Olay to trial refillable moisturiser pots to reduce plastic waste in major skincare first

The brand's Regenerist Whip moisturiser will be sold in refillable packaging from October

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Skincare brand Olay is testing refillable packaging with one of its moisturisers in a bid to reduce plastic waste.

It’s the first time a major skincare brand has taken on such an initiative, earning praise for its owner, Procter & Gamble, the multinational consumer goods company that also owns Gillette, Herbal Essences and Tampax.

As of October, jars of Olay’s Regenerist Whip moisturiser sold in the US and UK will come with a recyclable refill pod that can be placed inside the container once the initial product has been used up.

Making it even more sustainable, the product will also be shipped in a container made of 100 per cent recycled paper.

Olay’s new addition will be sold as part of a three-month trial and could save the company from using a significant amount of plastic.

Anita Marsh, Proctor & Gamble’s director of brand communications, explained that the goal is “to find and adopt many more sustainable packaging solutions”.

“The refillable Olay Regenerist Whip package is the first step of that journey,” she said.

”It’s really important for us to get it right because only then can we bring this concept to market at scale.”

News of the launch follows on from the announcement of P&G’s Ambition 2030 programme, in which the company outlined several goals to reduce the environmental impacts of its packaging, including 100 per cent recyclable or reusable packaging by 2030.

"There are many pilot projects underway at P&G to develop and test new products and new packaging solutions that will accelerate our progress and bring us closer to our global goal of reducing plastic waste," a statement on the company's website reads.