Eye Care made into luxury refill with Clarins and Aptar
Developing a smooth and well working refillable beauty product for the luxury segment, is no small task. Aptar Beauty, a global leader in dispensing systems, has partnered with Clarins to unveil the new Total Eye Lift. It is an enhanced version of the brand’s best-selling eyecream - now housed in a reloadable packaging.
We say reloadable, because here we meant to insert a new cartridge, into a "parent" container. If the refillable was about pouring new content into a clean, used container, it would be called refillable.
If you want to learn more about refill, you can still revisit our full report.
This global launch features Aptar Beauty’s patented airless packaging Gaïa for the first time. It is custom-engineered to meet Clarins’ ambitions for an innovative and sustainable packaging without compromising on aesthetics and performance.
A smooth reloadable and secure design
Gaïa developped by Aptar Beauty, is composed here of a main metal casing and plastic reloads, which are recyclable* in the PP (Polypropylene) and PE (Polyethylene) stream. The reloads feature an integrated bi-injected collar gasket to securely connect to the main casing with minimal air intake. Reload cartridges can be sold separately and are designed to be used exclusively with the matching casing.
The Gaïa has been developped with standard technical components at the core of the reload system combined with customisable external parts - including the actuator and overshell.
This innovation resides in two Aptar patents:
- An intuitive push-and-pull reload mechanism: inspired by a ballpoint pen, the soft axial motion ensures ease of use and a seamless user experience.
- A Double Tamper Seal system: a two-level security system located on the reload guaranteeing airtight protection of the formula and no retro-
contamination. The first seal peels off the reload, the second one is cracked open while inserting it into the main casing.
You can see the demonstration here on our instagram.
A fully customisable standard solution
Clarins is the first brand to choose the Gaïa innovation. Total Eye Lift comes in a 15ml format delivering a precise and consistent 150 µl dose, ideal for targeted eye care. The premium, elegant red metal overshell has been custom-developed exclusively for Clarins, ensuring a unique and proprietary design. Its sleek, seamless design hides all technical parts inside, allowing for matching minimalist reloads.
“We are proud to support Clarins with the first market launch featuring our Gaïa airless platform. It is a true innovation designed for brand differentiation that puts the customer experience first,” said Florence Muh, Customer Support & Development Director, Aptar Beauty EMEA.
Clarins claims a reduction of 73% of environmental impact** thanks to this new “eco- designed refillable packaging”. Buying a new recyclable reload represents 50% less metal, 33% less plastic and 29% less cardboard compared to the previous Total Eye Lift packaging.
This innovation involved four different element of Aptar Beauty’s global manufacturing network:
- Charleval Verneuil manufactures the airless technology
- Le Neubourg manufactures the pump cartridge
- Chavanod handles the custom assembly
- Support back-up from BTY
This collaborative approach ensures secure manufacturing and optimised logistics,
while maintaining the highest standards of quality and consistency.
This launch demonstrate new capability for sustainable luxury in beauty, blending technical innovation, user-centric design and reloadable engineering.
The collaboration between Clarins and Aptar Beauty reflects a shared vision for innovation that enhances performance, user experience and product
circularity at the same time.
**By refilling the bottle once: comparison between 2 full Total Eye Lift bottles and 1 full bottle refilled once. Based on a single score, calculated using a lifecycle analysis. Source: clarins.com
