Eco-friendly sampling: Origin Group targets beauty with recyclable single-use 'snap' sachets

The patented sachet ‘SnappD’ could carry a range of liquid formulas, including creams, lotions, serums, and gels, either in single or double chambers, with each pack branded according to company needs. Importantly, the sachets were made using a closed-loop manufacturing process and used more than 30% Post-Consumer Recycled materials (PCR) meaning they were 100% recyclable in the UK and Europe – a welcome change in the single-use sachet category, said Laura Partington, sales development lead for SnappD at Origin Group.

“There’s a market out there for single-use; let’s make single-use eco-friendly,”​ Partington told CosmeticsDesign-Europe.

“…At the moment, most of the sachets used in personal care and cosmetics are for sampling – they come in magazines, they are give-aways, and they are all the standard tear or strip sachets. They’re really bad for the environment, they don’t biodegrade, you can’t recycle them because of the material makeup. We identified there’s a market for a sustainable sachet and a sachet that isn’t as difficult to open,”​ she said. 

‘It’s been a large R&D process’​

The patented design of the sachets – opened with one hand in a snap action – meant consumers could conveniently open them on-the-go or in the bathroom, she said. And when compared to tear variants, the snap action released a lot less microplastics into the air when opened, she said.

“It’s been a few years in the making; it’s taken a lot of time and effort from the developers to get this right. It’s gone through stringent testing, tweaking (…) It’s been a large R&D process,” ​Partington said.

The sachets were already available on the market, largely used for hand sanitiser demands so far during COVID-19, but Origin Group was now ready to expand reach into other categories and more widely across the UK, Europe and eventually globally, she said.

“The utopia goal is for SnappD to become almost like a household name. It’s a brand within itself and we would love to be able to work with all industries, from cosmetics and personal care down to nutraceuticals, even the food and beverage industry.​

“…In the same way we all refer to plastic boxes as Tupperware, I would like that sachet to be known as the SnappD sachet, regardless of whether it’s L’Oréal or Heinz using it,” ​she said.

Whilst Origin Group ideally wanted to be “engaging directly”​ with beauty brands, Partington said, the company was also open to working with distributors and manufacturers as it expanded.