While plastic - thanks to its low cost and versatility - is now ubiquitous in the makeup industry, Meiyume is reviving the early days of the lipstick tube, when it was made of metal. Patented in 1915 by American inventor Maurice Levy, the very first lipstick tube was made of brass.
Recyclable and customisable
Dubbed ‘Infinitely Recyclable Lipstick’, Meiyume’s new lipstick packaging pays homage to this heritage, with an added sustainable twist: recyclability.
Crafted from 100% aluminium and fully recyclable, Meiyume’s new lipstick tube works on a patented ‘smart click system’, allowing the lipstick cap to close snuggly and securely over the case body with a soft click. “Solidly weighted, the container evokes a premium feeling,” says the company in a statement.
Drawing from their expertise in metal processing and parts decoration techniques, the Meiyume teams can customize the mono-material lipstick case in a variety of ways to reflect the customer’s brand story.
A sustainable material
This is the second addition to Meiyume’s sustainable aluminium packaging range, which was launched last year with the aim to provide plastic free recyclable packaging solutions to the beauty industry.
“Aluminium is one of the most recycled materials on the market today,” explains Meiyume. “Infinitely recyclable and highly durable, aluminium is 100 percent recyclable and retains its properties indefinitely in a true closed loop,” the company adds.
Despite the fact that producing aluminium requires a large amount of energy, it can be easily recycled with less than 10% of the energy needed to producing the initial material.
Sustainable Packaging Initiative for Cosmetics (SPICE)
In order to take one step further in their commitment towards the circular economy and the setting up of practices that will have real world impact on the environment, Meiyume has also recently become a member of the Sustainable Packaging Initiative for Cosmetics (SPICE).
Co-founded in 2018 by L’Oréal and sustainability consulting firm Quantis, SPICE is an industry-led organisation gathering industry members committed to work together to develop solutions that will accelerate progress toward sustainable packaging for cosmetics.
Après avoir développé une méthodologie de mesure de l’empreinte environnementale des packaging cosmétiques, SPICE en a fait un outil en ligne, ouvert à toutes les entreprises du secteur, pour leur permettre de mesurer et réduire l’empreinte environnementale de chaque emballage cosmétique, sur l’ensemble de son cycle de vie.
