We Need a Reality Check on Beauty Refills

“If you were to perform a life cycle assessment, [the plastic refill versus the original glass jar]It’s not perfect, of course, but “unfortunately, the end-of-life story hasn’t really changed or gotten better,” Kachock says. Both parts end up in the trash.

Still, for some companies, refilling appears to be a successful strategy, both from a business and environmental impact perspective. When asked for an example of a beauty brand that does refills well, Kachok, Sass, and Garibay cited Maran’s name. Her eponymous brand has been around for 19 years, but was rebranded in 2024 in favor of refillable products.

Maran originally gained popularity on QVC, and her lineup has expanded to include “5 million products,” according to her estimates. “I was on QVC, shipping billions of plastic packages a day, and it broke my heart,” Maran says.

The rebrand was an opportunity to refocus on best-selling products such as body lotions, washes, and scrubs. All of these things just happen to be refillable. “We just completely scaled down the line, repackaged it, refocused it, remixed it all, and tightened it up,” she says. Today, 30% of Maran’s current sales come from refills, most of which come in photogenic and sensory-pleasing pouches. Resupplying whipped argan oil body butter This is more fun than slog, and the refill is pretty enough to be on a Sephora shelf or featured in an influencer’s product flatlay. (In fact, some of those 30% are: only Get 15-35% off when you buy Josie Maran refills. Never buy “authentic packaging” because it looks and functions better. )

These billions of products sold on QVC mean Maran knows it has a loyal customer base and has reduced the risk of conversion to refills. It also meant she had the financial flexibility to experiment with things smaller brands couldn’t. [the customer] To start a sustainable society. ”

“I primarily work for the planet,” Maran says. “But I’m also in it for the people, and I’m also in it for the business because it’s the money that actually changes the world.”While technically we may be losing money on individual refills, the business as a whole is doing very well. “I hope this is a big deal,” Dr. Nakula says. Now that he understands the underbelly of the beauty industry and “how much obscene waste is involved,” he believes “sustainability and refills should become the norm.”

When I spoke to cosmetic chemist Krupa Kestline in 2023, she predicted that brands like Josie Maran and 8th Day, which had embraced “clean” positioning, would also begin to focus on the industry’s environmental impact. Irene Forte is another example. The founder of the namesake brand says that 40% of Hero products’ direct sales revenue comes from refills. Forte uses primarily hard plastic refills, which may put some consumers off, but the material is bio-based and relatively lightweight. Additionally, because the original packaging is a heavy glass container, refill SKUs actually offer better returns for brands, Forte says.