MOB Beauty

A Mob Beauty eyeshadow palette with refills / Source: Mohawk

AluminiumBambooBeautyMeiyume Molded PulpMohawk RenewalMoulded FibreNorth AmericaPackagingPaper

4 MINUTE READ

Kaltrina Bylykbashi

WHAT WE SAY:

Make-up palettes are made up of individual pans of product. Most consumers will only use a handful of the colours on offer, with the others thrown away when the favoured ones run out. This system makes little sense. Mob Beauty’s modular, customisable and reusable palettes have changed this flawed system.

Aluminium pans of product are sold individually, packaged in paper and slotted into the palette when needed. Consumers can choose the exact tones they want, meaning they will not be left with a rogue hue that does nothing for their skin tone. While palettes themselves are currently made from PCR plastic, this systemic change solution reduces both packaging and product waste in one - bravo.

KEY FACTS:

Mob Beauty’s refillable range of make-up palettes and compacts allows consumers to customise their own beauty routine, choosing only the shades of eyeshadow, blusher and bronzer they actually want to use.
Individual pans of product can be easily slotted into larger palettes, which are designed to last for years. While the palettes are made from majority PCR PET and PP resin, product is housed in Aluminium pans.
The brand is using Paper-based outer packaging for all refillable items. The clamshell-shaped external package was developed to use the smallest amount of material possible per item. It is made up of Mohawk’s Loop Antique Vellum Birch paper, using 60% post-consumer waste material and 40% FSC-certified Bamboo for fibre.
Mohawk’s Loop range is made using renewable energy. The paper is Green Seal certified and Green-e certified.
The palettes come in varying sizes, fitting between one and twelve modules, depending on the products chosen. The company also offers refillable lipstick and mascara tubes.

All Mob Beauty outer packaging and shipping materials are 100% PCR from FSC-certified suppliers / Source: Mohawk

A refill packaged in Mohawk paper / Source: Mob Beauty

DIVE DEEPER:

While refillable beauty is helping to cut down on packaging waste, the need to create and ship refills, such as Mob Beauty’s pans requires additional packaging. To ensure this does not outweigh the intended benefit of refill, refill packs must be carefully considered.
Mob Beauty’s choice of paper makes sense. Paper is one of the most highly recycled materials in the US, where the brand is based. The recycling rate of paper in the country is 68.2%, compared to 5-6% when it comes to plastic.
Mohawk, Mob Beauty’s paper provider, is a US-based heritage brand that has been working in the industry since the 1930s and supplies nearly 60 countries, around the world, with premium paper product. It is a leading producer of recycled paper and was the first paper manufacturer in the US to receive Green Seal certification.
Mob Beauty’s chosen Mohawk paper comes from its Mohawk Loop range, which is available in 17 colours and five finishes. Made from a high quantity of PCR paper, it is created using wind power and is FSC-certified. Other sustainable paper ranges include: Mohawk Renewal and Mohawk Options.
Mob Beauty is a founding member of Pact, a non-profit that collects hard-to-recycle beauty products to dispose of them consciously. To ensure its refills are efficiently recycled (they are too small to be recycled at home) the beauty brand has partnered with Pact and Credo Beauty to install recycling bins in Credo stores in the US and Canada. For consumers not based near a store, the brand offers a mail-back recycling programme too.
Other Mob Beauty packaging, such as its 100% PCR, FSC-certified shipping boxes, can be recycled in the home. The brand also claims that outer packaging can be home composted once the label is removed, although there is no certification to determine how long this will take.
Mob Beauty came to fruition in 2021 and was launched by Mac co-founder Victor Casale, former chief brand officer of Cover FX Alisha Gallagher, and Beatrice Seguin, former chief innovation officer of CSR Beauty Solutions.

"...We [spoke] with creative people in...beauty...about packaging sold separately, they said it wouldn’t work. They thought products had to be easy, simple, no work involved...that’s not our customer; we want a thoughtful customer who purchases with purpose."

Victor Casale - Co-Founder, Mob Beauty - as quoted in Nuvo Magazine

Key Design Considerations:

Paper efficiency

Recycling rates around the world vary for different materials, so it is worth asking if the use of paper is effective in your home territory and whether your consumers have access to systems, such as Pact to dispose of miniature packs. Work with suppliers, such as Mohawk who takes pride in its paper standing up to environmental scrutiny.

Swap out the plastic

Despite strong credentials, a large part of Mob Beauty’s products are still made of plastic. Can you go one step further and create a reusable palette without PET? Explore bamboo as an option, used by Zao Makeup for its refill palettes.

Fixtures and fittings

Make-up palettes tend to come with many components, from mirrors to magnetic closures and metal hinges. All of these make the disposal of the packaging either difficult or impossible. Ensure components are designed to be easily disassembled, so consumers can place materials in the correct waste streams. Better yet, create a mono-material pack, as designed by Meiyume from Moulded fibre.