MONO Skincare

Waterless tablets for refill / Source: Mono Skincare

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6 MINUTE READ

Nadine Smith

WHAT WE SAY:

A newcomer to the premium beauty scene, Mono Skincare is removing water from its formulations to create water-activated skincare tablets.

We have become so used to shipping water-intensive products around the world in plastic bottles that we think it is normal, when on every level it is a bad idea. Mono’s tablets are activated using only minimal water in the home when used. The skincare is natural, vegan and of course plastic-free, but can this solution ever compete with the convenience and cost of pre-mixed beauty? We believe it is time to create a new normal and this is a great start.

KEY FACTS:

Launched in 2021, tablet-based skincare brand Mono Skincare offers an alternative to pre-formulated personal care and beauty products with its hyper-concentrated range of waterless skincare.
The range consists of 14 products, including a makeup remover, cleanser, toner, face cream, deodorant, serum and body mist. Each is formed into a solid tablet, made from a mix of highly concentrated active ingredients - a first for the skincare industry. The tablets are mixed in a bottle with up to 100 millilitres of warm tap water at the point of use and dissolve in as little as 30 minutes. The brand claims this speed is an industry first and holds a patent for the innovation in the US, Europe and China.
The brand sells the solid skincare with a range of refillable glass bottles and droppers. The permanent packaging can be reused almost infinitely, providing it is sanitised occasionally. It should be noted that the lids of Mono Skincare permanent glass bottles still contain plastic to reduce seepage and facilitate the transportation of the product.
The brand sells individual refill tablets packaged in a small Glass jar, with an Aluminium lid. These can be reused or alternatively recycled kerbside. The larger glass bottles are also suitable for recycling and the corrugated cardboard packaging used for shipping is recyclable in the paper and card recycling stream.

Mono Skincare pH-Balancing Toner refillable glass bottle and waterless tablets / Source: Mono Skincare

Intense Hydration Night Serum tablet being placed into reusable glass bottle / Source: Mono Skincare

DIVE DEEPER:

Consumers are waking up to the fact that many of the beauty products they buy are filled with water - water they are paying to ship around the world and that often adds little to nothing to the quality of the product. Water-based formulas are heavy, large and require waterproof packaging to store. This leads to a higher carbon footprint when shipping that often erroneously promotes plastic as the packaging material of choice. It is a design flaw that is, if nothing else, uneconomical for a brand.
Solid skincare, such as Mono’s does not require plastic to store and one small shipping box can contain three refillable bottles and three solid tablets. The lack of water increases the potency of the end formula and reduces the risk of contamination from bacterial growth. This means they can be stored for a long period of time without being compromised, assuming they have not been mixed with water. The brand’s solid tablet can be stored for up to 12 months and once activated can be used for up to six months.
One trade-off the brand makes, although it does not consider it as such, is the consistency of the end product. Consumers are used to moisturisers that are thick and creamy, whereas Mono Skincare’s offering transforms into a light, watery liquid. Feedback for its cleanser is that it does not lather on the skin as expected. This is because the brand has excluded occlusive, airtight, moisturising ingredients, such as petroleum and mineral oil, as well as thickening and lubricating agents, such as nut and seed oils. The brand states that this is better for the skin, even if it does not deliver the same user experience.
Manufactured in Belgium, Mono Skincare’s formulas are 100% organic, made with clean, vegan ingredients and are certified cruelty-free. They are suitable for sensitive skin, children and those who are pregnant.
Mono Skincare products are currently available in the US, Europe, UK, South East Asia, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia. Prices start at USD 14 for a single refill tablet (to make a 50 millilitre product) to USD 88 for the three product skincare kit, including three permanent glass bottles.

"I think about the part...hotels and restaurants are playing in the refillable game...they get through a lot more product...For that reason we are going to launch our body and hair care tablets as hotel amenities refillable solutions too."

Laurie Mias - Founder, Mono Skincare

Key Design Considerations:

Secondary plastic components

This system change solution combats a huge amount of plastic use, but - as with many innovations - it is not yet 100% plastic-free. The glass bottles and refill system means the little plastic used - in the lid - is not single-use, but would not it be amazing if we could eliminate that too? Look to aluminium bottles with metal threading as an alternative seepage solution and be sure to consider other hidden plastics, such as packaging and labelling adhesives and inks to ensure you can claim the 100% plastic-free moniker.

Democratised pricing structures

To ensure these waterless solutions can be adopted by a wide consumer group, they need to move from a niche solution to one that is available to all, at a comparable price point to everyday brands. This is not an easy task and will require a brand to swallow some of the initial costs to ramp up demand. Communication focused on long-term savings is also essential. Much of the cost of a beauty product is the packaging. If you are only buying it once, the savings will add up over time.

Multifunctional design

This skincare collection offers a large number of products, each one doing just one thing. Beauty regimes do not need to be multiple steps long and consumers have turned their backs on the much-raved-about 10-step skincare routine in recent years. What is emerging is an array of multifunctional products - those that do three, four or even five things in one. This not only caters to time-poor consumers, but those looking to reduce the amount of products they buy for environmental reasons too. It is also a more economical solution for consumers impacted by the global cost of living
crisis.

We live in an era of convenience

Pre-mixed personal care products are popular for their convenience, whether at home or while travelling. Mono Skincare’s solution requires more forethought on behalf of the consumer, but its subscription service can easily eliminate the stress of having to order more tablets. The weight of the glass bottles could put off consumers when travelling, as they are substantially higher than a plastic alternative. Solid skincare that does not require being mixed with water - Sbtrct comes to mind - are more travel-friendly.

The impact of tablet production

Consider how the waterless tablets are produced. If the production involves a wet granulation, then additional energy burdens will be used for the drying - typically through the application of heat. Could a powder formula, that is mixed with water straight from the tap, be a better option for you?

Refill packaging

Mono Skincare ships individual tablets in small individual glass jars. These jars are technically recyclable, but their size means they are likely to slip through the net in existing recycling infrastructure, ending up in landfill. It also seems counter-intuitive to ship one tablet in one jar, rather than three or four in a slightly larger jar.