10.12.22
KraveBeauty's "Waste Me Not" campaign aims to bring awareness to the hidden waste of the beauty industry, to shed a light on an industry-wide problem.
The brand says the beauty industry's waste problem goes beyond packaging—it also includes production mishaps, returns, damages, and excess inventory.
How KraveBeauty Repurposed Product Waste
KraveBeauty repurposed over $1.5M in retail value of unsaleable product waste that it created in the past year.How did this happen? After beginning production on a reformulated version of its Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser, which is packaged in a squeeze tube made using 50% PCR. KraveBeauty had to reject over 1,200 gallons of product bulk that didn't meet its standards.
Instead of discarding the rejected excess bulk, KraveBeauty reworked the formula to create a limited-edition Matcha Hemp Body Wash.
Why KraveBeauty Chose a Plastic Pouch
To further reduce waste, Matcha Hemp Body Wash is packaged in a plastic pouch. Plastic pouches require less material that rigid containers, the brand says, which translates to less water and energy used during manufacturing.The product is being sold at cost for $8.00, which covers the cost of product, packaging, compliance, safety testing, freight & fulfillment.
Choosing to Sell a Discounted Pilot Test Product
KraveBeauty shares another example of how the brand avoided sending more of its production waste to landfills.In June 2022, KraveBeauty launched an innovative jelly oil cleanser, Makeup Re-Wined. It took two years of development time, plus multiple failed production runs to achieve the product's perfect "jiggly-jelly" texture, the company says.
When KraveBeauty scaled up production, a process engineering issue resulted in a large pilot batch that was more fluid in consistency than the current jelly texture.
This pilot batch has the same ingredients and efficacy as the final version, but it's an un-sellable less-than-perfect product. As part of the "Waste Me Not" campaign, KraveBeauty is selling its Makeup Re-Wined Pilot for $12.50, which is a 50% discount.
The listing for Makeup Re-Wined Pilot on KraveBeauty's website says, "Production screw-ups happen all the time...nailing the unique texture was no walk in the park. The texture was a unique challenge for our lab, manufacturers, and all the engineers that were involved. We had to run multiple sample productions, more than we would like..."
The brand explains to consumers that rather than waste all the production samples, KraveBeauty is selling the "rejects," because the only difference in the formula is a more fluid texture. And the brand is betting shoppers will appreciate the half-price discount. Some shoppers will receive packaging made for the Korean market.
KraveBeauty also encourages recycling by showing consumers how thorugh its explanatory videos. Take a look at the video posted to its Instagram below.
Encouraging Other Beauty Brands To Follow Suit
KraveBeauty is challenging the beauty industry to normalize talking about the waste issue—to spread awareness among consumers while encouraging other brands to join the cause.Yoo recruited Sarah Paiji Yoo, co-founder and CEO of Blueland, and Melanie Bender, CEO of Rhode Skin, to appear in this YouTube video—"we made $1.5 million worth of waste at kravebeauty and here's what we did."
The video further explains how KraveBeauty tackles its own waste issue, shining a light on beauty's "hidden waste." Yoo talks about what she believes all beauty brands should do about the issue. Watch the video linked above.