DSM enlists Albéa to develop eco packaging solutions for sun care

18 Oct 2021 --- DSM is partnering with cosmetic packaging supplier Albéa to develop packaging for DSM’s fully sustainable sun care offerings amid increased consumer demand for eco-friendly offerings within the personal care sector.

Caroline Hughes, head of marketing, Albéa Tubes says that the companies are rethinking packaging to make it circular and safe with a low-environmental impact. This step-change requires collaboration across the value chain, she highlights.

“Both customers and consumers are looking for a commitment to sustainability. To make our offering more sustainable, we need to work together to introduce sustainable practices at every stage and in every area of our operations,” says Gaelle Bathany, global director in sustainability at DSM Personal Care and Aroma Ingredients.

“This requires shifting our mindset as well as taking steps in the right direction, such as formalizing our partnership with Albéa,” she adds. “They share our broader commitment to driving sustainable practices in this sector by developing tools and services that help customers minimize their environmental footprint.”

Packaging solutions soar
The partnership between DSM and Albéa is a key step in making personal care more sustainable and aligned with both companies’ commitment to sustainable practices.

Through this partnership, DSM can provide customers with a complete sustainable solution in sun care. As a first step, DSM plans to move most of its sun care formulation prototypes into tubes, known to be the product form and packaging format that delivers the most significant sustainability impact and safety and hygiene benefits.DSM and Albéa deliver sustainable packaging for its sun care formulation.

In addition to protecting from microbial contamination, the tubes also deliver on the cost of performance with minimum product loss – versus spray formulations – for example.

Albéa’s tube used in DSM’s formulation prototypes offers a safe packaging solution and has a lower environmental impact.

The tube combines the 3Rs: recycled content, recyclable-ready and reduced weight. Albéa’s tube comprises the light eco-design-looking Slim cap combined with the downgauged web leveraging the unique Thin-Wall.

This recyclable-ready tube in the current recycling streams also incorporates a maximum level of post-consumer recycled (PCR) content, the tube reaching 38% of PCR (62% excluding the cap) for a tube D35, 50ml, thus participating in moving toward a circular economy.

Meeting sustainability demands
Considering DSM’s and Albéa’s recent collaboration, the move toward more sustainable beauty and personal care products is increasing in industry and PersonalCareInsights previously reported on consumer demands for sustainability.

DSM adds that a study found that 83% of Malaysian adults would like to see more innovative sustainability ideas from big beauty brands. Meanwhile, over half of German adults believe that eco-friendly packaging for grooming and beauty products is plastic-free.

In addition, rising consumer concerns about packaging safety and ease of use are fuelling demand for contamination-free packaging that can meet consumer demand.The packaging solution ensures DSM can provide customers with a complete sustainable solution in sun care.

Considering that the cosmetics industry produces more than 120 billion units of packaging annually, the opportunity to positively impact the planet through progress in more sustainable packaging is tremendous.

DSM’s current offerings
DSM recently launched Parsol EHT, an eco-friendly UVB filter that embodies the vision for DSM’s eco-friendly portfolio. DSM also has an online formulation tool, DSM Sunscreen Optimizer, which now includes a feature that supports customers with real-time eco-classification and ranking for formulations in development and on the market.

The formulation tool is paired with a color-coded Eco-classification (from A-G) that is easy to understand. The company also has a ready-to-go Featherlight Cream SPF 50 guide formulation, designed by DSM’s formulators, featuring the new Parsol EHT UV filter.

The formulation combines fast absorption and a silky touch with high protection into the blue light range and features an Eco-class A rating. It is available in the new responsible tube packaging from Albéa.

PersonalCareInsights previously reported on a bio4care project at InnoRenew Centre of Excellence that found lignin and bio-based sunscreens are popular with consumers despite low SPF concerns in plant-based NPD.

Edited by Nicole Kerr