Yazhini ManimudiIt’s no secret. Overconsumption is ruining the planet. Every industry is guilty of this. New iPhones every year with minor upgrades, fashion microtrends propping up fast fashion, Beauty Tiktokers have been participating in Project Pan, an effort to ‘hit pan’ on beauty products before buying new ones. Streets are saying it’s a recession indicator.
It’s nice to have variety in our beauty products, something for every occasion, every look. But with the large number of beauty releases and new brands popping up everyday in the market, it’s hard to resist the temptation to buy new ones. As we try to hit pan on our makeup products, I want to remind fellow perfume enthusiasts not to leave fragrances out of the project.
Benefits of Project Pan
Eco friendly– When you already have many perfumes, why buy new ones? Before buying the trending new perfume you saw on tiktok, pause to think if you really want it. Maybe you already have a bottle that’s in the same range as your new crush. Don’t let products you don’t like collect dust in the back of your closet. If it doesn’t spark joy, you don’t need it. Reducing purchases can be a significant individual contribution to the environment.
Rediscovery– Have a large perfume collection? There are probably some you don’t use enough but love enough to buy. Experience the joy of rediscovering perfumes buried in the back of your closet. It’ll feel like the euphoria of shopping without spending money.
Expiry– Perfumes do expire, but don’t really have a strict expiry date like your can of milk. But the fragrance can change in around 3-5 years. Store them somewhere without excessive light and heat to keep them longer. Prioritize the older perfumes in your collection so you can enjoy all the bottles when they still smell the same.
Accomplishment– Have you ever crossed something off a physical to-do list? It brings a feeling of accomplishment that gives you energy to tackle your next task. Finishing a bottle of perfume can make you feel as accomplished especially if you’ve never finished a full bottle before.
Value– It isn’t until you use a beauty product till the end that you realize just much product is in there. Just a few mls or grams can stretch to months, even years. Using it fully brings a feeling of satisfaction for the money you spent.
Savings– Combining the goals of finishing what you already have and not buying more helps you save money that could go towards your other expenses or savings.
Where Do Refills Fit in?
Have you noticed that bigger bottles of perfume cost less per ml than smaller bottles? That’s because it’s easier to manufacture one 100ml bottle than two 50ml bottles. Less raw material, less energy, less expensive.
Perfumes rely largely on visuals to convey what the product is like. It can be hard (and expensive) to accurately represent the sense of smell for sight. Some of them become works of art that are instantly recognizable even to people who don’t use perfumes. When you already have such a bottle, it’s wasteful to buy an identical replacement when you’re done.
Not every empty bottle deserves a refill, only the ones you can’t be without. If you’re working hard on your project pan, prioritize your target before buying a new bottle or refill. That being said, here are some reasons to buy perfume refills:
Signature scent
We don’t rebuy every beauty product we finish. But some, we like to stock up on like it’s an apocalypse essential. If you’re certain you’ll use a perfume for a long time to come, getting a refill is the best option. It makes sure you won’t have to go without your favourite fragrance. Refills are only available for the most popular and in demand as they’re most likely to be purchased. Sorry to everyone with a niche perfume as their signature.
Price
Refill bottles don’t have the bells and whistles that define a brand and are hence cheaper to make. Most refill bottles across brands look alike, only the printed branding identifying it. Perfume houses price refills lower than the regular bottles. If you’re certain you’ll use a perfume regularly, buying a refill will reduce the cost per ml.
Special bottle
Not all perfume bottles are made equal, even if they’re the same perfume. If you have a special edition or a customised bottle with an engraving or accessory attachment, the standard bottle available in the store won’t be a worthy replacement. Some bottles have sentimental value- a gift from a loved one, your wedding day perfume, a gift to yourself for a milestone event. Refills come in handy so you don’t have to part with a sentimental bottle.
Eco-friendly
Refill bottles tend to be bigger than the regular sizes, taking up much less raw material to manufacture. That’s less material for the bottle, one bottle cap, one atomizer, one box, instead of two or more. It also reduces the resources necessary for shipping and warehousing. But this only works if you intend to actually use the refill. Noseblindness is a real issue with fragrances, where you get desensitised to certain smells with long-term exposure. Switch it up a little with a different perfume so you don’t become noseblind to your signature scent.
Travel-friendly
Regular perfume bottles are harder to decant into travel size spray bottles. Buying a smaller size for your carryon is wasteful and more expensive as smaller bottles cost more per ml. Simply decant from refill bottles into your travel atomizer.
Refillable Perfumes
Prada Paradoxe
A comforting floral that has won the coveted ‘signature scent’ spot with many women. It invites us in with a bright, soft citrus and dries down to a captivating sweet ambery vanilla. Prada offers a refill for this perfume and its flanker, the Paradoxe Intense. According to Prada, refilling saves 44% glass, 67% plastic, 100% metals and 61% cardboard.
Mugler Alien
Alien is the most delicious jasmine fragrance, hypnotic and transporting the wearer somewhere otherworldly. Mugler was the first perfume brand to offer refilling services, beginning with Mugler Angel. They were inspired by the high society practice of using perfume fountains to refill their perfume bottles and infuse their home with a pleasant fragrance. They also offer refill bottles for many other perfumes.
Lancôme Idôle
Lancôme Idôle is an enchanting powdery floral. This is a delicate and discreet scent fit for summer and closed spaces. Purchasing a refill bottle uses 42% less glass and 11% less plastic. Lancôme also offers refills for their other classic La Vie est Belle.
Givenchy L’interdit
Givenchy is all about old school elegance and L’interdit is its perfect representation. Timeless elegance with a youthful beauty through jasmine, tuberose, pear. Givenchy says refilling this fragrance instead of buying a regular bottle is a 43% reduction in glass use and 34% reduction in plastic use.
Dior Sauvage
The fragrance that needs no introduction. Sauvage grabbed its place as the top men’s perfume of our age through its fresh and spicy fragrance. Dior says that opting for the refillable perfume reduces energy consumption by 60%, water use by 53%, green house gas emissions by 60%, and waste generation by 62%.
Other Brands Offering Refillable Perfumes
- Yves Saint Laurent
- Paco Rabanne
- Armani
- By Kilian
- Hermès
- Floraiku
- Gucci
- Guerlain
Before Buying Refillable Perfumes
- Ensure your bottle is refillable. Older bottles of a perfume introduced before refills were launched may not have the mechanisms for refilling. Clarify with your vendor before buying.
- The calculations for environmental impact presented by brands is based on life cycle analyses that vary by perfume. The Dior Sauvage calculations are based on comparisons between a 100ml bottle + 300ml refill bottle and four 100ml bottles.
- Refill options are sometimes merely a greenwashing effort from brands who see eco-friendly labels as merely marketing opportunities and do not do much behind the scenes to make a significant positive impact.
- Don’t refill if you don’t love it. It’s better to buy a new perfume you actually like instead of a refill that’ll be wasted. Be mindful with your purchases. Think over a perfume for at least a week before buying it. You’re more likely to enjoy it and less likely to have buyer’s remorse. Project Pan won’t work if you’re adding products to your collection faster than you can finish them.
Yazhini Manimudi
