Spotlight: Meow Meow Tweet — Making Personal Care Simpler, Lower Waste and Built for Real Life

The products we use every day, from deodorant and soap to skincare and hair care, are easy to overlook. But behind those routines is a steady stream of packaging, ingredients and waste that adds up quickly over time.

In this episode of the Seeing Green Podcast’s Spotlight series, we take a closer look at Meow Meow Tweet, a small-batch, plant-based personal care brand rethinking what we actually need and how it’s made.

We explore:

• How everyday personal care products contribute to plastic waste and why packaging matters more than we think
• The shift toward simpler routines and multipurpose products that reduce consumption without sacrificing performance
• Why ingredient sourcing, from plant-based formulations to regenerative practices, plays a critical role in sustainability
• How compostable packaging, refill systems and bulk programs can help reduce waste at the source
• What it means to go beyond zero waste with plastic-negative commitments and closed-loop systems
• How small-batch production and values-led business practices can shape both environmental and social impact

This episode is about making personal care feel less overwhelming and more intentional, without requiring a complete lifestyle overhaul.

Because the products we reach for every day are exactly where small, better choices can add up in meaningful ways.

Transcript

Welcome to Seeing Green - Solutions for our Daily Lives. The podcast where we spotlight the brands, ideas and people making it easier to live sustainably every day.

Today’s episode is part of our “Spotlight” series – a deep dive into one of our Seeing Green Solutionists of the Day. And now… today’s solution.

Welcome listeners to episode 53 of the Seeing Green podcast. Today's episode is part of the Seeing Green Spotlight series where we take a closer look at the Seeing Green Solutionist of the Day and the real solutions they bring to help us be healthier and greener in our daily lives.

Yeah. And today we are getting back into a topic that well we know you listeners are super passionate about which is clean and sustainable beauty.

Exactly. I mean if you enjoy this topic you should definitely go back and check out our prior deep dives. We looked at La Bouche Rouge, Lush, and Credo Beauty.

Oh, those were great ones.

They really were. And hey, if you like this content overall, please consider subscribing to the podcast. So, let's just sort of set the stage a bit, right? The global beauty industry…

That's a total economic powerhouse. But, you know, the logistics required to actually keep it running are just staggering. I mean, we are talking about an industry that relies on really resource intensive extraction of raw botanicals, high heat manufacturing, and these huge global distribution networks.

Yeah. Moving millions of gallons of liquid across oceans every single day.

Exactly. And the toll on water systems, soil health, and like global carbon emissions is just immense.

Yeah. Absolutely.

And that's even before we factor in the monumental waste generated by, you know, single-use packaging.

It is an incredibly heavy footprint. But because you, our listener, already follow this space, you know, there is this massive shift happening right now to counter this.

Right. The emergence of sustainable and clean beauty. It's not just a niche thing anymore.

No, it's a major force.

Yeah.

We are seeing a real push toward products formulated with clean, safe, and often natural or vegan ingredients like formulated completely without those harmful chemicals.

Yeah. And it goes way beyond just the ingredients. The focus has really expanded to packaging that minimizes waste. You know, recyclable, refillable, or just completely naked options.

Naked packaging is such an interesting concept. 

It really is. And it's also about ethical sourcing and transparent supply chains, right? To reduce environmental and social impacts. Basically, it's beauty designed to be better for people and the planet.

Which perfectly leads us to our Solutionist of the Day.

I love this name.

Me, too. Get ready for it. It's Meow Meow Tweet.

Yes, Meow Meow Tweet. It sounds so fun and quirky.

It does. But their mission is actually profoundly serious. They are a small batch plant-based personal care brand and they are completely rethinking what we actually need on our bathroom counters.

Right. Their focus is on compostable packaging, refill systems, and just much simpler routines.

Yeah. The ultimate goal is to make better choices feel natural, right? Not overwhelming.

Exactly. Because I mean, the modern beauty aisle is basically designed to induce decision fatigue.

Oh, 100%. I constantly compare it to like a frantic tech upgrade cycle.

Oh, that's a really good way to put it.

Right. You are always being pushed to buy the newest shiniest thing. A 12 step skincare routine. A different specialized serum for every single inch of your face.

And a night cream that is somehow fundamentally different from a day cream.

Exactly. But Meow Meow tweet advocates for what they call slower, simpler personal care. They have this strong anti-over consumption positioning.

Yeah. Rather than a tech upgrade, it's like building a curated capsule wardrobe for your bathroom sink.

A capsule wardrobe. Yes. So, what does this slower routine actually look like?

Well, their everyday portfolio covers the absolute essentials. We are talking deodorants, soaps, skin care, hair care, reef safe sunscreen, and insect repellent.

Just the basics but meant to earn a permanent place in your routine. And their hair care line is wild.

Oh, the shampoo bars.

Yes, the solid shampoo and conditioner bars. They have like a rosemary avocado one

And a lavender coconut milk bar. Yeah. But the powders are what really fascinated me.

Oh, right. The rose geranium shampoo and conditioner powders.

It's brilliant because standard liquid shampoo is basically 80% water.

Which is crazy when you actually think about it.

Right. You are paying a premium to ship heavy water in a plastic bottle around the globe, generating all these transport emissions.

So, by removing the water, you get a powder that's super light to ship.

Exactly. And the water already coming out of your shower head just activates it.

It makes so much sense. And they have this multi-purpose mindset across the board, right?

Yeah. Fewer products that do more, like a shampoo bar that doubles as full body soap.

But I want to play devil's advocate for a second here.

Okay, go for it.

Because we are talking about, you know, personal care sustainability, but with global industrial waste being so massive, does my little daily deodorant stick actually make a dent?

That is such a common and honestly valid skepticism. But you really have to look at the scale of daily consumables.

How so?

Well, plastic is an environmental crisis generating 450 million tons of waste a year globally.

Wow. 450 million.

Yeah. And millions of people throwing away a plastic deodorant tube every single month creates a compounding massive local landfill impact.

And those plastics just turn into microplastics. Right.

Exactly. They end up in our bodies and they are linked to cancer and fertility anomalies. 

Which is why composting is so critical. Composting uses oxygen and it creates carbon sequestering life supporting dirt.

That is a huge paradigm shift and it ties right back to Meow Meow Tweets's philosophy which is less better slower.

Right. They formulate products to be multi-purpose so you literally buy fewer of them.

And I love their inclusive stance. There are no his or her categories.

Right. Because that's mostly just an artificial marketing division anyway.

Yeah. They just make all scents, all textures, and all products for all people. It's about real life usability,

Which means the ingredients have to actually work for everyone.

Yeah. Their kitchen style approach to plant-based formulation is great. They use certified organic, non-GMO, raw, and unrefined oils

And housemade extractions. Yeah. Plus, it's all vegan, Leaping Bunny certified, cruelty-free, and palm oil free.

But there was a detail in the sources about their ingredients that I found super fascinating.

Oh, about wildcrafting.

Yes. Can you explain that? Because wildcrafting always sounds like a good thing.

It does sound great in marketing copy, harvesting botanicals right from the wild. But Meow Meow tweeted It actually refuses to use wildcrafted ingredients.

Why is that?

Because it's highly unsustainable for consumer goods at scale. With climate change, plant populations in the wild are everchanging and vulnerable.

So if a brand relies on wildcrafting, they risk overharvesting.

Exactly. So Meow Meow Tweet relies on strong renewable populations and regenerative farming instead. And they will actually pivot or reformulate if an ecosystem is at risk.

That is a true regenerative sourcing mindset.

Right.

But it's totally counterproductive to put those fewer ingredients into packaging that pollutes.

Right. Which is why their packaging innovation is so important. They actually created the first fully compostable paper deodorant tube.

Which is incredibly hard to do, right? Since oils degrade paper.

Yeah. They had to innovate plant-based barriers that work but still compost. And for things that can't be in paper, they rely on glass and aluminum.

Because aluminum is lightweight, so it has lower shipping emissions. And they use minimal plastic, only when absolutely essential for hygiene.

Like a pump for a lotion. But even then, they focus on circularity and closed loop systems.

Oh, the zero waste bulk refill program. I love this. It's like the old school milkman delivery model.

Yes. You buy in bulk, which saves you about 25%. And you refill your own containers at home

And then you just send the empty bulk container back to them for free.

Exactly. And they wash it and reuse it forever.

That is true. Zero waste. But they actually go beyond zero waste. They're plastic negative.

Yeah. They achieved that in 2021. It basically means they remove twice as much plastic from nature as they use.

They extract like 800 kilos of plastic from nature annually and fund recovery in India.

And their internal waste reduction efforts are just as intense. They have a California micro factory run entirely on wind power.

With a tiny team of just six people.

Right. And they literally weigh their studio trash weekly to reduce it by 15% each year.

That is next level dedication. It's no wonder they had to outperform their own past metrics for their B Corp  recertification.

Yeah. And uh just as a neutral reporting note here, reflecting the brand's stated values, they also redistribute funds monthly to grassroots BIPOC and queer-led organizations.

Right. It's part of their social justice and environmental mission. They even avoid like Uline shipping materials because of the supplers’ political funding.

Yeah, it's a very comprehensive approach to their ethos.

It really is. You know, thinking about all this, I want to leave you, the listener, with a powerful thought drawn right from their motto.

Oh, I know the one.

Your deodorant stick shouldn't outlive you.

That really sticks with you.

It does. Challenge yourself to walk into your bathroom today. Look at the everyday items sitting on your sink. Ask yourself what kind of legacy those items will leave on the earth long after you are gone.

Will it be compost or will it be plastic?

Exactly. To learn more about Meow Meow Tweet, visit them at meowmeowtweet.com.

Lots of great info there.

Interested in finding more brands and innovators dedicated to creating a greener, more sustainable world?

We hope you are.

You can subscribe to the Seeing Green podcast wherever you access podcasts.

Absolutely.

You also can visit our website and join the Seeing Green community. Sign up at www.seeinggreen.eco.

We would love to see you there.

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Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Seeing Green Spotlight Series podcast. Until next time, keep seeing green.

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