Haeckels Bio Restore Membrane

Bio Restore Membrane eye masks and reusable compostable packaging / Source: Haeckels

AfricaAluminiumAsiaBeautyEuropeMyceliumNorth AmericaOceaniaSeaweedSouth America

4 MINUTE READ

Sophie Benson

WHAT WE SAY:

The future is ‘grown’ not ‘made-to-order’ - a new mindset that sees us harness the power of nature to create products that disappear back into nature without a trace. Think boxes made from mycelium, trees grown as chairs and this exciting example from beauty brand Haeckels - single-use eye masks grown from seaweed.

With hyper-localised sourcing ensuring minimal environmental impact, the eye masks are grown over a three-week period and promote the benefits of slow beauty. It is hardly a mass-scale solution, but it demonstrates the power of design to help us rethink our relationship with what we buy.

KEY FACTS:

Haeckels is using agar, cultivated from the cell walls of Seaweed, to manufacture grown-to-order, single-use eye masks. Made solely from natural ingredients, the brand claims they are completely compostable.
Once ordered, the brand grows the product over the course of three weeks, updating the customer on its progress via email, to allow them to better understand the process, time and energy that goes into creating a product.
Sold as a month’s supply, the eye masks are dried after production, removing the need to suspend them in liquid and use robust waterproof packaging, which is predominantly made from plastic and Aluminium layers. The lack of water also makes the product light to ship.
Initial orders are sent in a reusable storage tub and come with a petri dish for activating the eye masks with cool water. Subsequent orders are packaged in glassine, which is made from 100% wood pulp.

An eye mask applied to the skin / Source: Haeckels

Petri dish for activating the eye masks with cool water / Source: Haeckels

DIVE DEEPER:

It is estimated that one million single-use sheet masks are thrown away each day globally. Sheet masks and eye masks create multiple layers of waste, encompassing the product itself, the outer packaging and, in some cases, a plastic sheet or a peel-away plastic backing. Haeckels’ grown-to-order, single-use eye masks tackle all three factors, eliminating both packaging and product waste.
The seaweed used to grow the masks is picked locally by hand, under license, in Margate, UK, where the brand is based. Using a knife or scissors, the blade (the leafy section) is cut, leaving enough behind for it to grow back. Effective at sequestering carbon and fast growing, seaweed is an abundant natural resource, which can be farmed without conflicting land uses.
The prebiotic under-eye masks are made by infusing the seaweed extracts (agar) with aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, eyebright and cucumber.
Secondary packaging is also designed with the overriding zero waste principle in mind. Initial orders are accompanied by two containers - a compostable storage tub and a reusable hydration dish.
Proximity to materials and in-house manufacturing keeps costs low. A month’s supply – 18 sets – of eye masks costs GBP 32 (USD 40). A set of three disposable masks from a budget brand costs approximately 11 USD or USD 55 for a month’s supply, while typical luxury versions can cost between USD 60 and USD 100. The eye masks are among Haeckels’ bestselling products.
Haeckels expanded its grown-to-order offering with the launch of Christmas gift sets. Once ordered, the brand grows Mycelium packaging, which biodegrades in as little as six weeks in soil. It is then wrapped in a seaweed-based sleeve, embedded with wildflower seeds, also intended to be returned to the soil. With a waiting time between one and three weeks, the grown-to-order ranges embrace the fact that 86% of consumers are willing to wait for a product to be manufactured in an environmentally-considered manner.
In order to further reduce emissions associated with its grown-to-order products, Haeckels is installing a three kilowatt solar panel system on the roof of its manufacturing space, in order to power the lab on renewable energy.

"The next step of the beauty industry is taking sustainability off of the customer and just presenting a solution."

Charlie Vickery - Managing Director, Haeckels - as quoted in British Vogue

Key Design Considerations:

Legislation is key

Are you planning to cultivate your own seaweed? Be aware of licensing, permit requirements and differences in legislation between markets. New York state has only recently passed Senate Bill S6532A to allow cultivation at Gardiner's and Peconic bays, and growing areas still need to be established.

Messaging is everything

Haeckels’ eye masks were slow sellers until it bolstered sustainability claims, with a focus on the benefits of the product. As discussed on the brand’s Instagram account, it did not call for a change in formulation, but a more consumer-aware marketing strategy. Be mindful that the quality of the product will be just as important, or more, to your customers as its environmental credentials.

Choose your ingredients wisely

Using at-risk species or raw ingredients intensively grown as monocultures, could offset the gains you make in compostability, packaging reduction and waste mitigation, through a made or grown-to-order model.

Communicate compostability transparently

Haeckels does not go into detail about how these masks compost - whether it is in the garden, in home compost or they have to go to an industrial composter. Consumers will increasingly feel brands have something to hide if they are not given this information. Be sure to openly discuss the end-of-life process.