The beauty industry has a packaging problem. Every year, an estimated 120 billion units of cosmetic packaging are produced globally, and the vast majority cannot be recycled through standard municipal programs. The small size of many containers, the use of mixed materials (plastic pumps with glass bottles), and the prevalence of dark and black plastics that sorting facilities cannot process all contribute to a waste crisis that the industry is only beginning to address.
The good news is that a growing number of beauty brands are treating packaging waste as a design problem to solve rather than an inevitable byproduct of doing business. From refillable systems that mimic the economics of printer ink cartridges to waterless formulations that eliminate the need for bulky plastic bottles, innovation is accelerating. This guide covers the most impactful sustainable packaging trends and the brands leading the way.
Refillable Packaging Systems
Refillable packaging is the most direct way to reduce single-use plastic waste. The concept is simple: a durable outer container is designed for repeated use, and only the product refill, which uses minimal packaging, needs to be purchased after the initial buy. When consumers consistently use refill systems, the waste reduction is substantial. A single glass or aluminum outer container can replace dozens of plastic bottles over its lifetime.
Kjaer Weis is a pioneer in luxury refillable cosmetics. Their foundation, concealer, and cream blush compacts are made from metal and designed to last for years. Refills come in lightweight plastic pans that snap into the compact. This system reduces packaging waste by approximately 90 percent compared to purchasing a new compact each time. Elate Beauty uses bamboo compacts with seed paper inserts that can be planted after use. Their refill system uses cardboard packaging with minimal plastic. Zao Organic Makeup uses bamboo packaging with magnetic refill systems for their foundations, concealers, and lipsticks. The refills are packaged in paper and aluminum rather than plastic.
By Humankind offers refillable personal care products including shampoo bars, conditioner bars, deodorants, and mouthwash tablets. Their outer containers are aluminum, which is infinitely recyclable, and refills come in compostable paper packaging. The brand also offsets carbon emissions from shipping. Furtuna Skin uses refillable glass bottles for their serums and oils, with refills packaged in minimal cardboard. Their outer bottles are designed to be kept and reused, and the brand offers a discount on refills as an incentive for repeat purchases.
Waterless Beauty
Waterless beauty products eliminate water as an ingredient, which has multiple sustainability benefits. Traditional creams, lotions, and cleansers are 60 to 80 percent water. Removing water means products are more concentrated, require smaller packaging, weigh less during shipping, and have a longer shelf life without the need for water-borne preservatives.
Solid shampoo and conditioner bars are the most widely adopted waterless format. Ethique is a leader in this space, having diverted over 10 million plastic bottles from landfills since founding. Their solid bars are concentrated, last two to four times longer than liquid equivalents, and come in compostable paper packaging. Lush's shampoo bars have a similarly loyal following and are available in formulations for every hair type. The bar format eliminates the plastic bottle entirely.
Powder cleansers and masks are another growing waterless category. Osea Malibu offers a powder seaweed cleanser that activates with water at home. Eve Lom's powder cleanser similarly reduces packaging by removing water weight. Waterless serums and oils are naturally water-free and require smaller bottles since the product is concentrated. Farsali's unicorn essences and Herbivore's facial oils are examples of waterless treatments that use minimal glass packaging.
"Waterless beauty is not just a trend — it is a necessary evolution. Shipping water around the world in plastic bottles makes no environmental or economic sense. The shift to concentrated, solid, and waterless formats is the single most impactful change the beauty industry can make for sustainability, and it is happening faster than most consumers realize."
Biodegradable and Alternative Materials
Beyond reducing packaging volume, brands are exploring materials that biodegrade naturally or have lower environmental impact than conventional plastics. Mushroom-based packaging, made from mycelium grown around agricultural waste, is being developed by companies like Ecovative and adopted by brands seeking plastic-free shipping materials. Algae-based bioplastics are another emerging material that can biodegrade in marine environments, addressing the ocean plastic crisis.
Paper and cardboard tubes are replacing plastic tubes for lipsticks, lip balms, and cream products. Aveda uses post-consumer recycled plastic and has been a leader in this space for decades. Davines uses regenerated bioplastic from recycled cooking oil for their shampoo and conditioner bottles. Seed Phytonutrients packages their products in paper bottles made from 100 percent recycled paper with a thin post-consumer recycled plastic lining that uses 60 percent less plastic than a standard bottle.
Glass and aluminum are the most sustainable traditional materials when recycled properly. Glass is infinitely recyclable without quality loss. Aluminum requires less energy to recycle than to produce from raw materials. Brands like Herbivore, Osea, and Vintner's Daughter use glass bottles almost exclusively. RMS Beauty uses glass pots for their concealers and lip products. However, glass is heavier than plastic, which increases shipping emissions, so the net environmental benefit depends on the entire lifecycle including transport.
Carbon-Neutral and Climate-Positive Brands
Some beauty brands have gone beyond packaging reduction to address their entire carbon footprint. Carbon-neutral certification requires measuring total greenhouse gas emissions, reducing where possible, and purchasing verified carbon offsets for remaining emissions. Climate Neutral is the most recognized certification program for consumer goods brands.
Osea Malibu was one of the first beauty brands to achieve Climate Neutral certification. Their manufacturing facility in California runs on solar power, their products are concentrated to reduce shipping weight, and their packaging is glass and recycled cardboard. Ursa Major achieves carbon neutrality through a combination of efficient manufacturing, minimal packaging, and carbon offsets. Cocokind uses this model, producing concentrated skincare in minimal packaging and offsetting remaining emissions. Some brands, like Pacha Soap Co., go further by achieving carbon-negative status through regenerative sourcing practices that sequester more carbon than their operations emit.
Recycling Programs: Terracycle and Pact
For beauty packaging that cannot be avoided or eliminated, recycling programs provide a responsible end-of-life solution. Terracycle partners with brands to create free recycling programs for otherwise non-recyclable packaging. Consumers collect empty containers from participating brands, download a prepaid shipping label, and send empties to Terracycle. The materials are sorted, cleaned, and processed into raw materials for new products such as park benches, decking, and shipping pallets.
Pact is a similar program focused specifically on beauty packaging. Pact partners with brands and retailers to accept any brand of beauty packaging at collection bins in stores or through mail-in programs. The collected materials are sorted and recycled into new products. Pact's partnership with Credo Beauty and other clean beauty retailers has created a convenient drop-off network for consumers.
Many individual brands also offer take-back programs. Kiehl's rewards customers with loyalty points for returning empty containers. MAC Cosmetics' Back to Mac program offers a free lipstick for returning six empty containers. L'Occitane has in-store recycling bins for their products. These programs keep packaging out of landfills and create a circular system where materials are continuously reused. For more on ingredient sustainability, read our guide on clean beauty certifications and standards.
What Consumers Can Do
Individual action, multiplied across millions of consumers, drives industry change. Choose refillable products and actually buy the refills. Switch to solid shampoo, conditioner, and body wash bars. Buy products in glass, aluminum, or paper rather than plastic. Support brands that offer take-back or recycling programs. Avoid products with excessive cardboard inserts, plastic wrapping, and unnecessary outer boxes. Buy in larger sizes to reduce the packaging-to-product ratio. Make your own simple products using bulk ingredients in reusable containers. Every purchase is a vote for the type of packaging you want the industry to use. For more on building a sustainable beauty routine from the inside out, see our guide on natural oils for skincare.
