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Is the reuse of cosmetic packaging technically feasible, economically viable, and environmentally sound on a large scale? This is the question to which the ReCosm Coalition, led by Circul'R with support from Citeo, has just provided concrete answers. After more than two years of work and a pilot program conducted at 45 retail locations in France in partnership with 15 major players in the beauty industry, the results have been published in a groundbreaking white paper. Here is an overview of the key findings.
Why test the reuse of cosmetic packaging?
The cosmetics industry is one of the largest consumers of single-use packaging in France. Faced with the growing requirements of the AGEC law (the Anti-Waste Law for a Circular Economy) and the European PPWR regulation on packaging, brands are being encouraged to reduce their environmental impact. The reuse of containers is gradually emerging as a credible driver of circularity for the beauty industry.
It is against this backdrop that Circul'R launched the ReCosm Coalition: a unique collective and industry-wide initiative bringing together 15 companies around a full-scale pilot program. The goal: to test the real-world conditions for implementing the reuse of cosmetic packaging before establishing a sustainable supply chain.
A collaborative pilot project across the entire industry
15 retailers, 45 retail locations, over 200 products
The ReCosm Coalition has brought together 13 leading brands—Aroma-Zone, Chanel Beauté, Clarins, Estée Lauder, La Rosée, Melvita, L'Oréal, L'Oréal Luxe, Naos, Pierre Fabre, Sephora Collection, SVR, and Yves Rocher—as well as two major retailers, Nocibé and Sephora. In total, more than 200 product references have been included in the initiative, distributed across three retail channels: specialty stores, department stores, and partner pharmacies.
The model being tested is based on a simple closed-loop system: consumers return their empty containers to the store, where they are collected, sorted, industrially washed, and then reintroduced into the packaging cycle. This reverse logistics system is central to the challenges of large-scale implementation.
5 dimensions assessed simultaneously
The pilot project conducted between 2024 and 2025 aimed to evaluate five key aspects of packaging reuse:
- The consumer experience and in-store return behavior.
- The performance of cleansing methods in relation to cosmetic hygiene requirements.
- the logistics and traceability of reusable packaging.
- Economic viability at different volume levels.
- Environmental impacts compared to single-use products (life cycle analysis).
The 4 Key Takeaways from the ReCosm Experiment
1. Strong consumer support, but certain conditions must be met
Consumer surveys reveal strong interest in the reuse program: 95% of respondents say they are willing to return their empty packaging to stores, and 90% indicate that a brand’s commitment to reuse strengthens their loyalty to that brand. These figures confirm that the demand exists. However, the pilot program highlights that converting this interest into actual action depends heavily on the visibility of the program at the point of sale and the simplicity of the customer journey. Signage, staff training, and in-store communication are key drivers.
2. A proven environmental benefit starting in the second cycle
Life cycle assessments (LCAs) conducted as part of the project show that reusing cosmetic packaging becomes more environmentally friendly than single-use packaging starting with the container’s second use. According to the scenarios studied, reductions in environmental impacts can range from 12% to 25%. This benefit depends in particular on the materials used, the transport distance for washing, and the consumer return rate. These results confirm the environmental potential of the model, provided it is implemented with localized and optimized logistics.
3. A business model that achieves equilibrium at maturity
Today, the reuse of packaging represents a structural cost overrun compared to the single-use model. However, economic models developed as part of the ReCosm project indicate that economic equilibrium—and even value creation—is achievable in a mature market through three combined levers: the scaling up of processed volumes, the sharing of washing and logistics infrastructure among multiple brands, and the implementation of an appropriate deposit-return system. Here, the sectoral coalition appears to be the most effective structure for achieving this balance more quickly than isolated initiatives.
4. Confirmed health feasibility, with eco-design requirements
Washing tests conducted on more than 120 products have demonstrated that current industrial processes meet the hygiene standards required in the cosmetics industry. However, one area of concern has been identified: the packaging’s resistance to repeated washing cycles depends heavily on its initial design characteristics. The eco-design of containers—considered from the product design phase to incorporate the constraints of reuse—is therefore an essential prerequisite for large-scale success. Materials, assemblies, inks, and coatings must be selected with their suitability for reuse in mind.
What are the requirements for scaling up?
Beyond the results, the ReCosm Coalition identifies four structural conditions necessary to accelerate the adoption of cosmetic packaging reuse in France:
- Developing shared, regionally based infrastructure: The model’s profitability depends on economies of scale. This involves creating shared washing and reverse logistics platforms used by multiple brands and retailers, located within coherent geographic regions to minimize the carbon footprint of transportation.
- Establishing common standards: The lack of shared standards is currently hindering widespread adoption. Commoneco-design standards (materials, geometries, assemblies) and washing protocols are needed to enable interoperability of packaging across brands.
- Structuring traceability and reverse logistics: tracking packaging throughout its lifecycle—from sale to return to the store, and then to repackaging—requires appropriate digital traceability tools. It is also a prerequisite for measuring the system’s actual environmental impact.
- Harmonizing consumer communication: the multitude of systems and messages at the point of sale creates confusion. A unified, clear, and nationwide communication strategy is essential to making returns a regular part of consumers’ habits.
Circul'R's role in shaping the cosmetics reuse sector
For over a decade, Circul'R has been supporting companies in their transition tothe circular economy. The ReCosm Coalition is a concrete example of the collaborative approach developed by Circul'R: bringing together stakeholders from the same sector around a shared pilot project, building on shared lessons learned, and creating the conditions for scaling up in a way that no single stakeholder could achieve on their own.
As Jules Coignard, co-founder of Circul'R, points out: "The challenge now is to turn these insights into practical solutions to build a genuine reuse ecosystem in the cosmetics industry."
Access the full resources of the ReCosm experiment
The full results, methodologies, and recommendations of the ReCosm Coalition are available in our white paper on the reuse of cosmetic packaging. For further information, you can also watch the recording of the webinar hosted by the Circul'R teams, which reviews the key findings of the pilot project and answers participants’ questions.
Download the White Paper on the Reuse of Cosmetic Packaging (French and English)
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