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The Body Shop is Bullish on In-Store Refill Program

Hilary Lloyd, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Responsibility for The Body Shop North America, shares details on the beauty retailer’s successful in-store refill strategy.

Hilary Lloyd, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Responsibility, The Body Shop North America
Hilary Lloyd, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Responsibility, The Body Shop North America

In April, beauty retailer The Body Shop expanded its in-store refill platform across the U.S. for a number of its best-selling products using a system of reusable bottles refilled by store employees from a dedicated station. In this Q&A, Hilary Lloyd, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Responsibility for The Body Shop North America, outlines specifics of the program, including insights gleaned while developing the system.

Packaging World:

I understand that you installed refill stations at two concept stores in 2019. What did you learn from this experience about creating a successful refill-on-the-go system? Were there any concerns by consumers that had to be overcome?

Hilary Lloyd:

In that implementation, we learned two things. First, convenience is one of the greatest barriers to refilling. We want to make it easier for our customers to reduce their impact on the planet, so since the implementation, we’ve been in constant communication with our community. We want to hear from them so we can implement the changes they want to see. The second thing we learned was that one of the biggest logistical challenges was creating a refill station that works for all our countries and stores, to ensure we can launch in as many stores as possible. Due to the space restrictions in some of our smaller stores, we needed to create two different-sized stations, including a smaller version on wheels. Then, because each market has different regulatory requirements for refilling, we had to find a solution that worked for all markets. We are hoping to continue overcoming some of these challenges as we progress with our ambitious refill rollout.

The reusable, 10-oz bottle for shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, and hand wash refills is made from 100% PCR aluminum.The reusable, 10-oz bottle for shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, and hand wash refills is made from 100% PCR aluminum.What are your shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, and hand washes typically packaged in? Will this packaging still be an option once the refill concept has been rolled out across all your stores?

As we work to transition all products to be made of 100% recycled plastic, we already offer all our haircare and fragrance products with packaging made from 100% recycled plastic. We are working to have 100% of our packaging be reusable, recyclable, or compostable and made with at least 50% recycled plastic by 2030 with support from our parent company, Natura & Co. Our other products offered via refill—hand washes, body wash, etc.—are currently packaged with 25% recycled material. This packaging is still an option, however there is a cost-saving incentive to encourage customers to convert to refillable products. For example, if you were to buy our Ginger Shampoo in its standard pack, you’d pay $12 for 8.4 ounces of product, whereas with refill, you can get 10 ounces of product for $9 when you come back to refill.

New e-book on Multipacking and Case Packing
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New e-book on Multipacking and Case Packing