The cosmetic industry is the biggest user of single-use plastic; ‘Zero Waste’ reported that more than 120 billion units of packaging are produced every year by the global cosmetics industry, most of which are not recyclable. 

We don’t want to be a part of the problem, so we do what we can to minimise our contribution to the crisis and maximise our use of sustainable packaging. 

Our outer and inner boxes are made out of paper with 100% recycled fibres and we exclusively use vegetable-based inks. Our spatulas are crafted by hand by a Puglian-based carpenter using sustainable Italian olive wood. Our bottles and jars are recyclable glass and up to 31% of each glass product is made from PIR (Post Industrial Recycled) material. As an important next step in our sustainability journey, many are refillable with a replaceable bio-based plastic inner component. 

At Irene Forte Skincare, we noticed that a number of brands have a refillable element without a recycling scheme for the refill. We wanted to do more, so we have partnered with First Mile. Our refillables allow you to purchase the original bottles once and continuously replenish them with recyclable refill components when the product is finished. These are available to buy at a lower cost and they come in reduced packaging. First Mile shreds the refill components and converts them into plastic pellets to be used in car part and pipe production, giving them a second life. For our few non-refillable products, the glass bottles and jars can be recycled at home as you would usually recycle glass, while the lids and pumps can also be recycled via our First Mile recycling programme. We are so proud of this system which allows us to design out waste and keep products and materials in use. Plus, it costs you nothing – learn more here.