The best reusable makeup remover pads, cloths and mitts are an eco-friendly and cost-saving alternative to disposable cotton pads and wipes. Disposable face wipes, cotton pads and balls contribute to the huge volume of waste produced by the beauty industry every year. They either end up in landfill, where they fail to fully decompose, or they flow into the ocean, often harming sea life.
Here, the best reusable makeup remover pads out there.
A set of reusable makeup remover pads, including 12 soft velvet and four scrub terry pads. The soft pads are ideal for everyday makeup removal and sensitive areas such as the eyes, whereas the scrub pads are designed to remove more stubborn makeup while exfoliating the skin. The pads can be washed in a machine, reused many times and are also available in a cotton wash bag.
We liked
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No cleanser? No problem. All you have to do is wet this pad and give your face a scrub; it almost instantly takes off even the super stubborn stuff, think long-wear lipstick and full coverage foundation, with just H2O alone. Apparently, it’s a special fiber that gets the job done, one that’s 100 times finer than human hair and is able to effectively trap dirt and makeup.
Personally, we like that it’s white so that you can actually see all the makeup it removes, though in our experience it can stain a bit after repeated use (each one can be used and washed up to 200 times).
Key selling points: These triple-layered charcoal pads feature stitching that reviewers say helps them hold up well against anything, from BHA toners to makeup removers. Each can be used 1,000 times and pairs particularly well with micellar water or dual-phase removers. The brand also includes biodegradable cotton earbuds to round out your routine.
What shoppers say: “These are as soft as those microfiber makeup removers, but I like them better because they are made of cotton and bamboo. They really hold whatever is removed, so I can use one round all over my face without smearing. They also distribute the micellar water I use so well! I didn’t have to pump as much as I would for a disposable cotton round or another reusable brand I tried before these. The bag is big enough so that you can wash them all at once. Personally, I like that they are a dark grey color because I don’t need to see all the makeup that came off. I can FEEL that it’s off and my skin looks so bright and feels soft after using these rounds. I’m very happy with these!”
Made from a blend of organic cotton and naturally antibacterial bamboo, these simple cleansing pads are ideal for removing make-up after a long day. They feature a textured side for a deep clean, but some of our testers did find the exfoliating sensation a little aggravating around the delicate eye area. The brand recommends washing on a cool setting to avoid shrinkage, however they came out perfectly stain-free.
Key specifications
Type: Pads
Material: Cotton and bamboo
Number of pads: 5
Use with: Water only
Extra accessories: None
Colour: White
Cleaning instructions: Rinse in cold water, using soap if required. Then launder cool with usual load and leave to dry naturally.
Keep your bathroom cabinet clutter-free with this cute bamboo storage box. It contains 18 organic bamboo cotton pads, which should be enough to see you through between wash loads, and our panel raved about the quality of the material. It did absorb more cleanser than most though, so be prepared to use slightly more product.
Key specifications
Type: Pad
Material: 100% organic bamboo cotton
Number of pads: 18
Use with: Cleanser only
Extra accessories: Laundry bag and wooden storage box
Colour: White
Cleaning instructions: Machine wash at 30°C
If you’re a fan Garnier’s cult-classic micellar water, then you’ll love this three-pack of reusable rounds that are designed to be used with the formula. Just saturate one of the cleansing pads with your micellar water of choice and run it across your face to remove makeup, dirt, and grime at the end of the day.
These reusable cotton pads include a fabulous renewable storage box. It helps in removing dirt and leaves the feeling of freshness after using it on the face.
Features
From a brand that avoids synthetic and chemical-heavy materials, these sustainably-sourced, organic bamboo cotton rounds prove that eco-friendly living doesn’t have to be expensive. Affordable in price, they’re also fully biodegradable, so can be composted when they’ve come to the end of their life—which shouldn’t be for many years.
Twenty fully-reusable pads arrive in a recyclable storage case, meaning you’ve got enough to keep you going for a few weeks, and making these the perfect sustainable alternative to single-use options. What’s more, clear washing instructions ensure that these rounds remain as sparkly white as the day they were delivered.
Glov is another brand to know for sustainable, reusable cleansing cloths, pads and mitts.
Made from microfibres, Moon Pads – which come in eco starch packaging that only takes a year to decompose – replace nearly 500 single-use cotton wool pads, and are ideal for makeup removal.
They’re definitely the prettiest pads around, so we decided to see if they do the job well too.
First impressions? Glov Moon Pads are ridiculously soft and fluffy, so much so that they don’t really look like cosmetic pads that you want to dirty in mascara and foundation.
However, once rinsed in water, they remove your makeup really easily, feeling gentle on your face. Once you’ve finished wiping away your make-up, all it takes is some warm water and a touch of soap to quickly clean the pads.
Our only criticism is that they don’t look particularly sturdy as you can see the seam around the edges, but honestly, these are our favourite reusable pads that we have tried out so far.
Cheeky Wipes’ Cheeky Mama bamboo and minky pads not only offer light exfoliation on one side and fluffy softness on other, they look going doing it.
Choose from a range of prints, from flowers to flamingos to rainbow stripes.
They are soft enough to use when removing eye makeup and measure 11cm across.
Reviewers say they wash well, too.
When choosing any zero or low-waste products it’s important to understand the concept of What Is Zero Waste? The ultimate goal of a zero-waste life to create as little waste as possible. I want to mention that there is really no such thing as zero-waste, everything that is made, even eco-friendly products creates some form of waste. It’s why we need to look to a more circular economy where a product’s lifecycle is taken into account. From extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal.
You might be thinking how does something as small as a makeup round have such a large impact. Well, it’s the production and extraction of the conventional cotton used. Cotton has terrible effects on eco-systems thanks to water use (It takes 101 gallons of water to produce one pound of cotton) and pesticide heavy genetically modified crops that suck up 25% of the world’s chemical insecticides.
The pesticides used are one of the main contributors to our worldwide decline in bee populations, which we need to pollinate our food. Along with the environmental toll these types of plantations take, there is also a very sad human component, namely modern-day slavery and forced child labour.
It’s so easy. I keep a small mesh bag in the bathroom, it hangs in the wall and each time I use one, I rinse it and then simply place it in the bag. Once the bag is full you can toss it into the laundry machine to wash them. I leave them in the bag as it’s easy for them to get lost if they are separate. Like the forever missing sock! LOL!
It’s actually pretty simple to DIY reusable cotton rounds. All you really need is some leftover fabrics, a sewing machine, scissors, pins and something you can use to trace a circle of about 3″ in diameter.
Step 1: Grab some leftover fabric. You can use pretty much anything. I like to use old towels. But you can use t-shirts, flannel, anything you have that will absorb water and will not be too hard on your face. Wash and dry before you start cutting.
Step 2: Grab a round cup or glass or anything that you can use to trace a circle. 3″ diameter is a pretty good size to aim for. Trace the circle onto the fabric, I used a pencil. Then simply cut the circle out. For these, I only used one piece of fabric and just sewed the edges. It’s a really good fabric. You can use two pieces to make one reusable round.
Step 3: With the wrong side facing each other, sew the two circles or squares together. You can bind the ends if you have the right sewing machine or you can use a blanket-stitch (hand stitched). And that’s it, you are done!
Ditching these disposable face wipes, cotton balls, and cotton pads that so many of us rely on to remove makeup on the regular for the best reusable makeup remover pads is not only one easy way to have a positive impact on the environment, but it also saves you money in the long run. More sustainable and easier on the wallet? Yes, please. Not to mention that along with removing makeup, these reusable options are also great for applying products such as essences or toners. Plus, there are plenty to pick from, in a variety of shapes, sizes, materials, and price points.
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