While skincare products may be a good way to keep your body beautiful, the way they’re packaged is only making the world a dirtier place. The good news is that the beauty label Olay is becoming the first major global skincare brand to test refillable packaging in an attempt to reduce plastic waste.
The brand, owned by the consumer goods company Procter & Gamble, will sell each jar of its Regenerist Whip moisturizer with a recyclable refill pod that can be placed inside the container. They will be sold and shipped in a container made of recycled paper rather than cardboard, and without a cellophane wrapping.
The three-month trial, which will start in the US and the UK in October, was announced in the same week that British supermarket Waitrose unveiled a trial that aims to encourage shoppers to ditch unnecessary packaging. The supermarket will provide dispensers of products for customers to refill their own containers and sell loose fruit and vegetables without plastic wrapping and boxes.
Product refills in the beauty sector have so far been driven by luxury and niche brands, including Rituals for a body cream and L’Occitane for body cleanser. With Olay’s recent announcement, the hope is that sustainable packaging will make its way into the mainstream within the skincare industry.
