5 sustainable options for beauty packagings
Clean formulations are not enough, attention to packaging is important for sustainability in the beauty industry
G-Club
May 28th, 2021
May 28th, 2021
If you are a consumer with a green conscience, you have probably realized by now that the vast majority of the beauty products we use are enclosed in plastic containers. Tubes, jars, packages, bags and caps, everything is made of this material, the most widespread in the world. In fact, the alternatives on the market at the moment are very few: among the products we consume most frequently, only serums and perfumes pass the exam, being in fact almost always contained in glass bottles. All the rest of our products are stored in jars, tubes and boxes that are as beautiful as they are not very recyclable.
Thanks to the renewed attention to sustainable fashion and the fight against waste, the beauty industry also aims to become increasingly green, helping its consumers to make peace with their conscience. In fact, the words vegan & cruelty-free are no longer enough. Ironically, however, consumers seem to focus more and more on the characteristics of the product itself, on its formula and composition, rather than on the packaging. The finished product, however, usually has not one, but two packaging: the primary packaging, which has the function of preserving the integrity of the product, protecting it from heat, humidity and shocks; and secondary packaging, with a purely ornamental and communication function.
As much as 70% of the waste in the cosmetic industry comes from packaging, as demonstrated by a study by Unilever, a giant in the personal care sector, which promised to reduce the use of pure plastic in its products by half by 2025, preferring recycled materials, bamboo or cardboard. Unfortunately, the alternatives currently on the market are few, and, if present, often too expensive for small made in Italy brands. What are the viable roads then? nss G-Club has collected 5 types of sustainable packaging as an alternative to plastic.
1. Pack-free products
The famous brand FaceD, which has recently also landed in Italy, has created the pack free option on its e-commerce: in addition to saving 1 euro, it will save you from having to throw away the package and the instruction leaflet.
2. In-store & online refill
Some perfume packages are so beautiful that it is a real shame to waste them. Thierry Mugler thought of this long ago: since 1992 the brand has been offering customers refills of their favorite and best-selling fragrances at a discounted price. The same is offered by Guerlain boutique which has a real perfume fountain in their flagship store on Place Vendôme in Paris. Almost all the most famous brands now also offer the opportunity to carry out this simple operation yourself, by purchasing the special "reduced" packaging online at discounted prices.
3. Recyclable materials
Attention, plastic can also be recycled. This is what Aveda does, the first company in the sector to make over 85% of the jars and bottles that contain its products with PET produced with 100% post-consumer recycled material (and its production plants are powered by solar energy and wind power). The same goes for Kiehl's, which on its website states that over 80% of its packaging is produced with recycled materials, as well as having recovered 13 million packages from 2009 to date thanks to the "Recycle & You're Rewarded" program.
L'Oréal, on the other hand, has long started to take concrete steps to carry out a real revolution in cosmetic packaging, creating the first cardboard tube (it is a material similar to organic paper). This is exactly what happened, for example, first with Garnier and then with the Vichy and La Roche-Posay brands of the Cosmétique Active division. The new sunscreen Anthelios Moisturizing Milk from La Roche-Posay and Capital Soleil Eco-Sustainable Solar Milk from Vichy have their own cardboard tube.
4. Solid cosmetics
Lush is the main brand of this philosophy, always a pioneer of solid cosmetics without packaging. Thanks to them we have all learned about colored and fragrant shampoos, creams, masks and shower gels. Not to mention that it was one of the first brands to offer gift packages made with reusable fabrics, according to the Japanese tradition of furoshiki. Solid shampoo is also conquering the mass market, from Garnier to Nivea, it is launching its solid face cleanser these days, with the recycled paper pack.
5. Aluminium packaging
Aluminum is a light material but at the same time very resistant and, if used as packaging, it is able to perfectly protect the product stored inside. But above all it is recyclable indefinitely, keeping its properties intact. P&G in 2010 announced the launch of a project, to be completed this year, relating to reusable aluminum shampoo bottles that will involve the group's brands such as Pantene, Herbal Essences, Aussie and Head and Shoulders.
nss G-Club special tips:
If you care about the environment and want to be sure to always buy certified products, we recommend the EccoVerde e-commerce, which offers high quality multi-brand natural cosmetic products derived from natural raw materials, and these other 5 platforms where you can discover and buy sustainable beauty brands: Plentiness, 23StBeauty, Shop For Gea, Indy Distribution, Ada Studios and The Collection One.
Last but not least, make sure you always separate beauty waste in the best way possible, avoiding the temptation to use a single bin in the bathroom.