MATERIAL INTEGRITY: Why Plastic-Free Design Matters as Much as the Formula

At INBAR+co, we talk a lot about what goes onto your skin. But we care just as much about what holds it.

From the beginning, we made a decision that most beauty brands avoid because it’s inconvenient:
we would be plastic-free by design.

Not aspirationally. Not “we’re working on it.”
As a rule: aluminum tubes and aluminum bottles with aluminum caps, FSC-certified paper, paper-based shipping, and no plastic components by default.

There is one carefully considered exception, and it exists because people truly wanted to keep using our products more often. We’ll come back to that.

For us, Material Integrity isn’t just packaging. It’s ethics, stability, and long-term thinking—wrapped around every formula you use.

What We Mean by “Material Integrity”

Material Integrity is the second pillar of our ethos, and it answers a simple question:

Can the way this product is packaged be as aligned with our values as the formula itself?

For INBAR+co, that means:

• Primary packaging in aluminum tubes and aluminum bottles with aluminum caps

• Secondary packaging in FSC-certified paper with vegetable-based inks

• Shipping materials that are paper-based only, designed to actually be recycled

• No plastic components by default—no pumps, no droppers

• A single, defined exception: optional, reusable spray nozzles for essence and eau de cologne, with a $5 accessory fee donated 100% to WWF

Material Integrity is the quiet architecture beneath everything else: you feel it in your hand long before you read an ingredient list.

Why We Don’t Default to Plastic

Plastic is the beauty industry’s favorite shortcut: lightweight, cheap, endlessly moldable. It’s also persistent, difficult to recycle in mixed formats, and overused where it isn’t necessary.

We chose a different path because:

• Most skincare products do not require plastic mechanisms to function

• Multi-material components (like pumps) are notoriously hard to recycle

• Microplastics and plasticizers play a role in the environmental burden we refuse to contribute to

We asked ourselves a simple question:

If we were designing a packaging system from scratch today, knowing what we know now, would we choose plastic as the default?

Our answer was no. So we built a system that can function without it.

Why Aluminum Tubes and Bottles

We rely on aluminum as our primary packaging material because it balances performance, practicality, and responsibility:

• It’s highly recyclable, and can be recycled repeatedly with minimal loss of quality

• It’s robust and lightweight, suitable for spa use, home rituals, and travel

• In the way we use it, it offers reliable protection for the formula

For you, this means:

• Packaging that is less fragile than glass in bathrooms and suitcases

• An established recycling stream: aluminum is recognized and processed in most systems

• Clarity: what you see (an aluminum tube or bottle with an aluminum cap) is what you’re dealing with—no hidden plastic pump inside

It is not the easiest operational choice. It is, however, the choice that best reflects our values.

FSC Paper, Vegetable Inks, Paper-Only Shipping

The same logic applies to everything around the primary container.

We use FSC-certified paper for outer cartons, supporting responsibly managed forestry. Our printing uses vegetable-based inks, which are more compatible with existing recycling and de-inking systems.

Our shipping setups are paper-based only:

• No bubble wrap

• No plastic mailers

• No plastic tape or air pillows

That means your unboxing experience is aligned with the Ethos page you read. The values aren’t just a story—they’re structurally present.

The One Exception: Sprays by Request, and Why We Made One

There’s one place where we chose not to be absolutist.

For our essence and eau de cologne, clients repeatedly told us that “dousing” from the bottle felt romantic but impractical in certain contexts—office, travel, post-workout, on-the-go refresh. They loved the formulas. They wanted them in sprayform so they could use them more often and more precisely.

For a long time, we said no.

We didn’t want to slide down the slippery slope of exceptions that slowly erode a plastic-free commitment. We worried that once we allowed one plastic component, it would become easier to allow a second, then a third.

But as the requests kept coming—from people who genuinely wanted a more convenient way to use the same formula—we had to ask a harder question:

Is it more responsible to hold the line at all costs, or to create one clearly defined, accountable exception while we actively work on something better?

Until we can bring a truly plastic-free spray and pump technology to market, we decided on a compromise built on transparency and accountability:

1. No default sprays.
   Our essence and eau de cologne ship with aluminum caps as standard. That keeps the system fully plastic-free unless you actively choose otherwise.

2. Sprays are opt-in and reusable.
   You must consciously add a spray nozzle to your order. We design and recommend it as a reusable component—to be carried forward and used across multiple bottles, not thrown away with the first.

3. All proceeds go to WWF.
   Each spray adds $5, and 100% of that amount is donated to WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature). If you choose convenience, it comes with a conservation contribution—not a hidden cost.

We also maintain a Donations Transparency page where we publish quarterly donation totals and receipts, so this exception is visible, not buried in the small print.

On the product page, this sounds like:

Standard closure: aluminum cap (plastic-free).
Prefer a spray? Add a reusable atomizer (+$5, 100% donated to WWF). We recommend reusing your spray across bottles while we work on plastic-free spray technology.

This is not a loophole. It’s an honest tension we decided to handle in the open, while continuing to invest in better, non-plastic dispensing technology for the future.

Material Integrity and Formula Integrity

There’s a second dimension to Material Integrity: how packaging interacts with what’s inside.

We design our containers to complement our first pillar, Responsible Chemistry:

• Using inert, metal-based primaries reduces concerns about plasticizers leaching into oil-rich or active-dense formulas

• A simpler material system makes it easier to model and test stability and compatibility

• The packaging ecosystem—aluminum + FSC paper—matches the transparency we maintain in the formula itself

You won’t find a highly responsible formula poured into a highly irresponsible package here. The two are designed together.

For a Millennial Ritual That Feels Adult (Not Performative)

If you’re in your 30s or 40s, you probably remember peak plastic: microbead scrubs, hard-to-recycle packaging, endless “gift with purchase” minis that end up half-used in drawers.

Material Integrity is our answer to that era.

We don’t expect you to live a zero-waste life. But we do believe your everyday ritual can be a place where your values and your senses agree. By building a plastic-free, aluminum-and-paper system with one clearly defined, accountable exception:

• You don’t have to decode three different resin codes on a single bottle

• You get a ritual that feels refined and light in the hand

• You can see exactly where any plastic still is—and what’s being done about it (and by whom)

It’s a grown-up version of sustainability: quiet, consistent, and built into the structure instead of shouted on the label.

FAQ: Material Integrity at INBAR+co

Are you completely plastic-free?
By default, yes. Our primary packaging is aluminum tubes and aluminum bottles with aluminum caps, our secondary packaging is FSC-certified paper, and our shipping is paper-based only. The only exception is optional, reusable spray nozzles for the essence and eau de cologne.

If you’re plastic-free, why offer sprays at all?
Because format matters. Many clients told us they loved the formulas but needed the precision and convenience of a spray to realistically use them daily. We didn’t want to silently slip into plastic use, so we built a transparent compromise: sprays are not included by default, they are opt-in and reusable, and the entire $5 accessory fee is donated 100% to WWF. We publish donation totals on our Donations Transparency page so the exception stays visible and accountable.

Where can I see the WWF donation totals?
On our Donations Transparency page (/pages/donations), where we publish quarterly totals and receipts.

Why aluminum instead of glass?
Aluminum is lighter, more resilient for spa work and travel, and highly recyclable. It allows us to create a materially consistent, low-friction recycling path that aligns with our operational reality as a spa-born brand.

Material Integrity is the part of our philosophy you can feel before you even open a cap.

It’s why your skincare arrives in aluminum and paper instead of pumps and plastic—and why each spray nozzle is treated as a responsibility, not a default. As we continue to work on plastic-free spray and pump technology, this pillar keeps us honest, accountable, and moving in the right direction—alongside you.