Victoria Beckham recently drew flak for her post on Instagram spreading awareness about the effects of plastic pollution on the oceans. Her post was met with criticisms, as her recently-launched brand -- Victoria Beckham Beauty -- don plastic packaging.

In response, the beauty mogul said her brand packaging was designed to be as sustainable as possible without having to compromise on luxury. The former Spice Girls was inspired to launch a brand that was cruelty-free and promoted clean and sustainable beauty.

"We use post-consumer waste on all our secondary packaging and we use recyclable boxes and biodegradable foam when shipping," shares Beckham, 45. She describes their practices as not perfect but assures consumers of their commitment towards more ethical and sustainable standards.

What is Sustainable Beauty?

The growing efforts towards environmental awareness have spread throughout every market, including the beauty industry. From hair salons and spas to cosmetic brands, more and more companies have started to look for ways to minimize their plastic waste not just for their brand image but because it is the right thing to do.

Sustainable practices in the beauty industry include reducing energy and water usage, waste reduction, an overall sustainable mission and strategy, assessment of the brand's environmental impacts, and sustainable packaging, among others.

It's an opportune time to look into which brands in the beauty industry have taken action to help reduce the negative impact on the environment.

Here are some of the brands in makeup, skincare, and fragrances that support the sustainability movement:

1. Antipodes

This brand offers organic skincare and anti-aging products. Their packaging includes recyclable glass bottles and biodegradable cardboard boxes.

They also use vegetable inks for printing and recycled metals to make containers for their skincare products.

2. Aveda

This beauty brand has long been committed to managing its ecological footprint. Their haircare and skincare products are produced through recyclable materials only.

3. Burt's Bees

Bees are going extinct, and this beauty brand knows it all too well.

These pollinators are necessary for the environment, so they launched a #BringBackTheBees campaign. They are committed to the mapping of the bees for the conservation of these pollinators.

4. Clean Reserve

Their fragrances are made from ethically-sourced ingredients. They also utilize solar power for manufacturing and package their fragrances in recyclable materials.

5. Cloud Nine

The brand known for its hair straighteners is active in recycling.

Cloud Nine encourages consumers to bring over their old tongs to their company for reusing or recycling. The company aims to recycle a minimum of 1.5 million hair straighteners so these won't end up in landfills.

6. Christian Dior

The luxury brand has already eliminated its use of cellophane and has decreased the use of paper and cardboard its products.

7. Floral Street

Well-known for their fragrances as well as their bath and body products, this beauty brand is also increasing their efforts towards sustainable beauty.

Their products are packaged in renewable materials without shrink-wrap, cellophane or plastic inserts.

8. Jurlique

The brand aims to reduce its water and waste by 20 percent by 2020. They encourage water reuse throughout the manufacturing process and use solar power. They also have tree-planting initiatives.

9. Kiehl's Since 1851

Already pioneers in natural beauty products, the brand also encourages their consumers to recycle by offering travel-sized products in turn for 10 empty bottles returned to their stores.

10. La Mer

The skincare and makeup brand makes huge donations in support of conserving ocean habitats and helping out seas flourish.

11. L'Oréal Professionnel

The French company recently launched Source Essentielle -- a new vegan haircare collection. The brand focused on clean beauty and packaged the product with as minimal plastic as possible (which are also recycled).

12. Lush

Lush has a wide range of naked beauty products, meaning package-free.

With products that use plastic bottles, they opt for fully recyclable ones. They have pots with plant seedlings inside. They also encourage their customers to take back pots to their stores.

13. Mac

The makeup brand offers a free lipstick for every six finished Mac products returned to their store.

14. Medik8

The skincare brand makes its products using green chemistry, which includes blending ingredients at room temperature and using cold compression.

While they still use plastic when absolutely necessary, they choose recycled glass when possible.

15. Orveda

The luxury skincare brand uses ocean-derived ingredients to make their products that are vegan and free of plastics and mineral oils. They are said to work "with and not against" the oceans.

They also use less than five percent plastic, choosing glass bottles instead.

16. Spectrum

They have been reducing their use of plastics for packaging by as much as 50 percent.

The company also supports plastic clean-up charities, having pledged to donate part of their revenue to help protect the environment.

17. Sukin

The skincare brand makes sure to offer affordable and sustainable beauty by going carbon-neutral since 2008. They ensure all their products are grey water-safe, so consumers can use their bathwater to water their plants.

Their products are also packaged in recycled containers.

18. Tata Harper

Another skincare brand that packages their products in recycled glass, Tata Harper also uses soy ink for labeling.

19. The Body Shop

This company has long been known for its efforts at sustainable beauty. They are B-Corp-certified, which means they meet the highest standards of verified environmental performance, accountability and transparency, among others.

Consumers are also encouraged to drop back packaging at their stores for recycling.

20. Yes To

This skincare brand makes biodegradable and compostable products like their wipes, which are made from 100 percent cellulose. They are also committed to making vegan products.

Furthermore, they do not use plastic binders for their packaging