#upcycled

Independent Upcycled Brands List

Explore independent upcycled brands transforming offcuts, deadstock, and discarded materials into something new and desirable. Discover fashion and beauty labels turning waste into one-of-a-kind pieces. Find original products with a story, proof that creativity and sustainability belong together.

Tagged Brands

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Facetheory

United Kingdom · Est. 2014 · Affordable

Facetheory is a British skincare brand born in Sheffield in 2013, and it occupies an unusual position. It formulates and manufactures everything in its own UK lab. It then sells direct, at prices most contract-manufactured brands cannot match. The positioning is skincare, humanised, and the promise is affordable, vegan, science-backed formulas that meet real needs with real results. In practice that means actives at concentrations you would normally pay three times as much for, in multi-tasking products designed to do more in fewer steps. Vertical integration is the whole reason the pricing works, and it also gives the brand unusually tight control over reformulation and quality. Hero products include the Retinal Supreme MultiCream and the Encapsulated Retinol 3% Serum. The Glow-C Vitamin C 20% Serum, the Peptide Firming Night Cream and the Glow-C Daily Moisturiser SPF 30 round it out. Most items cost between £15 and £39. Consumer trial data is published per product. The Retinal Supreme MultiCream was tested on sixty-one participants over four weeks, with 84% reporting transformative results without the usual retinoid side effects, 92% finding it gentle and 90% seeing smoother skin. All ingredients are vegan and none are animal-derived, and the brand does not test finished products on animals or engage subcontractors to do so. Packaging is moving to glass jars, glass bottles and aluminium tubes as single-use plastic is phased out, and packaging is locally sourced to reduce transport emissions. A 365-day guarantee covers every purchase. For UK beauty, affordable beauty or vegan actives, Facetheory is outstanding value.

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KraveBeauty

United States · Est. 2017 · Affordable

KraveBeauty is an American brand founded in 2017 by Liah Yoo, and it is one of very few beauty companies whose marketing actively discourages you from buying. The rallying line is Press Reset on the Skincare Norm. The range splits into a Core series for daily maintenance and a Supplement series for targeted needs. The brand tells customers outright when they do not need a product. Its #SlowDownSkincare campaign rejects the fast-fashion launch cycle the industry runs on. Behind that stance sits real formulation discipline. Great Barrier Relief, built on tamanu and centella, improved damaged barrier function after two weeks in an independent clinical study on twenty participants. Beet The Sun SPF 40 passed six separate tests, including two FDA broad spectrum tests and the ISO 24444 and 24442 protocols. Oat So Simple Water Cream, Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser and Kale-Lalu-yAHA complete the core line, with everything priced between $16 and $28. KraveBeauty is a Certified B Corporation, PETA-certified vegan and cruelty-free, Plastic Neutral certified, Climate Label certified and a member of 1% for the Planet. It commits to including at least one upcycled ingredient in every new launch, using leftover Jeju matcha grinds, rejected UK hemp seeds, ugly Jeju carrots, European wine pomace and Romanian rosehip seeds. Great Barrier Relief is bottled in 100% PCR PET, and refill pouches are available. Formulas are always free of fragrance, colorants, dyes and essential oils. For sustainable, affordable, barrier-first skincare, KraveBeauty is a benchmark. It is one of very few brands whose environmental claims survive close reading.

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Sana Jardin

United Kingdom · Est. 2017 · Luxury

Sana Jardin is a British fine fragrance house founded by Amy Christiansen Si-Ahmed, and it is one of the clearest examples of social entrepreneurship in luxury perfume. She trained and worked as a social worker with struggling families on Chicago's west side, and she sits on the board of Nest, an NGO focused on ethical supply chains. That background shapes everything. The brand calls its model Beyond Sustainability. Fair trade pays people properly for their labour. Sana Jardin goes further and hands them a business. Morocco's flower-growing region produces about 900 tons of orange blossom waste each year. That waste is what is left once the petals have been distilled. Sana Jardin turns that waste into products. Amazigh women flower harvesters sell them locally. They keep 100% of the proceeds. Two micro-enterprises have been created this way, with business training included. The Sana Jardin Cooperative in Tiddas was founded in 2017 by local female harvesters and makes candles, dried flower sachets and Moroccan heritage crafts. In 2024 the brand launched an Accelerator Program with Nest, giving five cooperatives training and grants. The work supports three UN Sustainable Development Goals. The fragrances themselves are Leaping Bunny certified and packaged in FSC certified materials. They are vegan, using premium synthetics in place of animal-derived musks. Scents include Berber Blonde, Tiger By Her Side, Sandalwood Temple, Vanilla Nomad and Jaipur Chant. For ethical beauty, sustainable beauty or luxury fragrance with real social impact, Sana Jardin rewrote the rules. The waste becomes income. The women keep every penny.

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Bloomeffects

United States · Est. 2019 · Luxury

Bloomeffects is a Dutch-American skincare brand founded in 2019 by Kim van Haaster. Its origin is unusual and completely genuine. Her husband Hein is a fourth-generation tulip farmer, and the family farm, H.M. van Haaster, has been running in the Netherlands since 1905. The brand upcycles tulips from that farm into skincare, which is why it calls itself a field-to-formula brand. Tulip bulb stem cells are rich in amino acids, vitamins and antioxidants, and the brand built its proprietary Dutch Tulip Complex around them. Two Dutch government research grants backed the work. Products are formulated and manufactured in the United States, with tulips from the Netherlands. Certification here is stronger than most. All products are Leaping Bunny certified cruelty free. Palm-derived ingredients come from RSPO certified sources. Mica is sourced through the Responsible Mica Initiative, so no child labour is involved. Cartons are FSC certified, made from recycled material and printed with soy ink. The brand is a Pact Collective member, so empties can be returned. Packaging prioritises 50% post-consumer recycled content, with glass, sugarcane-based tubes and PICEA wood tubes. Almost all products are vegan, and the brand names its four exceptions clearly. Skincare is fragrance free, apart from the lip oils. Best sellers include the Royal Tulip Hydrating Bi-Phase Tonic, Tulipscreen Dew Serum, Royal Tulip Moisturizing Nectar and the Black Tulip Regenerative Brightening Serum. For European beauty, sustainable beauty, cruelty-free beauty or upcycled skincare, Bloomeffects is a lovely find. The farm is real. So is the science behind the tulip complex.

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TEMPLESPA

United Kingdom · Est. 2000 · Luxury

TEMPLESPA is a British spa skincare brand founded by husband and wife Mark and Liz Warom more than twenty-five years ago. The idea came to them on a Mediterranean sabbatical, and the brand was named on the day they renewed their wedding vows in Cyprus. The founding thought is still printed across the range. Your body is a living temple. Honour it, enjoy your life and live it to the full. The positioning is Science with Soul. Mediterranean ingredients such as olive, grape, truffle and citrus meet clinically proven derma science, and products are built to what the brand calls the Power of Three: texture, experience and performance. Products are developed in the UK at head office and are widely used in luxury spas and hotels around the world. All products are now suitable for vegans. TEMPLESPA does not test on animals, and never has. It is upfront that it does not limit itself to natural ingredients, combining naturally derived actives with carefully chosen synthetics. Everything is dermatologically tested and safety assessed by independent toxicologists. Sustainability figures are unusually specific. 92% of components are recyclable in UK homes. 75% of packaging includes at least 30% recycled content or sustainably sourced material. 100% of tubes are recyclable, and all paper and card are certified sustainable. Removing plastic airbags saves over 0.7 tonnes of plastic a year. Best sellers include TRUFFLELIXIR, QUENCH mask, LIFE DEFENCE SPF and SUGAR BUFF. For UK beauty and luxury spa skincare, TEMPLESPA is a standout. The scents are part of the treatment, not an afterthought.

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JUNOCO

United States · Est. 2018 · Affordable

JUNOCO is an affordable American skincare brand developed in California, and it has built a real following on one idea. Skincare should not feel like homework. The brand argues that most products overcomplicate something that ought to feel good, so it makes things you will actually reach for every day. That sounds like marketing until you use the products, which are unusually pleasant to apply. The breakthrough was the Jade Clean 10 Cleansing Balm. It went viral, and it is still the hero, a ten-ingredient balm that melts makeup and sunscreen without leaving a film. It sits alongside the Jade Clarifying Cleansing Powder, the Full Body Nectar Serum, The Body Oil Rinse and the Nail and Cuticle Polishing Gloss. Every product is 100% vegan and cruelty free, with no animal-derived ingredients and no animal testing. Formulas are gluten free and suitable for sensitive skin. Where JUNOCO really stands out is packaging honesty. Refill pods cut plastic use by 78%, and the pods are recyclable polypropylene. The Full Body Nectar Serum and Body Oil Rinse use 50% post-consumer recycled PET. Cartons are FSC certified paper printed with soy ink, and the interior trays are 100% paper. The brand also states plainly which parts are not recyclable, including certain pumps and caps. That kind of disclosure is rare. Prices run from $16 to $28. For American beauty, affordable beauty, vegan beauty, cruelty-free beauty or zero-waste routines, JUNOCO offers a genuinely easy place to start. The textures are lovely. The prices are kind.

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Santaverde

Germany · Est. 1988 · Mid-range

Santaverde is a German natural beauty brand founded in 1986 by Sabine Beer. It began on a small finca in Andalusia, Spain, where the brand still grows its own aloe vera. The leaves are processed on the farm itself, which keeps the plant fresh and the supply chain short. The founding principle has never changed. Active ingredient instead of water. Where most skincare uses water as its base, Santaverde uses pure aloe vera juice. That single decision is why the formulas feel and perform the way they do. The certification list is exceptional. All products are NATRUE certified and have been since 2014. The range is 100% vegan and carries the Vegan Society flower. It is certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny and Cruelty Free International, and is also PETA-Approved Vegan. The aloe is EU organic certified. Coconut oil is Naturland Fair certified from Sri Lanka. Packaging paper is FSC certified, and promotional material uses Blue Angel 100% recycled paper. Most products contain over 95% organic plant ingredients. Mineral oil derivatives, synthetic colours, synthetic fragrances and synthetic preservatives are all excluded. Airless dispensers and some tubes have used over 40% recycled plastic since 2022. Tube walls were made 30% thinner. The enzyme peeling powder comes in compostable Sulapac packaging. Best sellers include aloepur juice, aloe vera gel pur, age protect cream and the sleep and repair night cream. For German beauty, certified natural beauty, organic beauty or vegan skincare, Santaverde is properly credentialled. Very few brands grow their own hero ingredient. This one does.

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PATYKA

France · Est. 2002 · Luxury

Patyka is a French skincare brand born in Paris in 2002. The name comes from the Greek apoteke, meaning pharmacy, and the pharmacy influence runs right through the range. Patyka calls what it makes Biotech Skincare. That means pairing plant actives with biotechnology, borrowing from both aesthetic medicine and herbal tradition. Products are formulated in-house at the brand's own Paris laboratory and made in France. Over half of the plant actives are sourced in France. The certification list is one of the strongest in French beauty. Every product is COSMOS certified by ECOCERT. Patyka was one of the first brands in the world to gain that status, back in 2002. It became a B Corp in 2023 and a member of UEBT the same year, which covers ethical sourcing of shea butter and aloe vera. It holds Engagé RSE at Confirmé level from AFNOR. Since November 2020 it has been an Entreprise à Mission under French law, only the third cosmetics company in France to take that status, with mission reports verified by KPMG. Formulas leave out parabens, SLS, silicones, mineral oils, phenoxyethanol, phthalates, PEGs, EDTA and synthetic dyes. Almost every product is vegan, with three named exceptions that use ethically harvested beeswax. Packaging is 79% recycled plastic, and 19 tonnes of virgin plastic were saved between 2020 and 2023. All glass jars are refillable. Every product has a carbon footprint and life cycle analysis behind it. For French beauty, organic beauty or ethical luxury, Patyka delivers. The claims are all backed by named certifiers. That is rare in this space.

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EDOBIO

Japan · Est. 2018 · Mid-range

EDOBIO is a Japanese skincare brand launched in 2019 by GE Wellness in Kobe, Hyogo. Two phrases sum it up. Back to Basics, and Biotiful Inside Out. The name joins Edo, Japan's great era of beauty ritual, with bio, for the biotechnology inside every formula. Women in the Edo period used rice bran to cleanse and mask. EDOBIO uses the same starting point in a modern way. Its key ingredient is BiProGE, a lactic acid bacteria complex made from rice bran. It is designed to support the skin's own microbiome. The brand also uses sake lees ferment extract and Kunisato 35 blueberry leaf and stem proanthocyanidins. Everything is made in Japan. Formulas leave out mineral oil, parabens, synthetic fragrance, synthetic colorants, ethanol and petroleum-based surfactants. The brand lists all of this plainly on its own site. Key products include the Intensive Hydration Serum, the Moisture Lock Cream and the Fresh Balancing Toner. The Vegan Black Soap is another favourite. So is the FLORADIANCE Moisturizing Soufflé Soap, which comes in a hinoki cypress box made by hand from thinned forest timber. Sustainability here is about upcycling. The Saketernal line turns sake lees, a by-product of brewing, into skincare. The brand also chooses lower-impact materials for packaging and print where it can. Prices sit in the mid-range, above drugstore but below prestige. For Japanese beauty, clean beauty, natural beauty, paraben-free skincare or microbiome care rooted in real heritage, EDOBIO is a quiet standout. It also makes a lovely gift, thanks to that wooden box.

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Whamisa

Republic of Korea · Est. 1999 · Mid-range

Whamisa is a South Korean skincare brand built on fermented organic plants. It holds a rare place in K-beauty. Very few Korean brands carry international organic certification, and Whamisa does. Products are COSMOS certified organic. Ecocert-approved ingredients are marked in the ingredient lists. The brand also shares its organic numbers openly. The Organic Flowers Toner Deep Rich is 97% organic in total, with five organic plant ingredients making up 92.4%. The Organic Pear Blossom Sunscreen is 54% organic. Very few beauty brands anywhere publish figures like that. Whamisa describes itself as sustainable, organic, future forward and earth friendly. The range is grouped by plant family. There are cactus, flowers, seeds, algae, pear blossom, planta, fruits and root vegetable lines. Formulas leave out artificial and synthetic pigments. Fermentation is the heart of the method. Instead of watering plants down, Whamisa ferments flower and plant extracts. That gives high active levels with low irritation. Products are dermatologist tested with an excellent grade. Popular products include the Cactus Wrinkle and Brightening Magic Serum and the Organic Flowers Toner Deep Rich. The Organic Pear Blossom Sunscreen, Organic Fruits Yuja Acne Spot Treatment and organic hydrogel sheet masks are also loved. Boxes are recyclable card and biodegradable paper printed with soy ink. For Korean beauty, organic beauty, natural beauty, clean beauty or fermented skincare, Whamisa is the most credible certified organic option in K-beauty. If you want proof rather than promises, this is the brand. Fermented formulas also tend to feel gentle on reactive skin.

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African Botanics

United States · Est. 2017 · Luxury

African Botanics is a luxury beauty brand founded in Los Angeles in 2012 by Craig and Julia Noik, with every product developed and made in the heart of South Africa, giving it a dual American-South African identity that sits at the premium end of botanical skincare. The brand's philosophy is to create high-performance skincare that marries nature, research and technology in harmony, embracing wellness for skin, body and spirit in equal balance while practising an abiding respect for the earth. Its formulations are built on wild-harvested Southern African botanicals that are difficult to find elsewhere in prestige beauty: marula, baobab, buchu, Kalahari melon and Cape aloe, all sustainably and ethically harvested. Every product is free from parabens, silicones, phthalates, mineral oil, artificial fragrance, colorants and SLS, and the brand states its products are cruelty-free, using ingredients not tested on animals. Sourcing commitments extend to ethical trade and sustainable biodiversity, with suppliers selected for a proven record of ethical and sustainable practices, and carbon footprint initiatives include recyclable packaging and work with reforestation programmes. Hero products include the Intensive Recovery Oil, the Intensive Recovery Cream, the Advanced Vitamin C and Multi-Peptides Serum, the Firming and Lifting Collagen Activator Serum and Pure Marula Oil, with core treatments priced between one hundred and fifty and two hundred and fifty dollars. For anyone researching luxury beauty brands, African beauty, ethical beauty, sustainable beauty or paraben-free botanical skincare with genuine provenance, African Botanics offers rare Southern African raw materials formulated to international prestige standards, bringing indigenous plant knowledge into a luxury category that rarely looks to the continent for its actives.

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By Sarah London

United Kingdom · Est. 2017 · Mid-range

By Sarah London is a UK beauty brand founded in November 2017 by sisters Sarah and Lauren Murrell, and its origin story is unusually personal: Lauren was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, Sarah became her stem cell donor, and the formulas were developed in response to how profoundly treatment affected Lauren's skin. That history shapes the brand rule applied to every product, that it must be natural, soothing and restorative, gentle enough for sensitive skin and gut yet powerful enough to support lasting health. By Sarah is a Certified B Corporation, meticulous about ingredient sourcing and quality, and carries the Made in Britain and Buy Women Built marks, making it one of the clearest women-owned beauty propositions in the UK market. The range is vegan and cruelty-free, and every product is free from parabens, silicones, synthetic fragrance, sodium lauryl sulphate, propylene glycol, petroleum, mineral oil, palm oil and unnecessary fillers, with core products dermatologically approved for sensitive skin. Hero products include the Hero Facial Oil, the Balancer Cream Cleanser, the Reviver Hydrating Mist, Serene Daily SPF 50+ and the Tender Skin Balm. Packaging uses recycled and recyclable materials wherever possible, with glass bottles designed to be rinsed and recycled at home, and the brand commits to full supply chain transparency and paying everyone who works for it a fair wage. It partners with Macmillan Cancer Support. For anyone researching UK beauty brands, women-owned beauty, vegan beauty, ethical beauty or sensitive-skin skincare, By Sarah London is genuinely distinctive, offering B Corp certified British skincare built by two sisters whose formulations were tested first on skin recovering from cancer treatment.

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About upcycled brands

This page lists independent upcycled beauty and fashion brands in one place. Upcycled brands take existing materials, such as offcuts, deadstock, or discarded items, and turn them into new products of equal or greater value, rather than sending them to waste.

The list includes brands across clothing, footwear, jewellery, and accessories. Coverage varies from brand to brand. Some make clothing and accessories from surplus or deadstock fabric. Others rework vintage or second-hand pieces into something new, or craft jewellery from reclaimed metals and materials. Many produce in small or one-off batches as a result.

Each brand entry shows a short description, the categories it sells in, and tags such as recycled, sustainable, handmade, and zero-waste. These tags can be used to filter the list and identify brands that meet specific requirements, so you can focus on the ones most relevant to you.

All brands featured here are independent rather than mass-market. Independent labels are well suited to upcycling, since smaller production runs make it easier to work with limited or irregular supplies of reclaimed material.

The full list of upcycled brands is shown above. Filter by category or tag to narrow the results, and select any brand to view more detail about its products and materials.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Upcycled Brands List?
The Upcycled Brands List is a curated collection of independent upcycled brands, spanning clothing, footwear, jewellery, and accessories. It brings brands that turn existing materials into new products together in one place.
What does upcycled mean?
Upcycling takes existing materials, such as offcuts, deadstock, or discarded items, and turns them into new products of equal or greater value, without breaking the materials down first.
How is upcycling different from recycling?
Recycling breaks materials down and reprocesses them into something new, which uses energy. Upcycling reuses materials largely in their existing form, giving them a new purpose with less processing.
What kind of products will I find?
Upcycled brands often make clothing and accessories from surplus or deadstock fabric, rework vintage pieces, or craft jewellery from reclaimed metals and materials. Many produce in small or one-off batches.
Are upcycled products one of a kind?
Often, yes. Because upcycled brands work with limited or irregular materials, pieces are frequently made in small runs or as unique items, so no two are exactly alike.
How do I choose an upcycled brand from this list?
Each independent upcycled brand has a short description and tags such as recycled, sustainable, or handmade, so you can quickly find the brands that match what you're looking for.