Sustainable skincare

Is the future of beauty refillable?

Driven by conscious consumerism, spa brands are starting to offer refillable beauty products. We speak to five industry experts to find out if spa guests are ready for the ‘age of the refill’

Sustainability is at the top of the agenda for spa operators and brands with a strong spotlight on the beauty industry. According to Zero Waste

Europe, 120 billion units of cosmetics packaging are produced each year. The use of recyclable material is part of the solution, but as consumer awareness around sustainability issues grows, brands are also testing the market with refillable beauty products. Tata Harper recently launched its first refillable product, Water-Lock Moisturizer, and the brand’s eponymous founder tells European Spa: “Right now, we’re working on developing product refills for our entire product line to minimise consumer waste and extend the lifespan of our packaging.”

Tata Harper Founder, Tata Harper

Jayn Sterland Managing director, Weleda UK

Jayn Sterland, managing director of Weleda UK and chair of the British Beauty Council SustainableBeauty Coalition, adds: “For a sub-section of the consumer landscape and for certain products, refillables are a great idea, saving on waste and the cost of packaging.” Daniel Golby, general manager at ESPA Skincare, believes that refill pouches at the point of sale can sustain top-ups to ensure products don’t run short between treatments. “Dual formulas and supersize offerings mean a higher return on investment whilst further reducing excess plastic waste,” he says.

Daniel Golby General manager, ESPA Skincare

Daniel Golby General manager, ESPA Skincare Barbara Gavazzoli Global head of communications and education, [comfort zone] Challenges and benefits to in-spa recycling In 2021, [comfort zone] launched its first refillable consumer product, Sublime Skin Intensive Serum, which offers a vacuum pouch to refill the original glass bottle and uses 91% less material. Global head of communications and education Barbara Gavazzoli says: “It is easier [to use refills] when you deal with cleansers, [but] it gets more complicated when you want to offer refillable solutions for highly concentrated formulas.”

Barbara Gavazzoli Global head of communications and education, [comfort zone]

Scentered recently introduced refills for its Wellbeing Ritual Aromatherapy Balms and candles, while Proverb has created a self-select retail stand for its Refillable Deodorant, which can also reward spas that introduce clients to a subscription service. “An in-spa QR code tracks the sale back to the spa, meaning they benefit for promoting the product,” explains the brand’s founder, Luke Sherriff. There may be further challenges to overcome in introducing refillables to the spa environment, but there are evidently also many opportunities.

Luke Sherriff Founder, ProverbSkin

www.tataharperskincare.com | www.weleda.co.uk www.britishbeautycouncil.com www.espaskincare.com | www.comfortzone.it www.scentered.me | www.proverbskin.com