Are aluminum cosmetic containers really better for the planet?

For several years now, the cosmetics industry has been implementing concrete ecological actions to combat global warming. While some are clearly greenwashing and using this pretext for marketing purposes, others, more genuine, go to great lengths to try to generate as little waste and pollution as possible. Among the actions they implement, there are, among others, the change of container, preferring aluminum to plastic. But is it a good alternative? Let’s explore this together.

Aluminum – a great container for cosmetics

Because it is very occlusive and offers great protection against all external elements that can damage the formula (UV, variations in temperature, humidity, etc.), aluminum is an interesting material to use in the form of a container.

In fact, it keeps cosmetics healthier for longer, even when they are among the most fragile such as hydrolates, essential oils or even fresh products without preservatives.

Aluminum tubes, on the other hand, are among the formats to be handled with delicacy, because when they are bent, they can easily give in and break throughwhich can endanger the formula, as explained to the magazine female version, Gilles Maray, head of cosmetic packaging development for the Léa Nature group:

“When a tube is used, pressing it may puncture it, which is not recommended for the integrity of the product”.

Therefore, handle with care!

suspected neurotoxicity

Aluminum has also been suspected of neurotoxicity for many years. If this is the case with food containers, even those relating to cosmetics are not really good because they are in contact with the formulas we put on our face, our lips and even the contours of our eyes. Despite everything, it remains very difficult today to quantify at what dose the aluminum is mixed in the formula of a product that lands on our skin. But many scientists are working to solve this mystery. What is certain is that when this raw material is absorbed in excess, it can be responsible for problems in the central nervous system (encephalopathies, psychomotor disorders) e bone tissue as can be read on the ANSES website.

“It is essential to raise the issue of the ecotoxicity of aluminum and its role in human diseases and more particularly in those of the central nervous system, including Alzheimer’s disease. It is obvious that we are confronted daily with aluminum in areas where its safety has never been tested, let alone proven, such as vaccinations, immunotherapy and cosmetics, ”explains Christopher Exley, professor of bioinorganic chemistry at Keele University.

If, as you were told above, it is difficult to quantify the doses of aluminum transmitted from the container to cosmetics, EFSA (Safety of Aluminum from Dietary Intake) has established a Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI) equivalent to 1 mg / kg body weight / week. A dose revised upwards in 2011 by the Joint FAO / WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) which set it at 2 mg / kg bw / week, according to the ANSES website.

Not so eco-friendly material

Despite being officially presented as a 100% recyclable material, a study conducted by Trium Packaging tends to think that rather, aluminum is recycled up to 80%. A study by the US EPA has established the total recycling rate for all aluminum at approximately 50% in the United States. In 2018, this figure was unfortunately only 35%.

According to the comments reported by the magazine Female version by Brice André, Director of Global Packaging and Sustainable Development of the L’Oréal group:

“Aluminum has a high environmental impact: it consumes a lot of energy to be produced and recycled”.

A theory totally shared by Michael Martin, founder of r.Cup, a brand of reusable glasses:

“The recycling system is completely broken. Infrastructure needs to be addressed and I don’t see that happening in the foreseeable future. From my point of view, the resources required, the energy required, the negative impact of producing the material and then the broken recycling system make aluminum the less sustainable choice than other options. “

Unfortunately, as in all sectors, overproduction leads to the accumulation of waste which is sometimes difficult to get rid of. Regarding the toxicity of aluminum as a cosmetic container, there are too few studies that have done so for the moment, but it is possible that future discoveries will fuel this article. During the extension, however, we remain vigilant.

An image credit: @typologyparis