L’Oréal and Aster Pharmacy partner to expand beauty pack refills in UAE

L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty and Aster Pharmacy, the retail arm of Aster DM Healthcare, have joined forces to improve the visibility and accessibility of refillable beauty packaging in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

The partnership aims to increase refill availability and enhance in-store displays for beauty products from La Roche-Posay, Vichy, and CeraVe. The companies are set to work on improved forecasting and stock planning to help reduce product waste. 

Laurent Duffier, CEO at L’Oréal Middle East, says: “Refills are designed to fit effortlessly into your routine, cut down on plastic, and be kind to your wallet. By bringing refillable products and refill stations directly into trusted community pharmacies like Aster, sustainable choices simply become part of your everyday life.” 

“Beyond refills, we are also introducing greener, eco-designed store displays, reducing retail waste, and empowering beauty advisors to help guide conscious choices. This is about turning sustainability ambitions into everyday habits that benefit people and our planet.” 

Reducing plastic waste 

The rollout is set to unveil refill options across select Aster stores in 2027. The partnership also includes a target of 75% eco-designed point-of-sale materials by 2027. 

The partnership supports L’Oréal for the Future, the personal care giant’s global sustainability program, by cutting waste and supporting communities. It also builds on Aster Pharmacy’s Go Green Carry Clean campaign, which advocates choosing paper and reusable bags over single-use plastics. 

N.S. Balasubramanian, CEO at Aster Retail across the Gulf Cooperation Council region, says: “Sustainability should be reflected in the choices we make and the experiences we create for our customers. This partnership with L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty aims to make responsible beauty simpler and more accessible while continuing to provide the trusted advice and personal care our customers expect from Aster.” 

Sanaa Bougazzoul, general manager at L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty Middle East, comments: “The real value of this partnership will be felt in-store: when a customer discovers a refill for a product they already use, or a beauty advisor helps them understand how it fits into their routine.” 

This year, L’Oréal launched its third #JoinTheRefillMovement campaign to promote refillable packaging alternatives in the personal care sector. 

Meanwhile, the cosmetic giant partnered with clean technology company Dioxycle to turn captured carbon emissions into packaging materials. Dioxycle uses carbon electrolysis to transform CO or CO2 into ethylene, the chemical building block of PE. 

Recently, L’Oréal selected Raiku Packaging to join its Sustainable Innovation Accelerator, investing €100 million (US$119 million) over five years to find, develop, pilot, and scale technologies for the sustainability challenges facing the company and the cosmetics industry more broadly.