Packaging waste is the single biggest environmental concern in the beauty industry.
According to Boop, it’s as much as 70 per cent of the total waste that the market produces and yet the same retailer reveals that one in four customers is prepared to pay more for sustainable products. The demand is there and increasingly, so is the supply.
The industry is wising up to the importance of refillable products. It’s becoming the norm with the latest launches from eco-conscious labels and in our opinion, it’s high time. It generally costs the consumer less than buying brand new, helps the sustainability challenge and encourages brand loyalty. So it’s the ultimate win-win-win.
The ability to refill is all the more important when it comes to fragrance. While the glass bottles can be popped in your local recycling bin, many additional parts like the metal nozzles and plastic spritzers are often not recyclable and will end up in landfill.
So often the fragrance flacon is intricately detailed and attractive that it is a shame to put such works of art into the bin. Choose refillable means you can keep admiring them for longer while offering a planet-friendly solution by using less materials and less energy in the manufacturing process. Not to mention saving precious pennies over the cost of buying the perfume from new.
Luxury labels from Dior to by Kilian have joined the refill revolution across women’s, men’s and unisex concoctions.
Shop the best refillable perfumes below
Kylie Cosmetics cosmic kylie jenner eau de parfum
Her sister Kim may already have seven fragrances to her name but Kylie Jenner has only recently entered the space with Cosmic, her first scent since launching Kylie Cosmetics back in 2014.
Inside a bottle worthy of your shelfie, you’ll find a sweet floral scent that is enveloping and intoxicating. The deep base of vanilla musk accord and cedarwood is juxtaposed with an opening of star jasmine and blood orange and heart of golden amber accord and red peony accord that only gets better the longer that you wear it.
The aroma can be refilled with this 150ml bottle (£55).
Buy now £34.00, Selfridges
Issey Miyake L'Eau d'Issey
The enduring aroma of Issey Miyake’s signature scent has made it a bestseller since it was launched back in 1992. An icon in perfume form, it has a delicate floral composition with notes of rose and lotus. The idea behind its creation was to capture the freshness of a waterfall in a forest and so the light opening notes are anchored by an earthy wood to draw out their aquatic nature.
The fragrance is refillable and it costs £57.60 to do so for 75ml.
Buy now £80.00, lookfantastic
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum, 70ml
This sophisticated, luxury perfume was initially dreamt up in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the French luxury manufacturer of fine crystal, Baccarat. Since then, it has become a favourite amongst perfume enthusiasts across the globe, and continues to sell in troves on the daily.
We think this amber floral, jasmine, saffron and cedarwood scent would make a fantastic gift, not to mention the romantic gold and red casing.
It’s refillable with 3x11ml of the eau de parfum costing £155.
Buy now £155.00, John Lewis
by Kilian Good Girl Gone Bad Refillable Eau de Parfum
by Kilian’s Good Girl Gone Bad is a luxury aroma that captures the two sides of your personality. The floral aroma has a soft opening of osmanthus, jasmine and May rose that is subtle and non-assuming but, as it evolves with the middle of Indian tuberose and narcissus and dries down with the base of amber and cedar, it becomes more complex. The unique concoction reflects that of the ‘good girl’ being enticed by a temptress.
Buy now £220.00, John Lewis
Narciso Rodriguez All Of Me Eau de Parfum
Designed as a celebration of individuality and to enhance the wearer’s confidence, All Of Me is powered by florals, namely rose centifolia. But it takes a unique approach with the inclusion of geranium bourbon which is not typically in the notes line-up of female fragrances and instead appears more in the elixirs for men.
The aforementioned are paired with a delicate white musc in which six are combined with a dynamic, multi-faceted result. The perfume is made from 88 per cent natural origin ingredients.
Buy now £63.00, John Lewis
Maison Margiela Lazy Sunday Morning Eau de Toilette
The enveloping aroma of Maison Margiela’s Lazy Sunday captures the fresh and free feeling of the cosiest day of the week. It is designed to reflect the aroma of newly laundered bedsheets with white florals and notes of patchouli, rose absolute and white musk.
Buy now £60.00, John Lewis
Lancôme La Vie Est Belle
This is a fragrance that has stood the test of time for many years and has endless re-buy potential. It is so fresh, feminine and instantly recognisable.
The aroma is derived from a bouquet of florals that includes orange blossom, jasmine and iris. To add an element of fruitiness, there’s blackcurrant and pear, and it’s rounded off with patchouli, vanilla and praline that provide a sensual edge and allow you to wear from day to after dark.
Lancôme’s La Vie Est Belle is refillable with the 100ml recharge costing £84.
Buy now £56.50, The Perfume Shop
Burberry Goddess
Demonstrating the luxury label’s commitment to more sustainable practices, Burberry has launched its first refillable fragrance. Once you have spritzed its gourmand aromatic aroma, you need only purchase a more cost-effective bottle to decant and you’ll never be without your new signature scent. The olfactory experience is elevated through three varieties of vanilla set alongside lavender.
Buy now £68.00, The Perfume Shop
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Rosa Rossa
Rose-scented fragrances have a Marmite effect, but this tends to skew towards the former due to the sheer freshness that they bring with every spray.
Guerlain Rosa Rossa is one of the more sensual rose aromas, while still remaining bright and light. Bulgarian rose essence, an ingredient that can be found across the Guerlain collection, is played off against almond, Grasse rose absolute and a background of peach, pink pepper and patchouli for equal sweetness and spice. The beautiful shelfie-worthy honeycomb flacon is now refillable and crafted with recycled glass.
Shop the 200ml refill at lookfantastic (£172).
Buy now £105.00, lookfantastic
DIOR Sauvage Eau de Parfum 60ml
Sensual and mysterious, Dior’s irresistible Sauvage fragrance is one your partner will be constantly stealing to capture its addictive masculine notes. The scent was inspired by the desert at sundown and opens with fresh bergamot that has been given an exotic twist with peppery and citrusy touches. Vanilla has a smoky transformation and is set alongside a woody patchouli and amber base.
It’s refillable with the 300ml top-up costing £185.30.
Buy now £59.00, Boots
Moncler Pour Homme
Why bother with a card when you can project your special message onto this EDP from Moncler? Controlled using an app, change the message as often as you wish to reflect the sentiment of the season.
It’s not all fur coat; the scent is perfect for summer spritzing. Expect the clean and freshness of an Alpine forest alongside energetic sage with a woody dry down to finish.
It’s refillable too with a recharge of 150ml costing £123.
Buy now £76.00, The Perfume Shop
Prada Paradoxe Eau de Parfum 50ml
The fresh blossoming note of neroli opens the Prada Paradoxe fragrance. The floral amber blend sets this light touch with a heart of warming amber accords and a base of a new musk molecule for depth that endures long after first spritzing. It is housed in a triangular bottle in line with the Italian fashion house’s signature logo.
The refill is 100ml and costs £103.50.
Buy now £62.10, lookfantastic
Givenchy Beauty L’Interdit Refillable Eau de Parfum
The stalwart Givenchy Beauty L’Interdit fragrance has been redesigned in a new refillable format. The luxury French house has given its signature aroma a sustainable twist with an easy-to-fill, precise tip that slots into your existing 100ml eau de parfum. It even has a button to control the process so not a single drop is wasted.
The floral, woody aroma is no wallflower, the sensual scent may open with white flowers but there’s an immediate dark accord. Orange blossom, jasmine and tuberose are soon enveloped with vetiver and patchouli. It was created in homage to Hubert de Givenchy's first perfume with a round squared flacon, reflecting that this concoction defies convention and rules.
The refill costs £138 for 150ml.
Buy now £67.00, The Perfume Shop
