Not content with having shifted the beauty market towards organic and natural ingredients, young cosmetic brands are now claiming a global approach, from formulation to bottle.
After the parabens, here they sound the hallali of plastic.
Like What Matters, which has been trying to impose refillable glass containers in bathrooms, since September.
"The philosophy of our brand is to be without compromise: beautiful and healthy products, which we use for pleasure but respecting the environment"
, summarize in unison Charlotte Catton and Franck Ladouce, co-founders of What Matters.
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In barely eight months, their elegant pump bottles filled with shower gel, toothpaste and shampoos with organic and “Yuka-compatible” formulas have achieved 1.5 million euros in sales on their online store. Of course, the eco-refills to fill the bottle are still made of multilayer plastic, and therefore cannot be recycled. But the team considers that the equation remains a winning one for the planet, due to the low weight of the refill: less than 7 grams, or 80% less than a conventional disposable container. At the end of 2021, the refills will still be just as light but finally recyclable.
“There is no perfect solution when it comes to ecology, we try to be as honest and transparent as possible and to take consumers as far as they will follow us: first on rechargeable and perhaps , tomorrow, on products to be diluted ”
, indicates Charlotte Catton.
The duo, who met on the benches of Edhec, are targeting 6 million euros in turnover next year.
A reusable container
The project seems daring but, in this dynamic sector, the rapid evolution of consumption patterns opens up an avenue for “indies”, these small independent brands in which consumers place their trust more easily.
Success can be dazzling, like that of Comme Avant.
In less than four years, the family business, which has made short formulas and kraft packaging its battle, has opened four own stores and achieved a turnover of 6 million euros.
"We have ruled out plastic and we will never go back: we will not release a product that would require such packaging,"
promises founder Sophie Lauret.
Read also:
Organic: In the jungle of cosmetic labels
In the specific deodorant segment, two start-ups have also quickly established themselves by focusing on healthy formulas and a reusable container. First Respire, a brand created by Justine Hutteau and Thomas Méheut, catapulted in a few months on social networks and in mass distribution. If the choice of natural ingredients made the brand emerge, the fact that its roll-on deodorant is marketed in a refillable bottle has made it possible to engrave the concept in the landscape and to extend the range to solid shampoo or shower gel. Supported from the start by Citeo, the recycling promotion company in France, the young growth has been guided towards more environmentally friendly packaging choices. Citeo notably advised Respire to launch its eco-refill of shower gel in a recycled plastic container,rather than in a flexible, non-recyclable pocket.
“Thanks to solid products and refillable packaging, Respire has saved more than three tonnes of plastic,”
says Justine Hutteau.
Bulk products
One year younger, Les Enfants Sauvages, for its part, congratulates itself on having put on the market
“the first natural and organic deodorant, truly effective and zero waste”
.
Its model is close to the set point, minus the surcharge.
After use, the bottles are collected by the brand, cleaned and reused.
Here again, the argument hit the nail on the head and the success was immediate.
“With 8,500 presales in April 2020, our crowdfunding program was the second largest cosmetic project funded on Ulule,”
says William Wauters, founder of Wild Children.
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If the quest for the right packaging offers a multitude of paths to explore for committed entrepreneurs, all agree on one observation: the additional cost limits the arrival of competitors.
“In the minds of people, a refill should be more economical than the initial container.
However, for an equivalent amount of filling, making a refill now costs more than the disposable bottle,
notes Charlotte Catton.
This is undoubtedly one of the reasons which prevent the leaders of the sector from rushing into rechargeable: it would degrade their profitability. ”
An analysis shared by William Wauters.
"Zero waste,
assures the young entrepreneur of 28 years,
it is not a technological problem.
It's a logistical issue and it's less profitable than putting disposable packaging made in China on the shelves. ”
Still, leaders might find help from another start-up, Cozie, along their way.
It has developed a machine that allows the distribution of care products in bulk, and therefore the refill of self-service bottles in stores.
Ultra-technological, this Dozeuse reproduces the principle of a small factory, with mastery of hygiene and traceability.
In addition to the marketing of its products, Cozie distributes its machine under a white label, as for Mustela and Yves Rocher.
"If our mission was to develop refillable cosmetics and a circular economy loop, we might as well get big brands on board in this adventure"
, assures Arnaud Lancelot one of the co-founders of Cozie, invited to tell about his project by Pascale Brousse, creator of the consultancy firm Trend Sourcing, on his Instagram account.
One thing is certain, the hunt for plastic in cosmetics is a hit.
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