Finally! A Skincare Product With a Recyclable Pump

Farmacy cracked the code with its new vitamin C serum.

Photo: Courtesy of Farmacy

If you prioritize sustainability in your beauty routine, you likely know that products with a pump are never truly recyclable because nobody has figured out how to make one without metal springs. However, clean skincare brand Farmacy finally cracked the code.

The newly-launched 10% Waterless Vitamin C is packed with brightening and tone-evening ingredients — and everything, including the pump, is recyclable. As someone who does their best to be eco-conscious, all I can say is freaking finally.

Farmacy's Senior Director of Product Development and Regulatory, Pamela Marcos, explains that they were able to achieve this fully-recyclable product by just using mono-material PP (polypropylene), which means that it's not made from mixed materials and can therefore easily be recycled as soon as the product is empty.

"We went through several packaging options, including glass until we settled on this airless, fully recyclable packaging," Marcos further explains of the process. "It was difficult to find an option that met our standards in evacuation of the product, aesthetic, and ultimately, recyclability factor." Well, mission accomplished.

So, all you need to do to recycle the bottle is to finish the product to the last drop and throw it in the appropriate recycling bin. Just make sure the bottle is truly empty by giving it a few extra pumps at the end to make sure no more product comes out — you can't recycle a half-used bottle with a ton of serum inside it, unfortunately.

farmacy 10% waterless vitamin c review
Courtesy

To shop: $50, sephora.com

The other thing that stands out about this product is that it uses a waterless formula. This is because the type of vitamin C used here is l-ascorbic acid, which is said to be unstable when formulated with water. As such, this serum was made entirely without water or oil to optimize stability and make it more efficient.

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I've been using this vitamin C serum for a few weeks and really enjoy the formula. In addition to vitamin C, it also has alpha-arbutin, a dark spot-fighting hero, and antioxidant-rich ferulic acid, which fights off free radicals. And while the serum feels a lot more watery than others, which initially feels ironic as it's waterless, I love that just one pump can cover my entire face, meaning I get more bang for my buck.

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