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When Heather Smith was preparing to launch bareLUXE Skincare in 2021, she was "mortified” by her plastic packaging usage. "I said I'm not going to launch a brand if I'm just going to be adding to the problem."
Her solution was offering refills that come in recyclable pouches to be poured into dropper bottles, and balm formulations in biodegradable (and compostable, depending on facilities) jars. Smith bills bareLUXE as an "anti-plastic activist brand."
Refillable options may be gaining traction as the the beauty industry, long criticized for its packaging waste, is looking for more sustainable packaging choices. Whether consumers will actually use them, however, is an open question.
The beauty industry is particularly challenged because it relies on many small parts and mixed materials which do not typically get sorted in standard recycling systems. And products often come with layers of packaging. For example, the actual cosmetics products typically are housed in a container, like an eyeshadow in a pan, and that container might be in a cardboard box. The box, in turn, also may be shrink-wrapped or in another type of plastic packaging.
Beauty brands at almost all price levels, with the exception of discount, are trying out refills, said Sheri Koetting, founder and chief strategist of beauty branding agency MSLK. "I think everyone is interested in doing it," she said.
While comprehensive market data is limited, sources say the the two main refillable options at the moment are pans that hold pressed powders and thin-walled plastic pods filled with product that can be popped in and out of a primary container.
There are alternatives to plastics, like fiber-based cosmetic trays or metals such as aluminum, said Brandon Frank, president of Pacific Packaging Components. Aluminum can be captured by many material recovery facilities, he said, and get recycled over and over.
One recent example: The Body Shop recently launched a refillable aluminum lipstick tube. The lipstick product itself is in a plastic twist-up tube, which slots into the aluminum case (which comes in a cardboard box).
“Convenience remains a barrier for refill programs in general, but our younger...