More customers demand 'eco-friendliness' in cosmetics

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Lifestyle

Tue, September 26, 2023 | 04:47

Trends

More customers demand 'eco-friendliness' in cosmetics

Posted : 2021-03-01 09:30

Updated : 2021-03-02 10:39

Natural organic cosmetic bottles with a wooden branch on a green background / gettyimagesbank

By Park Ji-won

Kim Ye-seul, a 30-year-old woman, visited a refillable cosmetic store recently in western Seoul's Mangwon-dong to get a skincare product. Instead of buying another bottle of the product, she only bought refills there and collected them in recyclable containers she brought from home. She decided to buy refills rather than a new bottle of the product to reduce plastic consumption after learning that most bottles for cosmetic products are not recyclable.

"I read news articles saying most plastic bottles used for cosmetic products cannot be reused. I heard that the Earth is suffering due to plastic products as it takes them more than 100 years to decompose. I am not a full-time activist or anything, but I could try what I can do for the environment. It is not as cheap and convenient as buying an ordinary cosmetic product, and there are fewer options, but I think it is worth it," Kim said.

She is one of many who prefer eco-friendly cosmetic products and recyclable brands amid the rising awareness of various global environmental issues such as climate change. A rising number of consumers prioritize ethical consumption and more companies are responding to the trend.

A group of people dump out bottles of cosmetics during a press conference held to urge cosmetic companies to use recyclable packaging in Jongno District, Seoul, last Friday. Yonhap

A group of citizens formed an activist group called "joint action by citizens on cosmetics" held a campaign recently criticizing large cosmetics conglomerates for using unrecyclable plastic containers. According to the latest data collected by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute between October 2019 and July 2020, more than 90 percent of cosmetic bottles are not recyclable.

"We collected more than 8,000 empty cosmetic bottles in 86 stores within the last two weeks which are about 370 kilograms ... It is irresponsible to make pretty garbage which cannot be reused."

They urged cosmetic companies to use recyclable packaging and take responsibility for the waste they generate.

In response to changing people's awareness and demands, some cosmetic and retail companies such as Aromatica and AmorePacific are taking the initiative by introducing refill-focused cosmetic products and opening their offline stores.

AmorePacific, the largest cosmetics company in Korea, opened refill stations last October, where customers can buy refill products of the company's various brands. Aromatica started to sell its refill products last June through some cosmetics outlets and its own channels and is planning to expand its partnerships with other retail stores and open more original stores. The company is using recycled plastics in its bottles and selling up to 18 refill products.

jwpark@koreatimes.co.kr