Consumers are increasingly driven to sustainability and caring for the environment alongside caring for themselves by integrating more and more responsible products in their purchasing habits. François Tassart, CEO at Albéa Cosmetics & Fragrance, states “Our goal is to produce 100% recyclable packaging by 2025, even if it is initially reusable.”
Today, Albéa is expanding its range of mono-material packs for skincare. One of the newcomers is Albéa’s “Breizhstick”, a four-piece, mono-material polypropylene (PP) stick that is recycling-ready while answering several criteria of beauty packs like light weight, shape differentiation, and mechanical resistance. The name “Breizhstick” is a nod to Breton identity, as it is made in Plouhinec, France, Albéa’s European center of excellence for lipsticks.
“Oftentimes, the mechanisms in lipbalms and lipsticks will contain styrenic materials (ABS, PS, POM…) which are likely to disappear due to safety, recyclability and regulation reasons. Our Breizhstick brings a real alternative to the table with its pack and mechanism all entirely made of PP, a material that is safe for both the environment and the consumer.” says Laurette Boyer, Marketing Development Sticks, Albéa Cosmetics & Fragrance.
As the first guided all-PP stick, its gentle components match perfectly with the soft, caring formulas typically found in lipbalms. The guided mechanism ensures these softer formulas can be applied without breakage and makes for a smooth and easy gesture.
Ensuring the stick is made entirely of the same material is crucial to a circular beauty economy. Albéa is relentlessly innovating to develop single- material packaging (lipstick tubes, make-up cases, etc.) as well as reusable and refillable solutions by using recycled or innovative materials. This compelling challenge is one Albéa is facing head-on together with its clients.
The launch of Breizhstick is part of the commitment Albéa made in 2018 by signing the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment and a further step helping make plastic more sustainable and beauty more circular.