Many innovative beauty brands are embracing the rising interest from consumers for products that are considered ethical, good for the environment and planet-conscious. This positive use of green-consumer living is not only a good thing for the planet, but brands (specifically beauty ones) can enhance their environmentally-sensitve brand story, driving sales from like-minded consumers.
In this blog, we’ll explore how beauty brands could encourage more sustainable packaging options and how offering refillable products may be the best way to make this possible.
How to Encourage Sustainable Packaging
When it comes to encouraging more sustainable packaging, there are four main methods that beauty brands could consider:
Reducing the amount of packaging: Where possible, using fewer materials and components to make the packaging
Recycling: Encouraging consumers to recycle their packaging after use (meaning that manufacturers need to use recyclable materials)
Reuse: By getting consumers to reuse their packaging for either the refill of the same products or finding alternative uses for the packaging after use, so replacement packaging simply isn’t needed
Unfortunately, many large beauty brands have been slow to this cultural change, meaning the industry may seem like it’s lagging in the race for true sustainability. However, it’s giving space for the smaller, newer brands to grow and establish a name for themselves as they embrace sustainability from the outset.
Good for the Environment
There are many environmental benefits to using sustainable packaging, including:
Reducing Packaging Waste: Using recycled or biodegradable materials that can break down over time (reducing waste in landfills) or materials that can be processed and reused, like glass, aluminium, and certain plastics.
Reducing Product Waste: Less packaging is needed and thrown away every year by allowing consumers to reuse their packaging.
Resource Conservation: Reducing the overall amount of packaging material, with fewer materials will help conserve valuable resources.
Lower Carbon Footprint: Sustainable packaging can require less energy and resources to produce, transport, and dispose. Materials that can be processed and reused, like glass, aluminium, and certain plastics, can further reduce the carbon footprint.
Reduced Pollution: Sustainable packaging can slow down the use of resources in the world, and materials don’t take decades or even centuries to break down.
However, consumers are aware that their efforts to be more eco-conscious can’t be as easy as simply disposing of their used beauty packaging in their recycling boxes, as according to National Geographic, ‘a whopping 91% of plastic isn't recycled’. Consumers are not only confused by what can be put in for recycling, but some countries simply aren’t equipped with the correct facilities to process certain plastics.
Follow Success
Many beauty brands already understand their consumers' interest and demand for more sustainable packaging and eco-conscious options, and have started to put their own plans in place.
An example of this is the British cosmetics retailer, Lush Limited, which is already renowned for its commitment to sustainability. By using minimal packaging and encouraging consumers to prioritise recycled, biodegradable, and reusable materials, they’re setting the example for beauty brands to go eco-first. They are known for selling innovative naked products, like shampoo bars and solid lotions (eliminating the need for packaging altogether) and allowing consumers to receive a discount if they reuse their packaging and refill products at their shops.
Another case study is luxury department store group Harrods (H Beauty) and waste management company MYGroup, which have set up a recycling-focused scheme. The programme allows customers to bring used beauty, make-up, and skincare products back to stores to be recycled in exchange for rewards via the Harrods’ MyBeauty scheme. Make-up items such as compacts, mascara, eye shadow containers, shampoo and skincare bottles, lotion pumps and vitamin bottles, all qualify. Mia Collins, director of beauty buying at Harrods, remarked: “MyBeauty Recycle & Reward scheme resonates with our loyal customers who are passionate about embracing a more eco-conscious lifestyle”.
Going one step further and eliminating the need for new packaging altogether, The Body Shop have been encouraging its consumers to ‘join the refill revolution with their irresistible in-store refill stations’ across 720 stores globally. They report that by switching to refill, “collectively we could save over 1 million plastic by the end of 2023”. All consumers need to do is bring back their (clean) packaging after use and refill it with their much-loved beauty products to currently receive an extra 50ml of product free as an incentive.
And it seems sustainable packaging and refill is an opportunity many beauty brands shouldn’t miss, as reported in an interview in
Harpers Bazaar, Jenni Middleton, director of beauty at trend forecasting agency
WGSN, suggests that those aged between 8 and 23 years old hold the key to shifting the way we consume beauty products.
“Gen Z have environmental concerns hard-woven into their worldview as they have grown up at a time when our impact on the planet is increasingly visible,” she says. This generation is clearly concerned with seeking out more sustainable options, with Middleton referring to them as “precyclers”, meaning they’ll happily bring their own containers and totes to a retail outlet if it means they can ditch the packaging waste.
“As this value-driven generation uses their voice and actions to influence, they will compel brands to offer options for recycling, reusing and refilling, and they will bring about change.”
Is Refill The Answer?
The best step forward is for us to simply use less plastic, but how? Consumers and beauty brands alike are keen to switch to offering refillable beauty products as a stepping stone towards being more sustainable.
And this demand for refillable, sustainable products is notably on the rise. According to the Commerce Shortfall Report, customers are 70% more likely to buy a product if it is recyclable, and 71% more likely to buy a product if it is reusable/refillable.
This demand is already being utilised by some notable beauty brands, including:
Unilever - which has expanded its refillable packaging trials across the UK, including the placement of its first refill stations at selected Asda supermarkets and Co-op convenience stores.
L’OCCITANE - installing refill fountains across over 17 of their UK-based stores. Paired with their Forever Bottles, made from recycled and recyclable aluminium.
The Perfume Shop in partnership with L’Oreal - In their Nottingham store, consumers can refill eight well-known fragrances: YSL MYSLF, Prada Paradoxe, Lancôme La Vie Est Belle, Mugler Alien, Armani Code, Armani Si Intense, Armani My Way, and Mugler Angel.
Space NK - Has made its own-brand line of bath and body products refillable via in-store stations across the country.
Beauty Kitchen - Whose 'Return, Reuse, Refill’ concept covers everything from body wash to eye cream.
How Quantex Can Help with Refill
We’ve seen a rise in merchandisers and retail environments that are taking matters into their own hands and wanting to integrate refill machines within their premises. This then allows them to offer their consumers to purchase select products through bulk dispense liquid refill, enticing them back to their stores when they need replacing.
Most companies, however, are understandably cautious about the aesthetics of refill machinery and initially uneducated in how they can partner with designers and manufacturers to build custom dispensing units. They need a way for their product to be accurately and aseptically dispensed, while still providing their consumers with the luxury look and feel their brand (and product) is known for.
Here are some real-world examples of how brands have used Quantex pump technology within their bulk dispense machines:
Minimising Mess and Downtime
By utilising a lightweight and compact Quantex pump, such as the Bag-in-Box, which is designed to be attached to the liquid packaging, retail environments can save valuable time and costs by reducing maintenance downtime and potential spills.
They do this by directly replacing the commonly used Vitop tap (similar to that used on a bag-in-box of wine) as it carries the same connection fitting. Consumers no longer need to press the tap and let the product simply (yet comparatively uncontrollably) dribble out using gravity. The pumps are easily clicked into a small motor drive which doses the product accurately at various flow rates, with high vacuum and self-priming.
By attaching the pump (and its driver) directly to the packaging, when the pack is emptied and needs to be replaced, it can be rapidly swapped in and out without the risk of spills, product wastage and technical training - perfect for retail environments. When the new pack is in place, the dispensing machinery can then manage this product flow and be programmed to run as required.
The below video shows how the Quantex Bag-In-Box pump can easily slip into a standard motor driver with a controller and work with beauty products like hair shampoo and conditioner, even in reverse cycle:
As a further benefit, as the liquid product is housed securely within the pack, remains sealed from external substances until clipped in for dispense, and acts as a check-valve when it is not dispensing – which minimises the risk of spills between pack changeovers. Quantex’s high-vacuum capability also means that it draws out every last drop, so there’s less wastage. And thanks to the reverse-cycling capability of Quantex pumps, they can suck product back in at the end of each dispense which is how drips and congealing on the faucet are prevented.
With only a standard motor drive and motor controller required, dispensing machinery can be highly compact, hidden away, saving valuable retail space. Using such a simple system requires no cleaning, maintenance or calibration from the retail staff and could even save time by replacing one large bag-in-box verses replacing individual bottles on shelves.
Actively Mixing Solutions at Point of Sale
Some beauty brands, however, use ingredients that are ‘live’ or need to be kept aseptic as they don’t work well pre-mixed due to sanitation or product quality reasons.
An example of this is Tata Harper and their first refillable skincare product, the Waterlock Moisturiser, which is ‘engineered with up to 72 active natural ingredients’ which needed to initially be kept separate to keep them active and fresh. Because of this, they developed an ‘easy three-step system so the formula remains secure in the pod while our customers refill their jar, and it's also air-tight after assembly’. When the product is depleted and needs to be replaced, users simply purchase a refill pod, which locks into their refillable jar. They then ‘peel off the foil, and assemble immediately’ with care not to ‘touch the product to avoid contamination’.
Where products need to be stored and sealed separately until dispense, Quantex can help brands overcome potential separation issues by providing the onsite dispensing of concentrated solutions, set at various dilution ratios. This accurate dosing method means products can be housed separately without interacting or mixing, only to be dispensed and mixed when required, keeping the product clean and active ingredients uncontaminated.
When partnered using the bag-in-box pump, Quantex pumps can help to keep the beauty solution optimally hygienic and air-free, reducing the risk of precious products spoiling or congealing.
This ‘dilution onsite’ method also has another sustainability benefit - it means solutions can be transported in concentrated forms and mixed onsite at varying pre-determined quantities during dispense. By transporting your product in a concentrated form and using a Quantex pump, you can dilute in-pump with a ratio of up to 500:1. This equates to removing 80 – 99% of the water from the distribution channel which (in some cases) is the equivalent of reducing the transportation from five vehicles to just one, creating a massive reduction in shipping costs and transportation emissions.
Handling Thick Viscous Solutions
Depending on the viscosity of the product, the pressure and flow rate needed to propel a solution out of its primary container and into its new intended location will differ. For example, a thicker, more viscous product will require an increased force versus that of a runnier, more water-like product.
Many pumps aren’t designed to handle thick, viscous solutions, however, that’s not the case when it comes to Quantex pumps. We’ve developed a range of pumps to suit different flow rate ranges, viscosity levels and dispense applications, and the technology holds over 100+ global granted patents.
Our High-Speed Eco Pumps use air pressure to activate the diaphragm and seal the pumps instead of a silicone spring, so they are more easily recycled, and can run almost three times as fast as our standard or high-pressure pumps.
Many beauty brands have issues with their products during manufacture and dispense as the machinery used struggles to handle highly viscous solutions like thick hair conditioners, face creams, and body butters.
This failure can lead to manufacturing inconsistencies and inefficiencies, such as a poor quality product or an inaccurate quantity ready for sale. Quantex, however, has developed a range of pumps specifically designed to easily handle thick and viscous materials by using a positive displacement rotary action, with high vacuum and high-pressure capability.
As displayed in the below video, which shows our QX25-SD pump transporting the thick, rich, and highly viscous Nivea soft moisturising cream (for the face, body, and hands) made with vitamin E and jojoba oil
Self-priming - up to 100,000cP, the single-use disposable pump (QX25-SD pump) moves the viscous Nivea cream without any issues.
The option for retail refill is on the rise and is being rolled out all across the world for many luxury beauty brands; it has opened up the door for new agile, straight-to-consumer brands that speak to the eco-savvy Gen Z consumer to make a name for themselves, and consumers to switch up their product purchases depending if beauty brands align with their sustainability and eco-beliefs.
Quantex can help beauty brands with their sustainable packaging by enabling them to offer their consumers with an easy way to purchase their products using refill robotic machinery, eliminating the need for new packaging at every purchase point.
Refill is not just good for the environment but for beauty brands, and is the next organic step when it comes to sustainable packaging.
To learn more about our Quantex pump range, please choose from the following options:
If you’d like to discuss how a Quantex pump could work for your beauty brand, please email
quantex-info@psgdover.com or call +49 (2065) 89205-0.