As the cosmetic industry moves ahead at breakneck speed to deliver packaging with sustainable attributes, brands face challenges in meeting guidelines and consumer expectations to tell an eco-friendly and relatable story. More and more, consumers are seeking authenticity in sustainability claims, and non-transparent brands are being called out for inconsistencies.
 
To gain perspective on brands’ struggles and accomplishments, Beauty Packaging asked a selection of packaging executives from leading brands—including Estée Lauder, Westman Atelier, Natura, e.l.f. Beauty, Purlisse and Beautycounter—to share their stories for a glimpse at some of today’s leading trends and what we can expect in years to come.
 
Here are their thoughtful responses to these NOW and FUTURE questions:

• NOW: In your opinion, what has been the most significant development/challenge/opportunity as far as sustainable packaging, in general, within the last two years—and how does it affect product/package development? 
• FUTURE: What does the future hold for cosmetic packaging? What do you foresee as the greatest changes/challenges/opportunities ahead for brands, suppliers, consumers?

Jill Tomandl, Vice President, Product Development and Innovation, West Coast Brands, Estée Lauder Companies

NOW: It is exciting to see the evolution of sustainable packaging materials. For instance, PaperFoam is made of industrial potato and cellulose that can be injection molded. It is compostable and recyclable. It can be used for primary and secondary packaging. A range of bold colors can be created at lower quantities than fiberboard.
 
Mycelia is a natural and sustainable material made from mushrooms that can be used for primary packaging. The mushroom grows into the desired shape, then a thermal treatment makes the package inert. It is biodegradable and organic.
 
FUTURE: The cost for sustainable materials can be expensive and the business model for refillable packaging can be a challenge, but thankfully, it’s starting to change.

Laura Otani, Head of Packaging and Sustainable Design, e.l.f. Beauty; with Ellen Leung, VP of Project Management, e.l.f. Beauty

NOW: At e.l.f. Beauty, packaging sustainability is grounded in three principles: reducing footprint (‘less is more’), increasing use of sustainably sourced packaging, and increasing recyclable & reusable packaging. In addition to approaching new launches with an environmental lens, we review our current packaging portfolio for ‘less is more’ opportunities to reduce packaging weight, reduce certain decoration and evaluate materials used.
 
To date, we’ve removed decorative finishes, replaced folding cartons with hanging labels, and reduced the thickness and complexity of secondary cartons, to name just a few. On the material side, we have a goal of 100% of our paper product cartons be Forest-Stewardship Council certified by 2025. We’ve also taken steps to replace vacuum form platforms with paper board and moved brush kits out of vinyl and into lighter weight polypropylene plastic, with a smaller environmental footprint.
 
FUTURE: A key industry challenge is to improve the ease of recycling for the consumer. The beauty industry is especially challenged with a prohibitive size factor (products under two-to-three inches in size aren’t typically curbside recyclable, regardless of the material they are made of). We need beauty, packaging, and material recovery to come together to work towards systemic change in support of a circular economy.

Angela Piner, Head of Branding, Package Design & Development, Westman Atelier

NOW: It is very promising to work with the new innovative materials that are more sustainable, but this requires test trials in existing custom molds and or new molds for application/color/performance and compatibility. When you are creating a luxury good, these are very important attributes to the final design so trial and error, time and investment are requirements to validate these new materials.
 
A challenge in product design is application of materials. Many are form dependent, meaning the sugar cane derived material I applied for the tottle design of the Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Drops would not work in other applications such as a compact, etc. The tottle form also lends itself to be a monomer, which again would be more challenging in other packaging structures. In reality, only approximately of 13% of packaging is ever properly recycled.
 
FUTURE: I think refill solutions especially in the luxury space will become more common in the near future.

Dr. Dennis Gross, Board-Certified Dermatologist & Co-Founder of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare

NOW: When sourcing packaging, sustainability is always top of mind – but we never compromise on product efficacy. This means finding a balance between using active ingredients, state-of-the-art delivery systems and preserving the product potency for the entirety of its lifecycle with compatible, sustainable packaging. This is no easy feat. With each new launch, we follow vigorous protocols to meet and surpass these standards.

Laura Garratt, LDG Global Beauty Consulting, LLC, Founder & Chief Product Officer; Vice President of Product Innovation and Marketing for Monat Global

NOW: The most significant development in sustainable packaging within beauty is that consumers continue to demand transparency from brands, across all areas inclusive of packaging, clean formulas and manufacturing processes.
 
Sustainable practices have steadily become cost of entry to play in today’s marketplace. One driver that is pushing innovation is the importance of using recyclable materials. There is continued pressure on the beauty industry and all parts of the development process to be more responsible, and the need to have sustainable and ethical packaging.
 
FUTURE: Demands placed by consumers continue to force the market to innovate at every level. Innovation in refillable packaging is leading the charge for the future as it reduces waste while keeping an elevated aesthetic. As sustainability gains more and more momentum, the goal is to create beauty products and packaging that are harmonious with nature, and that protect the environment while making us feel good in every way.

Jennifer Yen, Founder & CEO of Purlisse

NOW: The biggest challenge we've had as far as sustainable packaging goes is that since we use aluminum packaging—which is 100% recyclable—it's more complicated to get the designs we want onto the packaging. Although we have to simplify our designs a little bit, we still love our packaging and are happy to do so because we pride ourselves on being a sustainable company! 

Jen Lee, Chief Impact Officer, Beautycounter

NOW: Packaging in the beauty industry is challenging—the packaging industry has made vast improvements over the last few years to be more sustainable, but still has a long way to go! The biggest challenge is ensuring that as much of our packaging as possible makes it to recycling facilities.  
 
FUTURE: Designing for circularity, including refillable, recycled, recyclable packaging, is one of the biggest opportunities to boost sustainability for our brand and the industry overall. At Beautycounter, we are working towards achieving 100% refillable, recyclable, recycled, compostable or reusable packaging by 2025, and we’re already halfway towards this goal. We have seen high repeat purchase rates for our refills that serve as evidence that our customers appreciate the refillable concept.
 
In the last few years, we’ve invested in packaging materials that are recyclable and more circular in nature such as post-consumer recycled (PCR) resin.

Tiffany T. Scott, Founder & CEO of RÓEN

NOW: There are many challenges with waste and sustainability in the beauty space and the packaging of beauty products is one of the biggest challenges. I’m constantly discussing this with our manufacturers and pushing for more environmentally friendly options.
 
Post-Consumer Recycled plastic (PCR) has become a wonderful option to help reduce our impact on the environment. The technology is there to make components with 100% PCR; however, many times it’s too costly, especially with components made with a higher percentage of PCR.
 
One of our early triumphs was partnering with TerraCycle and their zero-waste box platform which is dedicated to recycling products that are difficult to recycle. TerraCycle is a wonderful company that responsibly breaks down cosmetic components, so they don’t end up in a landfill. 
 
FUTURE: I am passionate about Mother Earth, and this theme carries throughout the culture of our brand. We currently are working on an innovative sustainable packaging solution with our manufacturer that is attractive, functional and one that consumers will embrace, rather than it being too complicated.

Renata (Duda) de Paula Eduardo da Fonseca, International Business Development Director of Natura

NOW: In 2010, we began replacing conventional plastic with green plastic (green plastic is from renewable origin and can be recycled) in regular packaging and refills (bottle) in brands such as Ekos, Chronos, Lumina, Mamãe and Bebê, avoiding the emission of around 6 thousand tons of carbon per year. In 1983, we were the first Brazilian cosmetics company to offer refills. And our skin care line, Natura Chronos, was the first anti-signs brand to launch refills in Latin America.
 
Our goal by 2020 was to collect and dispose of 50% of all packaging that we make available to the market. We reached 52%. 27% of our products have a refill option, excluding SKUs whose concept does not apply (e.g., bar soap); with Natura refills, more than 100 million 1-liter PET bottles no longer go to waste.
 
For examples of sustainable packaging from these brands, see “Beauty Execs Talk ‘Sustainable Packaging’—Current Trends & What Lies Ahead.”

More About Sustainability in the Industry

Here’s how Pacifica’s founder Brook Harvey-Taylor, and SVP Supply & NPD, Jing Zhu are meeting sustainability strategies. 
 
For a comprehensive view of the state of sustainable packaging in the cosmetic industry, see Beauty Packaging’s special report: Cosmetic Packaging at a Crossroads.