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Sustainable packaging developer Shellworks says it has launched the first fully home-compostable pipette dropper, furthering sustainable packaging for the beauty and wellness industry.
Pipette droppers used for serums, oils, and wellness products are typically constructed from fused materials including glass, rubber, and plastic, presenting a sustainability challenge in the beauty industry.
Their small size means they slip through recycling equipment, causing nearly all pipette droppers to end up in landfills or incineration facilities, representing millions of units of waste annually.
This completely stable biodegradable alternative mimics the properties of glass, ceramic, plastic and rubber all in one, meaning the whole product comes from the same origin and can break down as one when disposed of.
The company developed the innovation with the help of $5.35 million in seed funding raised in 2022, and already delivers other biodegradable packaging solutions to brands including Wild, which sells in Boots and Tesco.
The London-based company’s breakthrough solution uses their two-time Dieline Award-winning Plastic-Free material Vivomer, made from waste biomass such as plants, that is transformed into a plastic-like material through fermentation.
Vivomer is naturally plastic-free, petroleum-free, free of toxic additives, and stable in use.
This material breaks down only once disposed of in home compost environments and will even break down in landfills at a similar rate to cellulose.
Shellworks’ packaging is used for products from several brands including fragrance brand Abel to French beauty company Eclo, People. Planet (formerly known as Haeckels) and hair care brand Sam McKnight.
With conversations underway with 10 brands across the UK, EU, and US, Shellworks is poised to scale this innovation across the industry.
Following two years of development, the company can already produce 2.4 million units of its dropper solution annually with expansion capabilities to meet growing demand.
Amir Afshar, Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer at Shellworks, said: "Brands no longer have to choose between sustainability and shelf appeal.”
“We designed this dropper to feel as good as it looks, and to disappear responsibly when it's no longer needed. This represents a fundamental shift from sustainability as an add-on to sustainability as the foundation of product design.”
Dr. Jay Gaston, Materials Lead at Shellworks, said: "We engineered Vivomer to be a truly industrial material—it's precise, resilient, and beautiful when molded.”
"This dropper proves that even the smallest, most technical packaging challenges can be solved with the right material platform."
The company has already successfully replaced over 90 tons of conventional plastic with its innovative, compostable solutions.
