenders so the number of sponges going to landfill has reduced dramatically. Of course, there’s more to environmental impact than just trash.

Beauty blenders are made of unsustainable plastic, but Bio Pure sponges use sugarcane fiber. 

This improves their environmental impact, but as they still contain plastic you should do your best to responsibly recycle them.

How often do you have to replace your beauty blender?

Beautyblender themselves suggest that their sponges should be replaced every 3-6 months. 

Check out our checklist to work out if it’s time to change your blender:

• There are stains that don’t come off after cleaning
• There are tears in the sponge
• The sponge has a rough surface
• You think it’s causing you to breakout 
• It has been more than 6 months

I do my best to clean my blender after each use, but that doesn’t always happen. Hey, we can’t all be perfect!

Regularly cleaning your beauty blender will help it to last longer. To clean the blender, you can use branded Blendercleanser or just baby shampoo. 

Make sure your beauty blender dries thoroughly and don’t worry if the color fades over time, some discoloration is normal after several washes.

How you can repurpose your beauty blender

You don’t only have to rely on recycling, and sometimes it’s hard to let go of the things we love. 

If you’ve had your blender for a while and you’re not quite ready to say goodbye, here’s a few fun suggestions for repurposing your old beauty blenders:

1. Beauty blenders make great nail art sponges and can be cleaned with nail polish remover between looks. Painting a thin layer of polish onto the sponge then dabbing over your nail lets you create DIY ombre nails.
2. If you’re painting your toenails, a cut up old beauty blender helps you separate your toes for easy nail painting.
3. Beauty blenders are fab for applying sunscreen to your face.
4. The artists among us may already know this trick: but old beauty blenders make great paintbrushes.
5. Keep your old beauty blenders for polishing your favorite pair of shoes. The sponge is fine enough that it works amazingly at buffing away scuffs and marks.

Should you reuse or recycle your beauty blender?

It’s up to you whether you choose to reuse or recycle your beauty blender, just make sure you don’t throw it straight in the trash. 

Check your local recycling center, post them back to the Beautyblender Recycling Program or have fun finding a way to reuse them!