11 Beauty Buys You Can Recycle With Handle
Handle sorts, washes and shreds plastic materials and recycles them into new packaging for the beauty industry and a range of accessories, including a hand mirror and hairbrush. All you have to do is pop into your nearest Space NK, pick up a Handle collection bag, fill it with your empties and drop it off in the Handle bin at your local store. You will need to rinse out the packaging and remove paper labels where possible.
In terms of what can be recycled, Handle accepts all types of plastic bottles, pots and jars (including the lids!), as well as aluminum packaging (cue your favourite Aesop buys) and glass bottles and pots. While there are plenty of beauty products that you can recycle through the Space NK and Handle partnership, here are some of our favourites to get you started…
Drunk Elephant
C-Firma Fresh Day Serum, $87.00We love that the reformulated Drunk Elephant C-Firma Fresh Day Serum means it’s as potent as possible and brightens our skin, but it does mean that our favourite vitamin C serum comes with extra packaging. Fortunately, both bottles can be recycled with Handle.
SHOP NOW
Space NK
Voyage Hand Wash, N/ASustainability was at the forefront when Margaret Mitchell, our Chief Merchandising Officer, was developing Space NK’s hand and body range. With its gentle exfoliating formula and dreamy scent, this hand wash is one of the bestsellers. While you can refill your bottle at selected stores, if your local Space NK doesn’t have a refill station then you can keep hold of the pump, order a refill bottle online and let Handle recycle the empty bottle.
SHOP NOW
Space NK
Rewild Body Duo, N/AIt goes without saying that Margaret's sustainable vision extended across both the Voyage and Rewild lines, so if you're partial to the fresh, herby scent of the latter then you can refill or recycle at your leisure.
SHOP NOW
Aesop
Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm, $32.50Aluminium is one of the easiest materials to recycle and more beauty brands are turning to it for packaging. Aesop was an early adopter and uses it for a handful of its formulas, including the nourishing and non-sticky Aromatique Hand Balm.
SHOP NOW
Nécessaire
The Body Serum Fragrance Free, $48.00Of course, the body care brand that everyone is going mad for is recyclable. The founders of Nécessaire thought of everything when they launched the chic, streamlined range in 2017. If you haven’t tried any Nécessaire products yet, put the Body Serum at the top of your list. It’s fragrance-free and contains five molecular weights of hyaluronic acid to maximum your skin’s hydration levels from head-to-toe.
SHOP NOW
Ren Clean Skincare
Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Tonic, $21.00REN is another brand that takes sustainability incredibly seriously and the packaging is not only recyclable, but it’s made from post-consumer recycled plastic. Without going overboard on the cheesiness, you can now feel as good as your skin does with its daily dose of Ready Steady Glow Tonic.
SHOP NOW
Hourglass
Curator Eyeshadow, $29.00While you can recycle all of your Hourglass compacts and palettes with Handle, we wanted to highlight the Curator Eyeshadows as we’re obsessed with our bespoke eye palette. Expect to see more aluminum packaging from the brand moving forwards too.
SHOP NOW
Olaplex
No. 3 Hair Perfector, N/AIf you go through an Olaplex No 3 Hair Perfector a month because you’re as addicted to the shine-boosting results as us, then make sure you pick up a Handle collection bag. The entire Olaplex range can be recycled via Handle, but don’t forget to give each bottle a quick rinse and dry before adding it to your bag.
SHOP NOW
Charlotte Tilbury
Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray, $22.00Our buying team and customers alike love Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray. The featherlight mist can be used to fix your makeup in place and refresh your glow mid-afternoon too. It’s a multitasking makeup essential.
SHOP NOW
Sol de Janeiro
Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, $27.50The holiday inducing scent of Sol de Janeiro’s Brazilian Bum Bum Cream is a year-round favourite for a lot of people and now you can recycle your empty as soon as your new pot arrives. If you’re more of an Sol de Janeiro Bom Dia Bright Cream, $27.50 fan, Handle will take care of that and any other Sol de Janeiro packaging too.
SHOP NOW
Paula's Choice
Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant, $15.60This miracle tonic from Paula’s Choice keeps blackheads and breakouts at bay thanks to the 2% salicylic acid blend. While the brand doesn’t offer refill yet, you can make your beauty favourites more sustainable by recycling them with Handle.
SHOP NOW