Outdew
Date Spring Semester 2022 / 4th Year
Sustainable cosmetics that focuses on having reduced environmental impact through tackling unsustainable consumer behaviors, business practices, packaging, and transportation.
Problem Statement
How might we reduce the environmental impact of cosmetic products?
Unsustainable behaviors = waste
Though packaging is a contributor to waste from the beauty industry, it’s not where the main focus should be. It’s the behaviors of the consumers and companies that create the most waste.
A lot of waste comes from returned and expired products. Companies overproduce products that end up expired get sent to the landfill. And consumers over-consume products they end up throwing away or returning. Returned products are usually thrown away by companies.
Examining my own cosmetic waste
I broke down a variety of my cosmetic products to examine the parts, materials, manufacturing processes, and lifespan. I found that there were a lot more parts to the items than I thought. All the containers were made to be thrown away, not reused or recycled. This makes for a very short product lifespan, especially for daily users such as myself.
A sample and refill system that promotes a closed loop system and the prevention of waste products.
Outdew Refillable Tube
The packaging is highly reusable and made of recycled and recyclable materials. The squeezable silicone tube removes the need for a pump, can last longer than traditional plastic tube bottles, and is easily refillable for use with many cosmetic products.
Outdew Seed Paper Packet Refills
Reduces shipping impact because of less weight of less water content. Biodegradable packaging allows contents to be thrown away without worry. Tree-free paper is more sustainable because production uses less water, more renewable crop, and less pollution.
How Does it Work?
Reduce waste from returned or thrown away full size products. Samples are important before buying the full size. If they didn’t enjoy the product, they have the option to return or use the bottle as a refillable tube for their other cosmetics. If they used the bottle to the end of its lifespan, they are incentivized to bring it back to store for recycling by earning points when they bring it/ send it back. This business model would promote a closed loop system that takes products back to be recycled into new products and a lengthened product lifespan.
Wide circle opening for ease of refilling and cleaning. Rectangular base creates a slimmer profile for more efficient packing.
Reuse and recycling information printed directly on the bottle to help users be more mindful and informed.
Outdew has 13x less impact and a 12x longer lifespan.
From a lifespan of a few months and a “disposable” approach to cosmetics, Outdew outdoes ;) traditional cosmetics with years long lifespan of low impact and highly reusable cosmetics.
Okala Impact Factors
Using the Okala Practitioner LCA, I calculated the impact factors of both the traditional cosmetic products I examined in my research and of Outdew as a measure of how much more sustainable Outdew is. Outdew’s impact is in blue and traditional cosmetics is in red.
Outdew them all.
