L’Oreal announces 1st cosmetic bottle made from recycled plastic

L’Oréal has announced the realization of the first cosmetic bottle made from plastic entirely recycled using Carbios’ enzymatic technology and aims to put into production the bottles based on this disruptive innovation in 2025. Biotherm would be the first of the Group’s brands to launch a product in this bottle of the future.

The technology developed by Carbios, a pioneer in the development of biotech solutions for the recycling of PET* plastics, paves the way for the manufacture of new products made from 100% recycled materials produced using its enzymatic process. It has the advantage of being suitable for all types of PET - clear, colored, opaque and multilayer - and making these plastics infinitely recyclable.

Jacques Playe, Packaging and Development Director, L’Oréal, said: “We have been working with Carbios since 2017 to develop this first bottle made from PET derived from enzymatic recycling technology, an alternative to mechanical recycling. We are pleased to announce today the feasibility of these bottles in a pilot phase and are delighted to be in a position to create the packaging of the future with our partners. This is a promising innovation for the years to come that demonstrates our commitment to bring to market more environmentally friendly packaging and which is part of a circularity initiative begun more than 15 years ago.”

Giulio Bergamaschi, Global Brand President, Biotherm, noted,  “Biotherm is a pioneer in eco-responsible cosmetics and has put sustainable packaging and waste reduction at the center of its strategy. We are delighted to be the first beauty brand to realize a completely recycled bottle using plastic from Carbios’ disruptive technology.”

In 2017, to promote the development of innovative plastics recycling solutions and work together to industrialize the technology, L’Oréal set up a consortium with Carbios, which Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe have since joined. In 2019, L’Oréal invested in Carbios via its venture capital fund BOLD - Business Opportunities for L’Oréal Development.

With “L’Oréal for the Future”, L’Oréal’s new sustainability programme for 2030, the Group has taken a further step towards the fundamental transformation of its business and has set ambitious new objectives, particularly in the area of packaging:

• ln By 2025 100% of its plastic packaging will be refillable, reusable, recyclable or compostable;
• By 2030, 100% of its plastic packaging will be derived from recycled materials or biosourced, and the Group will no longer use any virgin plastics of fossil origin;
• 100% of the ingredients used in its formulas and all biosourced materials will be traceable and come from sustainable sources by 2030.

To achieve these objectives, L’Oréal is working with a number of strategic partners, giving it access to the best technologies. As well as Carbios, L’Oréal is collaborating with Albéa, the global leader in beauty packaging, with whom the Group developed the first cosmetic tube including FSC-certified carton in 2019, Purecycle, for the production of solvolysis-recycled polypropylene (PP), and LanzaTech and Total, with whom, in October 2020, L’Oréal announced a world first: the production of a polyethylene (PE) cosmetic bottle made from recycled industrial carbon emissions.

*PET: PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic is the most commonly recycled plastic.