If going green is important to your beauty routine, don't look just at the ingredients in the product you're purchasing -- check out the whole package.

Sustainability is becoming a key word in the beauty industry as manufacturers turn to new technology to create eco-friendly containers for their products. The trend is sparked in part by consumer desire but also in part by pressure from stores such as Wal-Mart, which recently announced that its buying decisions would be influenced by how suppliers rate on "sustainability scorecards."

In honor of Earth Day, we rounded up some products that indulge our desire for pampering but also incorporate packaging ideas that (with a little help from you) will make the Earth a cleaner, healthier place.

Boxes with embedded seeds

1 Say bye-bye to cradle-to-grave packaging in which virgin materials eventually end up in landfills. In cradle-to-cradle packaging, bio-based materials are used and then put back into the environment through composting. The process becomes fun when you bury that package and embedded seeds sprout into pretty plants.

The product: Pangea Organics facial cream, Italian red mandarin with rose

$30 at Nordstrom, NorthPark Center, Dallas (also at www.pangeaorganics.com; save 20 percent at the Web site through April 30 by typing "gogreen08" as the discount code). Bar soaps with plantable boxes are also available at World Market.

The package: Pangea's whole facial-care line comes in plantable packaging. The molded fiber boxes are manufactured with zero waste and are made from 100 percent post-consumer newsprint. Soak this outer carton for a minute, plant an inch deep in soil and you'll soon be growing medicinal herbs.

The product: Pure & Natural bar soap

Two for $3.99 at Target. The soap comes in three ingredient combos: rosemary and mint, almond oil and cherry blossom, and grapefruit and pomegranate

The package: This line was relaunched in February by Dial with a new natural focus. The box is made of 100 percent post-consumer paper. Soak it and plant it to grow baby's breath.

Bio-plastics

2 Making traditional PVC plastic requires toxic additives. Thanks to technology, a new kind of bio-plastic relies instead on field corn. This polylactic acid (PLA) resin breaks down in composting and requires about 65 percent less fossil fuel in its manufacturing than PVC, according to Beauty Packaging magazine.

The product: Cargo Plant Love lipstick

$20 each at Sephora. Comes in 15 sheer and glossy shades.

The package: The lipstick tube is made from PLA -- when you're finished with the product, add it to your compost pile.

Added bonus: The carton is made with biodegradable paper and is embedded with wildflower seeds.

The product: Smashbox Green Room Eyeshadow Quad

$32, Sephora

The package: This compact can go straight to the compost pile when you're done.

Recycled and recyclable materials

3 Some companies are thinking recyclable instead of biodegradable. Origins, an Estee Lauder company, is one of them. The company's director of global packaging, Alan Bodker, noted that "most U.S. cities do not have the infrastructure for composting sites." The company instead focuses on using recycled and recyclable materials.

The product: Physicians Formula Organic Wear blush

$12.99, CVS and cvs.com

The package: This new organic line features blush and eye shadows tucked into paper compacts made from recycled paper. Remove the mirrors, then toss them into the newspaper recycling bin.

The product: Origins Organics Silkening Body Spritz

$25 at Origins stores and www.origins.com. The Origins Organics line debuted in 2007 with a focus on products that meet the USDA's organic standards.

The package: This recyclable box is made from 50 percent post-consumer recycled fiber and is manufactured using only wind and hydro power.

The product: Aveda Nourish-mint lip colors

$14 at Aveda stores and www.aveda.com. Aveda is also an Estee Lauder company.

The package: The lip colors come in 88 percent post-consumer packaging with aluminum accents. The outer carton is made of 50 percent post-consumer recycled fiber and 50 percent Forest Stewardship Council certified paper, and it is made using 100 percent wind power.