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Packaging

The best packaging – no matter what it's made of – is the packaging that is never produced. We could talk all day about modern recycling, the eco-friendliness of certain materials, or insert the next green buzzword here. But the truth is, we produce far too much waste as a species. Recycling capacities are insufficient in most places on Earth, and we need to stop pretending that tossing a bottle or a tube into the recycling bin solves our waste problem. It doesn't. Mindless consumption is one of the most environmentally harmful activities in our society. Evidence shows that, unfortunately, the negative impact of overconsumption has now offset the benefits of our best eco-friendly activities and policies. Lumessentials is a small, self-funded company. From the start, we committed to scrutinizing the entire lifecycle of our products to understand our true environmental impact. We asked the hard questions: Where do we cause the most harm? Where can we do better? What is the real cost of our packaging, transportation, and end-of-life disposal? While our small-batch model inherently creates less waste than mass production, we knew that wasn't enough. For the packaging we must create, how do we ensure its end-of-life does the least damage possible? This line of questioning led us to one clear conclusion: putting another cream in a plastic tube was the worst possible choice we could make – no matter how good the cream.

The truth beyond empty words

Plastic has been labeled as "recyclable", "biodegradable" and "made from recycled materials". Here's how things really are:
Each time plastic is recycled, it loses about 50% of its ability to be recycled again.
Of all plastic produced from the 1950s to today, only 9% has ever been recycled.
In the United States, only 5–6% of plastic waste is recycled annually.
The truth is, most plastics are rarely or never recycled. The only widely recycled type is PET.
Crucially, "biodegradable" and "compostable" plastics do not contribute to a circular economy. In fact, their presence in the plastics stream can harm the recycling process, therefore, they need to be sorted out in advance.

A holistic look at the energy and systems

Some argue that alternative "eco" materials require more energy to produce, leading to higher CO₂ emissions. This is a critical point. However, it ignores a fundamental systemic flaw: we are overproducing plastic, especially single-use plastic, and we're consuming too much. While production efficiencies improve and more manufacturers use renewable energy, the core issue remains: Most plastic simply cannot be recycled, no matter how advanced our recycling technology becomes, and we "consume" too much of it. We must solve the problem at the source, not just manage its symptoms.

Our primary packaging

We opted for aluminum. This choice wasn't a compromise – it was a non-negotiable commitment to staying true to our core values. Here's why it's the right choice.
One material, seamless process: Our cap is also 100% aluminum. No more struggling to separate components. The entire package (tube + cap) can be recycled together, making the right thing to do the easy thing to do.
Infinitely recyclable: Aluminum can be recycled again and again, forever, without losing quality. It's one of the most recycled materials on earth. In fact, nearly 75% of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today, continuously circulating in the loop.
Safe, simple coating: Our tube has an epoxy resin lining that is fully recyclable alongside the aluminum and is BPA-free.
Good product protection: Aluminum is airtight and blocks sunlight, dramatically slowing oxidation. Moreover, unlike plastic tubes, aluminum tubes do not draw air back inside after squeezing. This helps our products last and be more effective for longer.
The ink: We opted for water-based, fully recyclable inks, so every last millimeter of the package is designed with its end-of-life in mind.

Aluminum tube packaging

Our secondary packaging

Aluminum tubes are delicate and have limited space for the legally required product information. As much as we wanted to eliminate secondary packaging entirely, a protective box was necessary. The paper box and the water-based print on it is 100% recyclable. Don’t forget to peek inside your box for a little surprise 😉 All of our shipping and marketing materials are recyclable and compostable. Any additional treatment of these materials is water- or plant-based. This includes our cards, filling material, paper tape, and the shipping box.

Paper box packaging

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