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In October 2024, Circul'R brought together a coalition of 5 major cosmetics brands (Christian Dior Parfum, Kenzo Parfum, Diptyque, Adopt and Interparfum) and 2 retailers (Beauty Success and Nocibé) to explore the opportunities and challenges of setting up a reuse system for perfume bottles. After several months of work in partnership with the consultancy We Don't Need Roads and the producer responsibility organisation Citeo, which is funding the project and providing operational expertise, the project is moving into a trial phase in more than 150 points of sale. The initiative reflects the industry's collective determination to reduce single-use packaging, in line with the ambitions of the AGEC law, which sets a target of 7% of packaging reused by 2025 and 10% by 2027.

Promoting a new consumer experience

The perfume bottle reuse trial, entitled "La Boucle Beauté Parfums", will be rolled out from 30 June 2025 across more than 150 points of sale throughout France. The project covers more than 200 perfume references from the brands Christian Dior Parfum, Kenzo Parfum, Diptyque, Adopt and Interparfum.

Between 30 June and 30 October, customers will be able to return their empty containers in exchange for an immediate financial reward. The containers will then be sorted, collected and washed ready for refilling by the brands.

This initiative follows on from the work carried out by Circul'R and We Don't Need Roads, who were behind the skincare container reuse trial rolled out at the end of 2024 in 45 points of sale across France, covering close to a hundred references (skincare creams, serums, food supplements, shower gels, shampoos and so on).

Overcoming the challenges inherent in a reuse system

Introducing a reuse model calls for a thorough rethink of the supply chain, particularly reverse logistics and container washing, two essential pillars if reuse is to be viable at scale. Since the coalition was launched last October, intensive work led by Circul'R's experts and Arnaud Lancelot (founder of Cozie and currently a director at We Don't Need Roads) has been helping to identify how to overcome these challenges.

As part of the trial, containers are taken from points of sale to sorting and washing centres through a shared transport system, optimising logistics flows. Once at the sorting centre, the packaging is counted, sorted and then directed towards reuse or recycling depending on whether it can be washed.

In parallel, R&D tests are being carried out to determine the right washing method for each type of bottle and to check washing quality in physical and aesthetic terms, as well as residual fragrance. The technique selected by the coalition is supercritical CO2 washing, using the Niugreen solution from BR Conditionnement. Once validated, these processes will allow washing at a larger scale following collection in points of sale.

Measuring the economic and environmental benefits

The trial aims to analyse the real benefits of perfume bottle reuse, both environmental and economic. To do so, on the basis of the data collected during this pilot, life cycle assessments (LCAs) will be carried out to compare, among other environmental impact criteria, CO2 emissions, water consumption and energy use between single-use and reusable models.

In parallel, economic modelling will be carried out at value chain level, with the aim of identifying the conditions under which a reuse system deployed at scale can perform economically.

Finally, a consumer study, combining quantitative and qualitative testing, will be launched to understand consumer appetite, gather feedback from the points of sale involved, and thereby identify the potential barriers to and drivers of take-up for the reuse model.

"It is on the strength of the learnings from our first trial on skincare products that we are launching this new pilot dedicated to perfume. Taking it step by step, product category by product category, allows us to build solid, realistic foundations for reuse in cosmetics. Given the complexity of the technical and logistical challenges, it is the collective intelligence of the coalition that makes the difference: by bringing brands, retailers and experts together around a common goal, we are opening the way to a lasting, systemic transformation of the sector." – Sixtine Jourde-Roussel, Head of Coalitions at Circul'R

"This trial phase marks significant progress for a sector historically associated with premium, complex and rarely recycled packaging. By trialling the collection, washing and reuse of perfume bottles, our aim is to validate the conditions for the model to succeed in real-world conditions, before considering scaling up." – Arnaud Lancelot, director at We Don't Need Roads