Kanebo selects Eastman recyclable PET resin for premium skin care cap

Eastman has equipped Kao cosmetics company Kanebo with its Eastman Cristal One IM812 polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin for the overcap of its Generating Essentials Treatment Lotion.

Kanebo says that it selected this resin because it is recyclable in PET recycling streams. Tara Cary, Eastman’s marketing manager for cosmetics and personal care packaging, highlights the performance of Cristal One IM812.

“[The resin] is recognized by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) to meet or exceed the requirements for Design for Recyclability Recognition under the critical guidance pathway,” she tells Packaging Insights. 

“This engineering assessment, one of the most stringent in the industry, indicates that the Cristal One IM812 resin is compatible with the Resin Identification Code 1 stream.”

She adds that the resin is also certified by RecyClass and the European PET Bottle Platform for recyclability for the European market.

Despite not needing to be compliant with the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, as Kanebo products are sold in Asian markets, the skin care company says it “chose to go a step further by adopting a material that aligns with anticipated future regulatory expectations.”

Shota Kawasaki, packaging engineer at Kanebo, adds: “From an engineering perspective, this packaging required careful alignment of material performance, processing, and finish. We evaluated several candidate materials, and Cristal One IM812 proved to be the best match for our needs.” 

Durability and premiumization

The heavy weight of the cap required a material that could meet more demanding design requirements, explains Eastman. The plastics producer adds that the Cristal One IM812 passed drop impact testing and strength after post-mold painting. 

An Eastman spokesperson further tells Packaging Insights about the technical challenges when creating Cristal One IM812. 

“The key challenges were achieving the required drop-impact performance in a thick-wall, relatively heavy overcap while also delivering a refined opaque-to-transparent black gradient with the desired gloss and premium appearance,” the spokesperson says. 

The resin can also be injection molded and is designed to provide high transparency and toughness for premium cosmetic components.

Balancing aesthetic with quality 

The resin also provided Kanebo with the required design for its brand aesthetic, an increasingly important feature of personal care packaging. 

“Kanebo was not looking for a uniform black cap, but for a clean, gradual transition from opaque black to transparent black,” says the spokesperson. They explain that some resins can have a slight blue or yellow pellet tone, which may become visible in a transparent black effect, preventing the desired pure, neutral appearance. 

“Cristal One IM812 provided the clean color base needed to achieve the target black shade and gradient. This combination of toughness, transparency, and color precision helped create a refined premium look without making the package appear overly heavy.” 

Last year, Eastman and Toly launched Gemini, a sustainable cosmetic compact using Cristal One Renew IM812 resin, marking the first time the resin was used in a makeup compact.

SUQQU’s cosmetic compact is also made from Eastman’s recyclable resin, an alternative to acrylonitrile butadiene styrene — the conventional resin used in compact base plates.