Sustainable cosmetic packaging innovations

Glass cosmetic packaging: perceived ‘natural’ yet the worst choice.

Before we look at the best cosmetic packaging options, let’s first dispel the worst: glass. While glass can look attractive and is often considered ‘natural’ compared to plastics, it is a really bad choice for a brand wanting a low carbon footprint. Sure, it can be recycled, but it takes extremely high heat to be produced or recycled (which gives its first bad rating), its very heavy to ship (using more carbon in fossil fuels for delivery), its delicate so needs extra secondary and tertiary packaging (which adds to packaging resources needed as well as weight, space when shipping and potential waste), and because of its fragile nature, it is prone to breakage during production and shipping which adds to unusable by-product from each batch. Unless you really need to use glass packaging – for example, designer fragrances for perception reasons – try to find an alternative cosmetic packaging source.

Aluminum packaging: when you want shiny.

Aluminum packaging is a more sustainable choice than glass, but still not as good as recyclable or upcycled plastics (which we’ll look at in a moment). It’s very recyclable, reasonably priced and very light – but it can dent or scratch easily, so you will often need secondary packaging when shipping to prevent defects. If choosing aluminum packaging, remember to check what coating has been used internally to ensure it is compatible with your cosmetic formula, and that it doesn’t render the packaging non-recyclable. Aluminum packaging can give a nice ‘traditional’ feel to a product, if that is desired for your target market, but you can end up with waste from damage to the packaging during manufacture and shipping which could impact its ‘big picture’ sustainability profile.

Recyclable plastic: a sustainable cosmetic packaging solution.

With so many recyclable plastic packaging options, this is undoubtedly one of your best cosmetic packaging choices. Sure, making plastics needs heat, but nowhere near the same amount of heat as glass does. It is also unbreakable and not easily damaged, so you have little waste. It is also very light to ship and doesn’t usually need secondary packaging to protect it, so won’t add unnecessarily to a logistical carbon footprint.

Just about every cosmetic packaging supplier is able to provide a variety of sizes, colours and shapes of recyclable plastic packaging. Make sure you check with your supplier as to the type of plastic used: PET/PETE and HDPE are easily recycled (these have the numbers 1 and 2 inside the Mobius Loop recycling symbol), while other types of plastic may not be suitable for recycling. For example, other plastics, such as the plastic used within pump sprays, serum and lotion pumps, some lids or dispensing components and thin film-wrap around sets of product may have parts – or be wholly – not recyclable. Don’t just assume a Mobius Loop means recyclable; remember to check with your supplier to be certain before making recyclable claims.

Cosmetic packaging with a Mobius Loop symbol containing a 1 or 2 are very recyclable choices.

Biodegradable packaging.

Typical recyclable packaging can take 100+ years in landfill to totally biodegrade. Aluminium can take longer, and glass will take thousands of years. This means packaging that doesn’t get recycled can become a big landfill burden. One solution to this issue is biodegradable packaging; a relatively new type of plastic packaging that totally degrades within 6 -10 years with no residue. You can get biodegradable packaging from certain suppliers in all forms; it is particularly ideal to get biodegradable packaging where LDPE, PVC and PP would normally be used, since they may not be easily recycled. Instead of needing to be recycled, they can be thrown away knowing they will not significantly contribute to landfill in the long run.

To understand how biodegradable packaging can be a fantastic sustainable packaging solution, watch our video on packaging innovations.

Upcycled or alternative plastic sources.

It’s great to see cosmetic packaging suppliers seeking alternative sources for packaging that are upcycled or rapidly replaced. Some examples include:

• Sugarcane bioplastic: plastic polymers obtained from sugarcane production, a high yield and fast turnover crop. This is a particularly great option because it can be produced in LDPE or HDPE for tubes in particular, and is a completely recyclable option.
• Bamboo: another high yield, fast turnover crop source, bamboo can give an elegant yet natural feel to your cosmetic product, but often requires an internal coating or may only be suitable to package selected cosmetic product types. Check with your supplier for details about their bamboo packaging, particularly to see if it has an internal coating and/or how well it seals from air ingress or leakages. Bamboo packaging is not readily recyclable but is very biodegradable.
• Ocean waste packaging: upcycled from old ropes and fish nets, this waste can be turned into HPDE plastic with a great natural ‘fleck’ to appeal to consumers looking for sustainable cosmetic packaging. This type of packaging is also recyclable.

See examples of upcycled and alternative plastic sources in our video on packaging innovations.
 

Refillable packaging.

Refillable packaging options are still a relatively new area for cosmetic products, because of the inherent microbial risk from water based and nutrient rich cosmetic formulas. Cosmetic formulas are also required to have a relatively long shelf life compared to some other product forms, yet cosmetic chemists need to ensure cosmetic preservatives are used within safe and suitable limits – so enabling a refill option can be fraught with accidental contamination by consumers. Still, we are starting to see ‘refills’ available for some product types typically available in pump bottles, and replacement ‘pods’ to go into cosmetic jars. While these are not commonly available packaging options yet, they are a growing and suitable solution to otherwise less sustainable cosmetic packaging options.

Other ways to make sustainable cosmetic formulas.

Ensuring your cosmetic formulas are sustainable is one of the biggest ongoing trends – it is essential that every cosmetic brand moves in this direction if they have not created a strong sustainability message already.
You can get extra tips on how to create sustainable formulas with our videos:

• how to create sustainable emulsions
• how to make sustainable foaming formulas

And of course get a more thorough understanding of sustainability, carbon footprint and upcycling with our video summary of upcycled cosmetic ingredients, as well as sustainable and carbon neutral beauty. Finally, get extra ideas on how to create sustainable cosmetic formulas with this blog on the hottest sustainable cosmetic formulation trends.

Learn how to calculate the sustainability of your cosmetic formula with this blog, and make sure you avoid accidental greenwashing by reading this blog.  

Remember, your consumer wants to hear how you are caring for our planet, so make sure your cosmetic packaging AND cosmetic formula both resonate with that message.


Happy formulating!