Axiology Balmies

Balmies in recycled cardboard carry cases / Source: Axiology

BeautyEuropeHempNorth AmericaPackagingPaper

4 MINUTE READ

Kaltrina Bylykbashi

WHAT WE SAY:

Sales of lipstick are gaining traction once more, growing by 48% in the first quarter of 2022 - more than twice as fast as other beauty categories. Unfortunately, the majority of lipsticks are encased in plastic cases with plastic twist mechanisms. But Axiology is doing things differently.

Championing the recyclability and feedstock of paper, its range of lip-to-lid Balmies are wrapped in recycled sheets of paper, for consumers use like a crayon. No cap means they are not as easy or hygienic to transport as a standard lipstick, but a carry case goes some way to mitigate this required behaviour change.

KEY FACTS:

US-based colour cosmetic brand Axiology forgoes the classic lipstick tube for recycled Paper wrappings. Replacing the twist and push mechanism used in most other lipstick bullets, the brand’s Balmies - suitable for use on the lips, eyelids and cheeks - can be used like a coloured crayon, with the wrapping peeled back to expose more of the product.
Certified vegan and cruelty-free by Peta, the Balmies are wrapped in post-consumer recycled paper from Bali. The brand’s supplier sources all paper from Balinese offices, hotels and schools, and does not require any raw material.
The material is largely processed by hand by a local Balinese manufacturer, which boils and soaks shredded paper overnight to clean it - a process which does not call for bleach or other harmful chemicals.
Balmies are cap-less and are sold with an accompanying recycled cardboard carry case for transportation and storage. Despite the lack of a cap, the case, alongside the use of plum and Hemp oil in the formula, is said to keep the lipstick fresh.
Both the boxes and the paper wrappings are recyclable in the paper waste stream where available.
The brand and its products are available across major retailers, such as Sephora, Ulta and Asos.

A set of Lip-to-Lid Balmies / Source: Axiology

The Malibu Magic Balmie range / Source: Axiology

DIVE DEEPER:

Lipsticks are one of the most wasteful beauty products on the market. Lipstick tubes are complex and multi-layered, with plastic mechanisms, aluminium casings, metalised finishes and more. All of this equates to a pack that cannot be easily separated for recycling and even if it was, the materials would be too small to actually be recycled.
The result is billions of lipstick tubes going to landfill every year - a number only set to increase as another global recession reignites the renowned ‘lipstick effect’ and consumers seek smaller, more affordable pick-me-ups to save money.
Replacing plastic lipstick tubing is a necessary step and with paper being one of the most highly recycled materials in the world - approximately 46 million tons of paper and paperboard were recycled in the US in 2018, a 68.2% recycling rate - Axiology’s choice of PCR-paper makes sense.
Sourced from a woman-founded-and-run manufacturer in Bali, the paper used by Axiology was chosen because of the positive impact it has on the local community. Collected from local businesses before it can be littered (Bali recycles but it is not accessible to all, resulting in huge swathes of waste reaching the environment over the years) the use of this PCR paper not only empowers local communities, but prevents them from being overrun by garbage patches.
Only one piece of machinery is needed to process the paper after it is soaked, making the manufacturing process largely energy efficient. All water used in the process is saved and reused to reduce waste too.
The brand claims that for every ton of paper waste used, 17 mature trees are saved from felling.
In addition to its packaging, Axiology carefully considers the Balmies’ formulation - never using more than 10 ingredients in a product. Key ingredients include natural oils, such as avocado, grape seed and hemp seed, which are combined with earth-derived pigments, such as iron oxides and mica.
Axiology became plastic-free in 2022, so still has some product with 50% plastic tubing in circulation today.

"First of their kind, Balmies are wrapped in recycled and recyclable paper. Just rip the paper as you go (think Crayola crayons)."

Axiology

Key Design Considerations:

Scalability

Axiology founder, Ericka Rodriquez admits the company is small, with fewer than 10 employees and that everything is processed by hand. Scaling this production model is challenging, but if other solid beauty products can be packaged in paper at a mass scale - look at Lush - then packaging lipstick in paper at mass cannot be far off.

Localised over globalised

The Bali-based manufacturer is Axiology’s only paper packaging supplier, meaning the carbon cost of shipping product from the US to Bali to be packaged and then sent back again, could easily negate the positive impacts of the product. Wide scale paper recycling is common across many countries and local sources should be a priority to limit shipping emissions.

Behaviour change

The lack of a protective cap on the Balmies will be a barrier to entry for many. Bullets cannot be thrown in a handbag or easily passed around and they have the potential to be messier and less hygienic to use as a result. While a carry case goes some way to help, an alternative material, such as a 100% recycled Aluminium tube, with a cap, might be a better option for your consumer.

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Axiology Balmies

WHAT WE SAY:

Sales of lipstick are gaining traction once more, growing by 48% in the first quarter of 2022 - more than twice as fast as other beauty categories. Unfortunately, the majority of lipsticks are encased in plastic cases with plastic twist mechanisms. But Axiology is doing things differently.

KEY FACTS:

DIVE DEEPER:

The result is billions of lipstick tubes going to landfill every year - a number only set to increase as another global recession reignites the renowned ‘lipstick effect’ and consumers seek smaller, more affordable pick-me-ups to save money.

Replacing plastic lipstick tubing is a necessary step and with paper being one of the most highly recycled materials in the world - approximately 46 million tons of paper and paperboard were recycled in the US in 2018, a 68.2% recycling rate - Axiology’s choice of PCR-paper makes sense.

Only one piece of machinery is needed to process the paper after it is soaked, making the manufacturing process largely energy efficient. All water used in the process is saved and reused to reduce waste too.

The brand claims that for every ton of paper waste used, 17 mature trees are saved from felling.

In addition to its packaging, Axiology carefully considers the Balmies’ formulation - never using more than 10 ingredients in a product. Key ingredients include natural oils, such as avocado, grape seed and hemp seed, which are combined with earth-derived pigments, such as iron oxides and mica.

Axiology became plastic-free in 2022, so still has some product with 50% plastic tubing in circulation today.

Axiology

Key Design Considerations:

Scalability

Localised over globalised

Behaviour change

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