UpCircle

UpCircle product range / Source: UpCircle

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4 MINUTE READ

Sophie Benson

WHAT WE SAY:

UpCircle started as a vehicle for reusing spent coffee grounds. Now, it is a fully realised beauty brand, built on a foundation of upcycling and, crucially, a plastic-free approach to formulation.

Why use microbeads when nine billion kilograms of coffee grounds are created each year? And if they are not in reach, argan shells, olive stones, apricot stones and date seeds are all waiting to be saved from waste. UpCircle is proof of what is possible when waste, collaboration and imagination meet. There is nothing beautiful about plastic. A beauty industry built in this image is what the future looks like.

KEY FACTS:

UpCircle upcycles waste products from the food and drink industry to create natural, plastic-free skincare products.
Since its launch in 2016, the UK-based company has transformed 450 tonnes of coffee grounds into skincare, using the natural exfoliant as an alternative to microbeads.
It has since expanded its raw materials, and now also formulates with by-products of date farming, the juicing industry, the wood industry, the tea industry and argan oil cultivation. Next, it will be partnering with florists and wedding venues to reuse flower petals.
Key upcycled ingredients include blueberry extract, chai spices, maple bark and chamomile stems.
UpCircle is certified under Beat the Microbead’s Look for the Zero initiative, which guarantees a product contains zero microplastics.

Collecting coffee grounds for plastic-free exfoliation / Source: UpCircle

UpCircle face scrub / Source: UpCircle

DIVE DEEPER:

A single 50 millilitre bottle of anti-ageing cream can contain 1.48 million polyethylene particles, while between 8-10% of GHG emissions are associated with food that is not consumed. By creating plastic-free beauty products using by-products from the food and drink industry, UpCircle is tackling both of these problems.
While coffee’s application as an exfoliant is perhaps an obvious one, other ingredients used by UpCircle, which offer similar properties include the finely ground powder created from Olive Pits and apricots. Unlike plastics, these natural ingredients provide further skincare benefits, such as vitamin E and anti-inflammatory properties, adding to the formula’s efficacy.
UpCircle uses other food by-products in oils, fruit waters, creams and masks. All products are vegan, cruelty-free and made in the UK.
Alongside using natural ingredients, UpCircle amplifies its sustainable efforts by being a certified Plastic Negative brand. Through a partnership with rePurpose Global, it funds the impact project Saaf Samudra, which means “clean sea” in Hindi. To date, the project has removed nearly one million single-use plastic pouches from Goa’s coastline. The multi-layered-plastic (MLP) is co-processed and the minerals are extracted for use in cement production.
We do not believe offsetting projects are a reason for inaction within a company’s own operations, which is why we are encouraged by UpCircle’s packaging policy. 99% of the packaging within its range is plastic-free. The range includes Aluminium lids, cardboard boxes and shipping packages, cornstarch packing peanuts, and Glass bottles and jars.
The company also offers plastic-free refills for the remaining 1% of plastic packaging at a 20% discount. Customers receive a free postage label, send their empties back to UpCircle, which then sterilises and refills them. It processes refills every Thursday. Currently, over 90% of its skincare range can be refilled.
The sibling-run brand received GBP 50,000 (USD 62,000) of investment after appearing on the television show Dragon’s Den in 2018, and was on track to generate around USD 1.95 million in revenue in 2019. It operates globally on a D2C basis via its website, and its retail stockists include Beauty Bay, Sainsbury’s, Holland & Barrett, Lookfantastic and Feelunique.

"We are a certified Plastic Negative brand, meaning we remove more ocean-bound plastic than our packaging uses."

UpCircle

Key Design Considerations:

Food waste, not food, is key

There is no waste in nature so focus on that source. Are you diverting from the food chain? When using food-grade ingredients, ensure that they can be verified as being a waste product. Between 720 and 811 million people faced hunger in 2020, and beauty products should not take precedence over people when it comes to distributing food.

Traceability helps

Can you trace your raw ingredients? Between 15-25% of raw material transactions are fraudulent. Can you be certain of the provenance of your ingredients, how they are grown and how the people who grew them are treated?

Efficacy and effectiveness remain paramount

Skincare is an area where consumers will not compromise on quality. Ingredients should not be chosen purely because they are plastic-free and upcycled, but because they can deliver tangible, effective results. Begin with the properties you want your ingredients to provide and start your sourcing from there.