Eastman equips Lumene with molecularly recycled bottle for beauty skincare line

03 Mar 2023 --- Lumene is launching its latest skincare product, branded Nordic Hydra Birch Dew Jelly, in a 50% certified recycled bottle. The beauty brand chose Eastman’s Cristal One E Renew for the product packaging, which contains recyclable resin with molecularly recycled content designed for extrusion blow molding (EBM).

Cristal One E is Eastman’s latest addition to its Cristal One portfolio, providing the appearance of glass with rigid, thick-wall construction for EBM that is not typically achievable with conventional recycled resins, explains the company. 

“Lumene’s ambition is to have 80% of its packaging made of recycled or recyclable materials by the end of 2025. When developing this two-in-one hydrating skincare product, we were looking for a [environmentally] sustainable packaging option that would not compromise on the product presentation,” says Julia Vlasova, global senior brand manager at Lumene. 

Lumene worked with Germany-based plastic packaging provider Rebhan to bring the first Cristal One E Renew packaging to the market. A leading molder of luxury packaging and expert in EBM, Rebhan is a long-standing innovation partner with Eastman. 

PET stream compatibility
Both Cristal One E and Cristal One E Renew are compatible with the PET recycling stream. They are endorsed by the Association of Plastic Recyclers and the European PET Bottle Platform as Resin Identification Code 1. Using this material for beauty packaging enables plastic recycling and a circular economy.

Cristal One replicates the appearance of glass with rigid, thick-wall construction. Lumene and Rebhan selected Cristal One E Renew to maximize the environmental sustainability profile of the Nordic Hydra Birch Dew Jelly’s cleverly designed bottles, which feature a vibrant blue gradient decoration. 

“Cristal One E allows visibility of the formula and elevates the overall consumer experience,” highlights Vlasova.

The packaging is said to enhance the “unique” formulation of the serum-in-moisturizer, which is based on a potent combination of organic Nordic birch sap, triple hyaluronic acid and new innovative moisture spheres to quench and deeply hydrate skin. 

Sustainable cosmetic packs
With Cristal One E Renew, Rebhan can include recyclable materials as part of the Glass Polymer line of EBM packaging while maintaining quality and performance.

In other news, Lumene and bio-based packaging company Sulapac partnered for water-based cosmetics in environmentally friendly packaging. The companies worked on a pilot project to package Lumene’s most popular skincare products – Nordic-C Glow Reveal moisturizer and Nordic Hydra Intense Hydration 24-hour moisturizer.

“With the pilot, Lumene and Sulapac lead the change toward more [environmentally] sustainable packaging in the cosmetics industry. We believe this initiative encourages companies to investigate more of the opportunities in this sector,” Essi Arola, head of R&D packaging at Lumene, told PersonalCareInsights.

Edited by Natalie Schwertheim