If you’ve ever wondered how to create a more sustainable beauty routine, good news: The best refillable makeup can help. Just as reusable water bottles and shopping bags cut down on single-use plastic, refillable beauty products, such as refillable foundation, eyeshadow, and moisturizer, are a way to shop and reuse your favorite products while limiting waste from plastic packaging.
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As the beauty industry explores different ways to incorporate more sustainable practices into their business models, it’s become clear that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Here at Milk HQ, we believe that you shouldn’t have to decide between choosing makeup and skincare products that really work—and those that are made with more sustainable practices in mind. Rather, once you find a formula you really love and use every day, you should be able to replenish your supply without tossing the excess and buying a whole new product. And with the best refillable beauty products—which now come as refill pods, refill pouches, or, in our case, refill cartridges—you can do just that. Read on to find out exactly how it works. What are the benefits of refillable makeup?One of the biggest benefits of refillable makeup is that it helps cut down on plastic consumption—simply because it requires less plastic to produce than a full-sized product. “Refillable makeup makes less waste that will end up in landfills,” says Jessica Blanco, our SVP of Product Development and Packaging. “The less waste we can create, the better.” An unfortunate reality is that a lot of beauty products can’t be fully recycled because they don’t meet certain criteria, like the size requirements, to be properly repurposed. That’s why we put a lot of thought into each new product design to limit unnecessary waste wherever possible, getting us as close to zero waste as we can while still putting out products that perform. “When packaging a product, we want to make the best sustainable choices for that specific product,” says Kali Perez, our Executive Creative Director, SVP Brand + Product Design. “Refills are a great solution for products that are part of an everyday routine because you consistently replace them.” Not only do they limit the amount of plastic you’re incorporating into your daily routine, they’re also more affordable than full-sized products, giving you the added advantage of saving some money. |
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FYI: The refillable movement isn’t just coming for your top shelf, either. While it’s relatively common among makeup brands, you can now find refillable packaging among other categories of beauty brands, too, such as cleanser, conditioner, deodorant, body lotion, and other personal-care products. With more innovations coming through every day in skincare and haircare products, too, the sky's the limit.
What does a more sustainable makeup routine look like?
We love seeing our Milk Fam take individual steps to make more sustainable choices, and we also believe we have a responsibility to do the same as a brand. While you make swaps like opting for refillable makeup products over full-sized repurchases, we’re also working on our end to help make those choices possible.
Refillable makeup is just one part of our larger sustainability goal of reducing the amount of plastic that goes into all of our packaging. That’s why, in 2021, we introduced more sustainable shipping boxes that are completely recyclable. They’re printed with petroleum-free plant-based ink and contain an inner bag made from 100% post-consumer waste. (Paper packaging is often compostable, too, although recycling may be more environmentally friendly in the long run.) We’ve also started exploring how to use mono plastic (which means using one kind of plastic for a whole product so it can be recycled without disassembling it,) to make recycling easier.
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Simplifying recycling is something else we’re always working to improve. The process isn’t always as intuitive as it should be, so we’ve partnered withHow2Recycle(in the U.S. and Canada) to make things easier. This labeling system shows you exactly how to recycle your product after it’s been used and also shares guidelines for communicating with programs in your area. We’re also working withg2 revolutionto take a look at any hard-to-recycle materials we produce and figure out ways to keep them out of landfills as much as possible. Is Milk Makeup refillable?We love figuring out new ways to make your favorite products more sustainable, and you’ve let us know how much you love our refills since we launched them. Currently, you can repurchase refills when you shop ourSunshine Under Eye Tint + Brighten Refill Cartridges. With some light coverage and the hydration of an eye cream, courtesy of hyaluronic acid, it offers the best of both worlds. Each refillable makeup cartridge helps cut down on 60% of plastic waste when compared to buying a whole new product once you run out. We also took steps to make our refill cartridges more sustainable overall: The outer packaging is made of 100% post-consumer waste paperboard that’s FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)-certified, and all labels are 100% post-consumer waste paper. Plus, every shade is available as a refill, ensuring there’s a low-waste option for every skin tone. Using them couldn’t be simpler. Once you run out of your under-eye brightening tint, simply repurchase your shade of refill cartridge. You can refill it by unscrewing the empty inner cartridge counter-clockwise until it slides out. From there, remove the cap and label on your refill cartridge, insert, and screw it in clockwise until secure. Pump it a few times to get the formula flowing. |
With bronzers, highlighters, mascara, concealer, cream blush, and other makeup products to account for (whew), we’re always looking for new ways to keep things plastic-free whenever we can. While we don’t yet have a refillable lipstick, our Electric Glossy Lip Plumper has a tube and cap made from 50% post-consumer resin.
Clearly, expanding our best refillable makeup is a work in progress, but we’re excited about the moves we’ve made thus far and look forward to making even more changes. You can (and should!) have the makeup you love—just not at the cost of the environment.
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