Elemis and Morro leverage Xampla’s plant-based materials for upcycled single-use cosmetics sachets

18 Oct 2023 --- British skin care brand Elemis and plant-based material brand Morro have partnered to expand Xampla’s consumer brand applications. The collaboration introduces biodegradable sampling sachets, eliminating the need for single-use plastics in cosmetics.

The sachets are made from upcycled bio-waste material sourced directly from Elemis’ skin care production.

“Our collaboration with Elemis unlocks significant potential for the cosmetics industry, where waste materials are transformed into innovative solutions to replace plastic sachets,” says Pete Hutton, chairman at Xampla.

“We are proud to have pioneered our breakthrough material using plant feedstocks and look forward to developing this research further with Elemis.”

Xampla, a technology start-up spin-out from the University of Cambridge, launched the consumer brand Morro last month.

Plant waste to sustainable solutions
The companies will transform Elemis’ leftover plant waste from its product ingredients into biofilm over the next six months.Xampla develops innovative new materials made from plants that replace plastics (Image credits: Xampla).

The goal is to replace conventional single-use plastic sachets used for packaging samples of Elemis’ skin care products. 

Leveraging Xampla’s plant-based feedstocks, Morro plans to craft heat-sealable films that are not only environmentally friendly but also deliver on functionality.

Morro’s natural materials will undergo extensive testing to demonstrate their effectiveness when combined with Elemis products, say the companies. 

Addressing demand gap
Sachets are a favored format among both consumers and brands, highlights Xampla. However, till now, there has been an unfulfilled need for plastic-free alternatives to traditional multilayer barrier sachets, the partnership underscores. 

“Elemis continues to innovate and investigate new ideas and partners wherever possible with organizations that can help move the dial on key environmental or social challenges,” says Oriele Frank, co-founder and chief product and sustainability officer at Elemis.

“What we find so exciting about this project with Morro is how utilizing waste from leftover plant material can potentially tackle one of our key packaging dilemmas too.”

This strategic partnership underscores the growing trend for upcycled ingredients and sustainability in the beauty industry.Elemis is available in over 45 countries.

Support for R&D in sustainable beauty
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council and Innovate UK have funded the project. 

Additionally, the partnership was made possible through the facilitation of PlasticFree.com, a solutions provider for next-gen materials. Sian Sutherland, founder at the company, concluded: 

“This is the kind of inventive and collaborative approach that is required to create change in the industry and to facilitate the next generation of packaging.”

Speaking to Packaging Insights, Xampla’s head of business development recently discussed the commercial expansion of its bio-based materials under the “Morro marque.”

By Venya Patel