Fill 'er Up

23 Refillable Products to Try for a Less Wasteful Beauty Regimen

Makeup, skin-care, and hair-care brands are finally getting the message to make beauty products with refills. Here, environmental experts explain why that's so important, and we recommend some of the top trend-setting sustainable picks.
23 Best Refillable Makeup Hair and Skin Care Products for a Sustainable Beauty Routine
Allure/Clara Hendler

What once felt like an impossible-to-achieve ambition in the quest for more sustainable beauty-product packaging has, as of late, become a rapidly increasingly reality: More and more brands are launching products with options to refill the original container. As we predicted, companies at every level — little-known indie lines, designer skin-care creators, drugstore staples, and more — have heard the call to reduce waste, and they're not ignoring it.

"The benefits of?refillable?packaging are a net decrease to the amount of plastic that is produced," Sonya Lunder, senior toxics advisor for Sierra Club's Gender, Equity & Environment program, tells Allure. "Only nine percent of the plastics made have ever been recycled, and I am motivated to reduce my environmental footprint where possible."

Olga Kachook, senior manager of GreenBlue's Sustainable Packaging Coalition, tells Allure that reuse is considered a more environmentally preferable way of managing materials than recycling and composting. "That's because the energy and materials required to manufacture a package are only expended once," she says. "Consumers are also increasingly interested?in participating in?refillable?and reusable programs, so this is a way for brands to meet the needs of their customers."

According to Lunder, however, the onus to engage in refillable packaging shouldn't fall solely on the shopper. "While refillable packaging may be effective in reducing plastic pollution on an individual consumer level, this 'shopping our way out of the problem' — telling individuals what to buy and not buy — shifts attention away from corporate responsibility and government protections, which are the most equitable and effective ways to protect the environment and reduce plastic production," she explains, pointing to the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, which was reintroduced in Congress in March 2021. The bill focuses on producer responsibility to shift to refillable, returnable containers to reduce plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Another benefit of refillable products to consider is one that directly affects your budget: More often than not, the refill for any given product is less expensive than the full bells-and-whistles originally-packaged product.?

But either way, it's a meaningful trend worth trying, and we've got 23 options for you to start with. Hopefully, there will be many, many more as it evolves from fad to fundamental.

All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

  • 1/23

    Fenty Skin Hydra Vizor Invisible Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen

    Fenty Skin Hydra Vizor Invisible Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen's name may be long, but it doesn't even begin to cover how advanced this protective day cream is. In addition to its cast-free sun filters, it also features brightening niacinamide and a pink tint that adds radiance to any skin tone. You'll definitely find yourself reaching for the $30 refill again and again (because you know how important it is to use sunscreen year-round).?

    $35
  • 2/23

    Jane Iredale PurePressed Base Mineral Foundation

    Considering how equally pretty and practical compacts can be, it's mind-boggling that more makeup brands don't make refillable ones. Jane Iredale has been offering its PurePressed Base Mineral Foundation in a refillable compact for years — long before other brands started getting hip to the idea. After your first order of the weightless, mattifying pan of sheer, SPF-enhanced powder in the compact, you can continue filling it with your shade of choice for $44.

    $54
  • 3/23

    Emma Lewisham Illuminating Brighten Your Day Crème

    With awesome Australian import Emma Lewisham Illuminating Brighten Your Day Crème, the proof is in the pudding — or the potent formula, rather — and the pretty purple jar is just a bonus. The brightening, clarifying, and hydrating mixture of must-have acids of the hyaluronic and both alpha and beta hydroxy varieties make it a must-replenish pick, and the refill pods save you a couple bucks and lots of otherwise wasteful packaging.

    $81
  • 4/23

    Olika Hydrating Hand Sanitizer Spray

    Olika mastered the art of non-drying hand sanitizer long before they became more in-demand than ever, and its Hydrating Hand Sanitizer Spray makes hygiene cute as hell. You'll never want to toss the little bird-shaped bottle, and you won't have to thanks to the brand's refill pouches in a variety of scents, like mint citrus and cucumber basil. You can even get a refill right off the bat when you order a three-pack of sprays (seen here).

    $22
  • 5/23

    Charlotte Tilbury Brow Cheat?

    The angled tip of this superfine eyebrow pencil lends itself to filling in brows so naturally, you'll reach for it every day. So thank goodness Charlotte Tilbury decided to make Brow Cheat refillable. For $15 — $10 less than the initial purchase — you get a highly precise pencil refill in one of eight shades while getting to hold onto the spoolie-tipped original packaging.

    $25
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  • 6/23

    Ouai Detox Shampoo

    Virtually all of Ouai's shampoos and conditioners have refill pouches, but we can't think of a formula we'd go through more quickly than the Detox Shampoo. Ideal for anyone who uses a lot of styling products, deals with hard water in their shower, or gets an oily buildup from working out or simply sweating in the summer, this apple-cider-vinegar-spiked cleanser — and its value-sized $60 refill — will have you using dry shampoo far less frequently.

    $30
  • 7/23

    Secret Refillable Anti-Perspirant

    Antiperspirant is one of those personal-care products that we seem to fly through faster than most others, which means tossing plastic packaging with unfortunate regularity. With Secret's Refillable Anti-Perspirant, you still get the sweat protection you've always relied on, plus the peace of mind that comes with paperboard-packaged refills of the lavender-scented solids.?

    $10
  • 8/23

    The Handmade Soap Company Anam Lotion

    Long before a growing number of people were looking to refill products for environmental reasons, some of us sought to hold onto and refill certain containers simply because they were beautiful. The Handmade Soap Company's Anam Lotion is definitely aesthetically pleasing with its gold-etched glass pump bottle, but instead of refilling it with just anything for the sake of keeping it, you can easily replenish the coriander seed, geranium, and vetiver-scented hand and body moisturizer with the brand's $18 compostable refill packets. (That's less than half of the initial purchase price!)

    $37
  • 9/23

    Humanrace Lotus Enzyme Exfoliator

    Every celebrity beauty brand is launched with different priorities. In addition to encouraging glowing skin, Pharrell's Humanrace also emphasizes sustainability with its refillable — and downright adorable — packaging. Among the options is the Lotus Enzyme Exfoliator, which addresses dulling dead skin cells three ways: the titular enzymes, alpha hydroxy acids (with an emphasis on glycolic), and physically scrubbing (but gentle) rice particles. The $42 refill lets you plop a new inner container right into the green outer container and continue keeping it in your routine with less plastic waste.

    $46
  • Courtesy of brand?
    10/23

    Kate McLeod Daily Stone Body Moisturizer

    Part of the joy of using the Kate McLeod Daily Stone is how different the entire experience is from any other body moisturizer. Resembling a round bar of soap more than body lotion, it's packed with skin-softening neroli, rose, and frankincense essential oils, and it's packed in a beautiful, refillable bamboo canister that you would likely hold onto for trinkets or paperclips if you weren't definitely going to replace your Daily Stone as soon as you use it up.

    $45
  • Michael Heeney
    11/23

    Tata Harper Water-Lock Moisturizer

    It should come as no surprise that Tata Harper, a brand that has always appreciated what the planet's natural resources can do for our skin, is showing that appreciation by helping the planet through sustainability efforts. The Water-Lock Moisturizer combines hydration-retaining peptides derived from orange blossom with plumping hyaluronic acid to create a day cream that's both fresh and refreshable. Simply pop a refill pod in the beautiful green and gold jar any time you run out of the lightweight, skin-smoothing concoction.

    $68
  • 12/23

    Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Water

    Even self-tanner is getting on the refillable train, and Isle of Paradise is making it super easy with its Self-Tanning Water. All three depth levels of the face-and-body formula are available in $22 pouches, saving more than 30 percent of the plastic you would have used if you'd simply bought another spray bottle. So you'll glow on the outside and a little on the inside from that warm do-gooder feeling.

    $28
  • 13/23

    MOB Eyeshadow

    MOB's super sleek eye shadow singles come in more than two dozen high-payoff shades that, instead of coming in a new black compact every time, can be purchased as just pans. In fact, the only excuse you have to get multiple MOB Eyeshadow compacts instead of consistently refilling your favorite color is if you're understandably in the market for multiple shades — in which case, just get one of the brand's eight- or 12-pan customizable palettes. (Also refillable, of course.)

    $22
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  • 14/23

    Yves Saint Laurent Pure Shots Y Shape Firming Serum

    As you've seen, refillable packaging isn't just for crunchy little indie brands, and even the most luxurious of companies are getting in on the movement. Yves Saint Laurent's Pure Shots Y Shape Firming Serum is one of the several skin-care products the brand now makes available with refills. This daily treatment, made with peptides and hyaluronic acid to address elasticity and hydration, loses none of its high-end luster with its $70 re-upping cartridge.

    $88
  • 15/23

    NatureLab Tokyo Perfect Shine Conditioner

    This NatureLab Tokyo conditioner may provide your hair with "perfect shine," but it also presents the perfect opportunity to start using refillable products if you aren't yet. Already affordable at $14, the bottle's twice-the-size refill pouches are only $22. And whether the pearl extract-enhanced formula comes to you in the original pump packaging or in the less wasteful baggie, you're going to end up with gorgeously glossy hair — a win for you, your wallet, and the world.

    $14
  • 16/23

    Dove 0% Aluminum Refillable Deodorant

    If for no other reason, try Dove's 0% Aluminum Refillable Deodorant because it's just so damn cute. But there really are plenty of other reasons — among them being its stink-stopping power, fresh scents, and, of course, refillability. In fact, your first one comes with a refill right in the same box, and when you're ready, you can snag a two-pack of the most adorable little solids for only $10.

    $15
  • 17/23

    Skyn Iceland Nordic Renewal Pre + Probiotic Cream

    Made with a mission to wake up dull skin, Skyn Iceland Nordic Renewal Pre + Probiotic Cream employs mineral-rich thermal water, hydration-holding hyaluronic acid, and, of course, the titular prebiotics and probiotics to promote balance and brightness. And thanks to its little $40 refill pods, which plop right into the transparent jar, it also promotes a more sustainable skin-care routine.

    $48
  • 18/23

    Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Refillable Lipstick

    It's only fitting that one of the most elegant lipstick presentations, like, ever isn't intended to be thrown out after its color has been whittled away. Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Lipstick offers an incredibly luxurious lip-color experience, not only because of its sumptuous shades and formula, but its pointed golden case, too. And instead of tossing the tiny work of art, you can replenish your favorite color or try one of about 30 others for $22.

    $36
  • 22/23

    Brush On Block Mineral Sunscreen

    You don't throw away your brush every time you finish a blush or a highlighter, so why would you throw away powder-sunscreen packaging with its own built-in brush? Brush On Block allows you to hold onto its clever all-in-one format by selling refills of its Mineral Sunscreen, which simply pours into the handle for easy, portable application of its SPF 30 defense.

    $32
  • 23/23

    Australian Glow 1 Hour Express Self Tan Mousse

    It takes only one hour for Australian Glow 1 Hour Express Self Tan Mousse to develop, and not even one minute to refill its bottle with the easy-to-pour pouch. The streak-free, orange-avoiding formula turns from liquid to foam once dispensed, and your skin turns golden faster than you can say dihydroxyacetone.

    $25
Keywordspackagingbeauty packagingrefillable skin caresustainabilitysustainableFenty BeautydermalogicaJane Iredalecharotte tilburyHourglassouaiSecretTata HarperIsle of Paradiseyves saint laurentnaturelabdoveskyn iceland