Refill for deodorant: Unilever equips its Dove brand with refill packaging.

Image source: reddot

Refill for deodorant: Unilever equips its Dove brand with refill packaging.

Thomas Reiner | 22.03.2023

Deodorant brand Dove has launched its first refillable and reusable packaging. It consists of a stainless steel casing and refill packaging made from 98% recyclable plastic recyclate. We see that refill solutions are increasingly arriving in care products and cosmetics. This is significant because the sector has a leadership position with signal character. Even if the refill theme is taking longer to gain acceptance. The development is picking up speed – also in North America. Awareness is growing.

 

 

With its new packaging solution, Dove is paying towards the goal of avoiding single-use plastic packaging. According to the company, the weight of all single-use plastic packaging worldwide would add up to around 12 billion tons by 2050 if the current single-use/reusable rate were to remain.

Currently, Dove offers its refill deodorants in selected US and Canadian retail stores as well as online through websites such as Amazon, Walmart, Target, Shoppers Drug Mart and London Drugs.

 

The Refill Packaging

  • According to Dove, the inner stainless steel casing of the packaging is “extremely durable” and holds forces of nearly 900 pounds in weight.
  • On the outside, meanwhile, the packaging is made of 98% recycled plastic, which itself is 100% recyclable. Dove explains that it is not possible to completely eliminate plastic for durability and hygiene reasons.
  • The packaging is deliberately kept compact and features a “sleek, minimalist aesthetic”, for which it received the reddot award in 2021.

 

The environmental advantage

  • According to Dove, the refill packaging solution saves 54 percent plastic compared to the packaging previously used.
  • Specifically, the new packaging was expected to avoid around 30 tons of plastic waste in the first year alone.
  • Dove assumes consumers will be able to refill a purchased package virtually endlessly and gives a “lifetime guarantee” on the stainless steel case. This applies as long as the product is actively marketed by the company.

 

Big Player – Big Step

Under its claim “Beauty Refillution,” Dove is the first big player to address the refill trend in cosmetics and skin care products within the field of deodorants. Until now, comparable solutions have only been offered by start-ups such as Myro and byHumankind in the USA or Wild and Holy Pit in Germany. Now, when a brand giant like Dove enters the Refill stage, it is significant – and a big step forward for the cosmetics industry.

 

Signal effect with significance

Dove’s move is given particular weight and signal effect because the cosmetics and care products sector has a leading position within the industry. We will see more and more refill solutions. So far, development has been rather slow. But certain topics simply take a little longer to catch on.

The new solution is also a “signal” for the North American market. It shows that sustainable approaches are also being pushed “on a larger scale” there. Awareness of environmental issues is growing not only in Europe.

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