Hyléance Company: Balancing functionality with appearance for refillable cosmetic packaging
10 Mar 2025 | Hyléance Company
The beauty industry is integrating refillable packaging solutions into multiple sectors to offer consumers more environmentally sustainable packaging options. Alexis Hervatin, marketing director at Hyléance Company, discusses how the company balances functionality and aesthetics when designing refillable packaging for personal care products. He also says brands’ thinking that consumers are not ready to transition to refillable alternatives is a misconception.
Good morning.
This is Mika Mankis from Personal Care Insights.
This morning with me, we have Alexi from Gilons, who will be speaking with me about sustainable packaging in the personal care industry.
So, let's jump right in.
Alexi, my first question is, what are the biggest challenges the beauty industry faces in making packaging more sustainable?
They want to keep their pack.
This is the mainly.
Many information and also we, I think we have to educate and engage the consumer that , so they, they, they also bring a value in the use of the pack and and in the recharging like washing, disassembly it and recharging a notice.
And , also maintain price attractive and adapt the pack so that it can be easily integrated in the industrial process existing.
Right, right.
So how, how do you balance sustainability with aesthetics and functionality in packaging design, because I'm sure that that's a, a difficult feat.
We have placed the responsibility in the, in the central program in our development.
Let's translate that into the, the balance, the good balance between the functional architecture of the product design and the user experience, the pleasure that must be conveyed in the use and the harmony of shape, texture of the material.
And to keep the the product and the product have to don't look like a one use product, you know, we also have a doctoral student in our team who work on this team and he will he, he, he helped us very good in this way, so.
Right, good, nice.
It is very important for us.
Yes, I understand.
So can you tell me a bit more about the role that refillable packaging plays in reducing the environmental impact of beauty products?
We have developed, a tool, to compare CO CO2, emission between the two products, and, the name of this tool is ILEC, and.
From these tools we, we, we.
Are able to tell that or roll on or roll on pack like this one, if you use this roll by 2 years, OK, you recharge it.
Every 2 months, they can, you can, win.
85 CO CO2 emissions compared that Roland that you will, , you will use 11 time and you throw in the bin each time.
I understand.
The, the, the, the, the wind of emission is around 85%.
That's a, that's a decent figure.
That's a good figure.
Yeah, OK.
How does consumer demand influence your sustainable packaging, innovations?
Does that play a role?
Each time we design the refillable packaging, we do it for that the children from grandma can immediately understand and how, how it's, it's possible to use it and to recharge it and how to refill it.
And besides that, we, we have to also understand that the product is for wheel travel and in plane and.
It must be a very, a good, thickness and shock resistance.
That's, for that, that we adapt the material choice and quality test for this, aim of, of quality.
All right, good, perfect.
My next question for you is, what are some misconceptions that brands face, about transitioning to more sustainable packaging?
Yes, we think that sometimes, brands, automatically think that the consumer is not ready to, to, to understand how the product is recharging and how, how, you have to use it and.
The, the, the, the true, it's, it's that , the recharging, the recharging and refill product are are already has already existed in the from several years in the other sector and it's this kind of of practice became a standard practice.
So this is, this is.
How, how can I say, we can't do it, and there is no reason that.
This should not be the case for the, the Asian, Asian beauty products, you know, another idea also, I think it's that the packaging will automatically be much more expensive and.
This is, completely false.
Often many times the, the pack must be designed differently and it's not necessary that, , this new design, not necessarily increase the price, the price.
Right.
And then my last question for you is about the regulations and the policies.
So, how do you see regulations and policies evolving around cosmetic packaging sustainability?
This is a a very large question, and the, the evolution of regulation or refillable and durable packaging, will, will, will go in or further, and I, this is my point of view, this is nonsense and shame to continue to throw away product which.
With a little adaptation can be re refilled, you know.
All right, beautiful.
Thank you so much.
I don't have any more questions.
Is there something else you would like to add or say?
No, it's, it's all for me.
No.
All right, perfect.
Then thank you for your time and enjoy your day further.
