Beauty Kitchen takes sustainable beauty to ‘new level’

UK sustainable beauty brand Beauty Kitchen has announced the launch of what it says is the world’s first full-circle zero waste programme: Return. Refill. Repeat.

UK sustainable beauty brand Beauty Kitchen has announced the launch of what it says is the world’s first full-circle zero waste programme: Return. Refill. Repeat.

The programme is based on ‘cradle-to-cradle’ principles, and the brand says this is the first time a beauty company has offered a zero-waste solution, at no cost to the consumer on such a large scale. Currently available online as a free post service, the initiative is set to roll out to major UK high street retailers in June 2019.

Beauty Kitchen – the first beauty company to attain B Corp status has switched its packaging to glass or aluminium, making it easy to wash and reuse, and is currently offering the Return. Refill. Repeat. postage service to consumers through its website. Customers will also be able to return their Beauty Kitchen ‘empties’ to 1,100 participating retail stores in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium. The empties will be returned to the Beauty Kitchen, through the retailers reverse logistics, for washing and reconditioning so they can be used again in the next production run. Customers taking part in this initiative will be rewarded with £2 or €2 off their next purchase.

Return. Refill. Repeat. has always been a huge dream for Beauty Kitchen as it sits perfectly with our mission to create the most sustainable beauty products in the world

“Return. Refill. Repeat. has always been a huge dream for Beauty Kitchen as it sits perfectly with our mission to create the most sustainable beauty products in the world,” explains brand co-founder Jo Chidley. “Reusing is even better than recycling because it a) saves energy by removing the processes needed to recycle and b) minimizes waste before it happens.

“The success of reusing sits with a shift in what we – as a society – do with what would usually end up in landfill. It’s just about being creative to increase the lifespan of what already exists. For me, this programme (and everything we do) is about taking care of the sustainability side of things for our customers, so they feel good about the choices they make. It takes the concept of sustainable beauty to a whole new level and allows beauty consumers to take positive steps to adopting a zero-waste beauty regimen. We’re really proud to be leading the way with our UK retail partners to enable their customers to do that.”

Beauty Kitchen is also working towards being able to accept other brands packaging returns in the future as part of its existing and ongoing commitment to reducing the health impact of plastic on the environment.