Beauty products can have some pretty damaging effects on the environment, but sustainability is fast becoming a focus in the industry. One way brands are attempting to cut down on single-use plastic is through refillable products.
People can buy the product in the casing once, then purchase refills in store or online once they’re finished. These refills then easily slot into the original casing. Other brands and salons may offer to refill products like shampoo bottles in store, so it’s worth finding out what’s available in your area.
Spanning across makeup, skincare, fragrance and haircare, refillable beauty is now more prevalent than ever before, and while it won’t completely solve the industry’s plastic problem, it’s a step in the right direction.
If you want to discover some of the brands committed to reducing excessive packaging, we’ve handpicked five that prove you don’t need to compromise on luxury or quality.
L’Occitane
L’Occitane has refill pouches across its bath, body and haircare products. You can buy the pouches to fill your existing bottles, which are cheaper than re-buying the product. A 300ml shampoo bottle costs £19, while a 500ml refill pouch is £23.
You don’t need to be near a store to benefit – the pouches have a nozzle attached so it’s easy to pour into your bottle with no spillages. According to the brand, these pouches use 90% less plastic than the usual bottles.
The majority of L’Occitane’s beauty and skincare products, including the pouches, can be recycled, thanks to its partnership with TerraCycle.
Fun fact, too: you can bring your empties from L’Occitane into store and they’ll send it off to be created into something new. You can then bag 10% off a full-size product.
Kjaer Weis
If you’re not bowled over by the innovative design of Kjaer Weis’s packaging – sleek, silver swivel pots of cream blushers, bronzers, highlighters and eyeshadows – then you most certainly will be by its sustainable approach.
The packaging was a conscious choice for the brand. Refills easily slot into the original outer magnetic packaging once the product is completely finished. A lipstick in the metal packaging is £45, and a refill of the same lipstick will set you back £29.
The chic outer packaging is also plastic-free, too.
Jo Malone
In early 2019, heritage brand Jo Malone launched its fragrance-combining palettes: solid perfumes that can be layered together to create your own unique scent. You simply apply it on your skin with the dab of a fingertip.
The palette itself, a chic black palm-sized casing, is £24 and then each solid scent is £14 – designed to be slotted into the casing until you’re finished with it.
The fragrances included in the solid format are Jo Malone’s most iconic scents. It’ll save you cash, reduce wastage, and mean that you can travel on planes without comprising on bringing your favourite perfume.
Hourglass
If you love bold lipsticks and flawless foundations, try out Hourglass. The lipsticks are housed in a sleek, gold bullet – and refillables can easily be slotted in and out. The lipstick in the original casing costs £31, while a refill is just £20.
The case can be used with the full collection of lipstick colours, leaving you with endless options to suit the season. Richly pigmented in a matte finish, it’s a must-have in your makeup bag.
Hourglass has also pledged to become fully vegan by 2020 and 1% of all its profits go to Nonhuman Rights Project, an organisation that works to improve animal rights.
Windle London
For those who live in or near the capital, Windle London should be on your radar. The luxury haircare brand is based out of its central London salon, a staple of Covent Garden for the past 30 years. Its line of products for your tresses are all made at its lab in the Lake District.
Windle introduced its refill bar in the salon in 2018 for its shampoos, conditioners and black styling sprays to encourage customers to reuse their materials. Best of all, when you bring empties back, you get a 30% discount off your freshly poured product.
We all work hard to earn our money – so it shouldn’t feel like hard work to spend it well. At HuffPost Finds we’ll help you find the best stuff that deserves your cash, from the ultimate lipstick to a durable iron to replace the one that broke (RIP). All our choices are completely independent but we may earn a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase.