Packaging: The Waste Mountain

Packaging is probably the most visible environmental issue for beauty. The shelves are full of plastic bottles, caps, blister packs, cellophane wraps – and almost all of it eventually becomes trash: - Landfill Overflow: The cosmetics industry churns out billions of packaging units a year (as we noted, ~120 billion units).

These range from tiny lipstick tubes to large shampoo bottles. After use, most end up in the trash. In fact, it’s estimated 70% of cosmetic packaging is thrown away, and only a small fraction is properly recycled.

The British Beauty Council stated that just 14% of plastic packaging from beauty actually gets to a recycling facility and only 9% is recycled. The rest likely goes to landfills or incinerators. - Why So Little Recycling? Several reasons. Many cosmetic packages are made of mixed materials (e.g., a compact might have metal hinges, a mirror, and plastic – hard to separate). Many are too small (like caps, lids) to be captured by recycling machinery. Also, contamination: if there’s product residue (think lotion left in a pump bottle), it might be diverted from recycling. And some municipalities just don’t accept certain plastics or any cosmetics packaging. As a result, 95% of beauty packaging waste goes unrecycled. So a fancy cream jar often just sits in a landfill for centuries (if plastic) or potentially can break and leach if glass. - Plastic Pollution: Beyond landfills, a lot of plastic ends up as litter and eventually in oceans. Tiny items like lip balm caps, or glitter from makeup, can wash into waterways. Microplastics from product formulations (as mentioned) and the breakdown of packaging contribute to the problem. It’s been noted that 88% of the sea’s surface is polluted by plastic waste, and cosmetics are one contributor (not the main one, but every bit matters). Also, think of flushable wipes or sheet masks – some have synthetic fibers that don’t biodegrade and can cause marine pollution (and even fatbergs in sewers as noted by BusinessWaste: in the UK, 93% of sewer blockages are caused by wipes – makeup wipes included). - Greenhouse Gases from Waste: When packaging goes to landfills, some of it releases methane as it (or the product residues) decomposes anaerobically (especially anything organic like sheet masks fiber, paper boxes). Incineration (burning trash) also emits CO₂ and potentially toxic fumes if plastics/chlorine are present. It’s another climate connection: waste management accounts for roughly 3-5% of global greenhouse emissions, and reducing waste can chip away at that. - Space and Aesthetics: Landfills are eyesores and space hogs. Do we really want more of our earth designated to bury packaging? Not to mention the burden often falls on poorer communities or countries that end up processing richer countries’ waste. We saw crises like in 2018 when China stopped accepting foreign plastic waste – suddenly Western countries had to face their own garbage. Cosmetics packaging is part of that stream (though smaller than food packaging, but still). -Solutions Emerging: The industry is responding in part. “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” is the mantra. We see: -Reduce: Minimalist packaging (no more extra cardboard sleeves or inserts), lighter weight materials (thin glass, not heavy luxury glass), and concentrated products (smaller bottle because formula is concentrated).

shampoo refill stations in stores. 40% of Mugler’s perfume sales are now from refills, showing consumers will use them if convenient and cost-effective. Brands like L’Occitane, The Body Shop, etc., introduced in-store refill stations for soaps, shampoos. Refillable palettes and compacts we discussed. Even something like re-using shipping boxes or cosmetic pouches for storage is encouraged. - Recycle: Improving recyclability – using monomaterials (e.g., a tube that’s all one type of plastic), using easily recyclable plastics like PET or PP, or switching to glass/metal which have established recycling streams. Also, PCR (post-consumer recycled) content is on the rise – e.g., 50% recycled plastic bottles, which reduces need for virgin plastic and uses up existing plastic. L’Oréal and others pledged big increases in PCR use by 2025. Weleda’s tubes are mostly recyclable aluminum. Aveda started using bioresin caps made from sugarcane (renewable). - Innovative materials: Some companies experimenting with biodegradable packaging like bioplastics from corn or sugar, or even mushroom packaging for some parts (e.g., outer packaging cushioning). These are promising but need careful design (some bioplastics only degrade in industrial compost). - Take-back Programs: Many brands (especially luxury) have programs where you return empties for recycling, sometimes rewarded with a product (Back-to-MAC as an example gave a free lipstick for 6 empties). Terracycle has partnered with several beauty brands/retailers to accept empties that municipal recycling won’t handle. By 2025, Nordstrom’s BeautyCycle aims to recycle 100 tons of hard-to-recycle beauty packaging.

Despite these efforts, the sheer volume of waste is daunting. Without systemic change and consumer participation (in refilling or recycling), we’re still looking at mountains of cosmetic trash. This is why many argue for circular beauty – where packaging either goes back into the system (reused or recycled infinitely) or is eliminated where possible. Also, extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws might compel companies to fund recycling programs (like Europe’s upcoming regulations requiring more recycled content and take-back).

For now, our individual actions of choosing recyclable/refillable and actually recycling make a difference. And supporting brands doing the right thing sends a market signal.

Conceptual image

A plate shaped like a fish contains an assortment of microplastic pieces, symbolizing how plastic waste from all industries – including cosmetics – can enter the food chain. Microplastics from beauty products (like scrubs and glitters) often end up in waterways, where marine life can ingest them. This illustrates the far-reaching environmental impact of seemingly small beauty choices.

• Reuse (Refill): As mentioned earlier, more brands have refill schemes. From high-end lipstick refills to

Related reading

• Compostable Beauty Packaging: Does It Really Work? (Jan 12, 2026)

Disclaimer: Educational content only. Not medical advice.