It’s safe to suggest that beauty is big business. Data from the British Beauty Council’s latest insights report suggests that the sector contributes upwards of £30bn every year to the UK economy (1.1% of GDP), supports nearly 496,000 jobs and is growing at a CAGR of 9%.[1]
The average consumer spends £200 annually on cosmetics and personal care products, with mascara (57%), lipstick (49%) and foundation (46%) by far the most frequently purchased items. One in five Brits purchase makeup more than once a month, with almost one in thirty said to buy a new product every single week.[2]
As a result, millions of items change hands daily, with Boots, Superdrug and Amazon the UK’s three leading retailers. While the former are high street brands synonymous with beauty products, the latter reflects the sector’s rapidly shifting e-commerce dynamic (more than 10% of total revenue), with 72% of consumers now preferring to shop online.[3]
The winds of change
Our unsatiable demand for cosmetics has helped to build a thriving industry, but product packaging has continued to fly under the radar. Although seen as an important differentiator to brands operating at the luxury end of the market, it has otherwise played second fiddle to wider product innovation and the continued R&D needed to meet evolving consumer preferences.
Following the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), however, momentum is changing fast. Indeed, with the burden of managing household packaging waste shifting from a local authority level to a ‘polluter pays’ model, manufacturers must now take financial responsibility for the entire lifecycle of the materials they place on the market.
With fees directly linked to the recyclability of the packaging choices they make, complex plastics, multi-layered composites and single-use mixed materials are quickly being replaced by far more innovative alternatives. This, alongside an industry-wide push for optimised transport, reduced material use and ‘right-sizing’ is changing the landscape for the better.
Across our membership base and in terms of volumes placed on the market, we’re seeing demand for aluminium resultingly soar. Versatile, lightweight, easy to design and offering excellent shelf appeal, more beauty brands than ever are looking towards aluminium as a viable, sustainable, long-term packaging solution. With a base fee of £266 per tonne and an EPR green rating,[4] aluminium delivers lower compliance costs and a less risky outlook for producers.
With an all-aluminium recycling rate of 68% and a beverage can recycling rate surpassing 80%,[5] aluminium is widely seen as one of the highest performing sustainable packaging solutions. The ultimate goal, of course, is to achieve a circular economy for packaging, with end-of-life material being driven back into the supply chain. Aluminium makes this possible and is seeing remarkable uptake as a result.
Alupro member TUBEX, for example, is enjoying the wave. Having manufactured aluminium tubes for more than 70 years, the business supplies product packaging for pharmaceuticals and the food & drink sector, as well as the cosmetics industry. In 2020, the company partnered with L’Occitane to support its goals of reducing waste and replacing existing packaging with more eco-friendly alternatives. The resulting solution, Blue Tube Evo, is made from 95% post-consumer recycled aluminium and is itself 100% recyclable.[6]
But L’Occitane is just one example. Skin care brand NIVEA has already swapped its iconic creme moisturiser for aluminium tins, Chanel’s ‘Le Volume’ mascara is now packaged in 20% post-consumer recycled (PCR) aluminium, and the Clinique Derma Drink System features a reusable aluminium bottle. Elsewhere, we’re seeing the rapid rise of brands like Juni Cosmetics, who manufacture lipsticks using 100% aluminium packaging, and Kjaer Weis, who have created a refillable mascara – again using aluminium as a casing.[7]
Looking to the future
While pEPR has already had a measurable impact on beauty packaging, 2026 will see fees eco-modulated to accelerate sustainable design. Rewarding easily recyclable packaging with lower fees and penalising more complicated materials with higher fees, the move sets the future standard for the industry and makes it more important than ever for brands to prioritise environmentally friendly packaging choices.
With businesses navigating the impacts of rising costs, escalating inflation and the long-term impact of international conflict, making informed packaging decisions is one area in which businesses can act with certainty. Prioritising sustainable, mono-material, easy-to-recycle designs is essential to reducing the environmental impact of business as usual, while subsequently adhering to legislation and minimising fees payable under the EPR framework.
Aluminium has previously been seen as a specialist material choice for premium brands, but this preconception is changing fast. There’s never been a more important time to evolve, adapt and consider the importance of circularity on your bottom line.
For more information about Alupro, or the organisation’s work as the voice of the aluminium packaging supply chain, visit www.alupro.org.uk.