Necessary Good pilots cellulose-based refillable beauty concept for waste reduction and convenience

15 Aug 2023 --- Necessary Good has partnered with On Repeat to offer refillable skin care packets made from cellulose and a bio-based biodegradable film that can be deposited into glass bottles.

The skin care brand offers a range including micellar water, gel cleanser, face mist and moisturizer, which are offered in two sizes of glass bottles. The bottles come with screw-in atomizers, overcap dip tubes, lotion pumps and screw caps as closures, which contain plastic.

“Our primary packaging consists of durable glass bottles, which can be infinitely recycled. Depending on the product, these bottles come with aluminum caps or plastic pumps. Unfortunately, the pumps and labels are not recyclable and are instead chosen for durability reasons and meant to be reused as long as possible,” Assel Kapparova, founder and CEO of Necessary Good, tells Personal Care Insights.

Consumers can order a refill pouch and receive it within two days. Necessary Good urges its customers to decant the refills into glass bottles within five days because it has a limited shelf life once filled. The pouch is made from 100% biodegradable and compostable materials, which can degrade quickly once filled.

“Necessary Good combines premium beauty and waste-free principles as we understand that people are often forced to choose between sustainability, convenience and what they want to buy. We aim to change this paradigm by offering refillable skin care essentials that are good for the planet and the skin,” Kapparova continues.

Making skin care sustainable
The mixed bio-based material comprises layers of wood cellulose and aluminum, which can be composted at home or collected in a council garden trash bin. The pouch is certified as food-safe and can break down entirely in 32 weeks in a home compost heap.

Necessary Good’s founder hopes more skin care brands embrace reusable packaging.The outer cardboard packaging is FSC-certified and made from 100% recycled materials. It has been tested for eco-toxicity and marine safety.

“Packaging waste is a huge issue in the personal care industry, with only 14% of packaging making it to a recycling plant and only 9% being recycled,” says Kapparova.

Necessary Good encourages users to refill their glass bottles for at least five to six months. However, if the customer wants a new bottle, they can email the company, which will provide one at no additional cost.

Necessary Good reports that 95% of packaging in the beauty industry is discarded after a single use, with 50% of British people not recycling their bathroom waste due to inconvenience. This results in 2.7 billion plastic bottles ending up in landfills annually.

“We believe other beauty, skin care, and personal care companies should embrace some form of circularity within their business and work to reduce waste in the industry. We can already see some change in the industry, but the pace needs to be picked up given the pressing climate issue.”

According to a report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, using refills instead of a new product can save 70% CO2 and 45% water use.

“We are currently developing Version 2 of our packaging and refill system for 2024, which we have to keep secret for now, but will be revolutionary in terms of sustainability and customer-centricity,” concludes Kapparova.

By Sabine Waldeck

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