Edgewell’s strategic goal is crystal clear for the next five years: adopt the cleanest possible industrial and product approach. The group changed its organization accordingly, by appointing a Global Sustainability Director. This strategy immediately drove changes related to both pack and formula design and production processes.
Plastic-free shaving
British brand Bulldog put forward sustainable ambitions right from the beginning, with formulas composed of 95% of natural ingredients and biosourced plastic tubes. Last year, they launched the first razor fitted with a bamboo handle in a plastic-free pack. This year, they are pushing limits further with a razor whose handle is 70% glass-based: the glass is derived from recycled beer bottles and the razor is also delivered in a plastic-free bag.
“It is definitely our iconic brand in terms of ecoresponsibility. Edgewell can use its know-how to structure its historic brands following the same logic,” says Céline Solladié, Head of Marketing Edgewell France.
Two major changes were achieved for the Wilkinson’s refillable and disposable ranges. The Hydro razor range has gotten rid of plastic, which was replaced with FSC-certified cardboard. The tray is also made of plant-based fibre, and the foil is cellulose-based – the whole is recyclable. The Hydro 3 and 5 versions have been enriched with a moisturizing gel free from titanium dioxide.
As for disposable razors, last September, Wilkinson launched their very first ecodesigned disposable razor, Xtreme 3 Eco Green: the handle is made with 95% recycled plastic and the packaging contains over 95% of recycled and recyclable cardboard. “We are now going to make a substantial change to the rest of the Xtreme 3 range, which accounts for a quarter of the disposable razor market. We have designed a handle composed of at least 70% of recycled plastic. This change will be gradually implemented in all our disposable ranges. We aim to reduce the part of virgin plastic in all our products to less than 50% in four years. We are ahead of schedule with disposable razors,” reveals the Director.
Hawaiian Tropic cleans up formulas
The brand specialized in sun products with addictive fragrances reviewed its formulas to completely remove the octocrylene and octinoxate chemical filters from its lotions. Meanwhile, they launched an SPF 30 lotion on the European market: Reef-friendly-labelled, it contains 100% of mineral filters and no controversial ingredients. The bottle is also composed of 25% of recycled plastic.
“It is a very strong launch for Hawaiian Tropic. All other products will be reformulated over the next three to five years,” claims Céline Solliadé.
Growth despite slowdown
On the global razor market affected by a structural decline worsened by the lockdown, Edgewell remains stable and hopes to gain new market shares thanks to these innovations.
“Above all, we aim to go much further with Bulldog. In France, this brand has ranked third for three years among men’s brands in supermarkets. Taking into account all skincare products, we have gained 7 points in terms of market shares: we are behind major leaders like L’Oréal and Nivea. It means Bulldog is credible on this market,” adds Céline Solladié.
Source link : https://www.premiumbeautynews.com/en/edgewell-speeds-up-brands-green,18030
