You’ve launched a new category for Sans with solid refillable hair care. Where did the idea begin? The genesis of Perpetual began when visiting one of our contract manufacturers back in 2012. As he walked me through their raw material library, I noticed a large percentage of ingredients were in powder or wax pellet form, meaning waterless. This struck me as interesting since it presented huge potential for solving some fundamental sustainability conundrums.
The first noticeable highlight was potency, as it was in concentrated form. Along with this, the absence of water opened up packaging materiality, enabling us to move beyond virgin plastic and the option to use true sustainable materials such as paper.
Removing water would dramatically reduce mass and weight during transit, too, lessening environmental impact, and leaving a ‘just activate with the water from the shower’ scenario.
Chatting to various scientists in the industry, it became apparent that the technology to deliver a superior product just wasn’t quite there yet.
Sustainability has long been a driver and passion of mine. In the early 2000s, I read War Paint, a book about Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, and how they revolutionised the beauty industry. The most striking takeaway for me was that since the 1950s, nothing much has changed: just marketing. And most notably, how conditioned we are to a use-and-dispose mentality.
This prompted the question, why can’t our beauty products be permanent objects? Something you cherish like a peppermill and refill perpetually.
By 2015, waterless had become a thing; multiple attempts at research and development realised products that delivered average results and a less-than-average user experience. Bars went soggy and looked gross in the shower. Hair colour was stripped quicker as the chemistry was too basic. The solution for user experience was obvious, but the lab work was challenging.
In 2018, I was approached by an industrial designer, a lecturer from Massey University called Emma Fox, wanting to meet and explore an opportunity to work together. Her PhD in circularity meant that materiality and sustainability were her speciality.
I told her I wanted to create a waterless product and model the packaging delivery on a deodorant format, but refining it to allow it to be refillable. From there, the rest is history. What we thought would take three months took seven years. Many roads were explored. Many dead ends were encountered. The project has been an exercise in sheer grit and determination. True innovation takes a phenomenal amount of drive, a belief in yourself and those around you, a temperament that can take failure and learn from it, and a decent dose of delusion. You have to be prepared to invest time and money into exploring avenues that may ultimately lead nowhere, and have the curiosity and optimism to find a better solution. We went through hundreds of prototypes before we were ready to launch.
What did you want to do differently with these products, compared to existing options? Firstly, the user experience had to be elevated. The canisters not only had to look beautiful and be sensual to use, they had to withstand a challenging environment: wet and humid, where they had to protect dry powder shampoo. This led to hundreds of refinements before we could ultimately deliver a minimalist, elegant canister.
Was there a moment along the way that changed your thinking or challenged your assumptions? There were several. One key moment that changed the game was when we had finalised both canister designs. The conditioner bar came with a plastic base and spindle moulded into it, similar to other deodorant refills on the market, which could be simply dropped in, yet it contained disposable plastic. Looking at my engineer, I said “I want this plastic-free”, to which he replied it couldn’t be done. I said, “See you in three days — I believe in you.” Three days later, I got that call.
Who were some key people you collaborated with to bring it to life? Emma Fox has been my design partner throughout the project. Many a Friday night saw us on FaceTime till 11pm, working through the dosing cavity (something we ditched at the eleventh hour) or refining the moulding process for the conditioner bars. Then there was Dean Hewetson from Forward Plastics. Without him, the project wouldn’t have got off the ground. I brought all my manufacturing back to New Zealand, so that, with Perpetual, we can offer a true take-back programme, where we regrind the plastic back into canisters.
The other person is Kyra Elliott, a university graduate in chemistry and bio-molecular research. She came in at the end of the project and was crucial in helping bring it to life.
What did you aim for with the packaging design? Simplicity and ease of use. I’ve always felt the shower should be a serene space, yet it ends up being a mash-up of noisy products all fighting for space.
In what ways does the final packaging reflect your environmental priorities? It takes plastic out of the equation. All the packaging is made from waste. The canisters are made from post-consumer recycable plastic bottles. The refill and box kit are made from sugarcane leaves once destined for incineration, instead made into a pulp and pressed into a durable form.
What helps you stay connected to your purpose? A team of incredible people who are values-driven and proud to be part of something authentic, that they get meaning from. That matters to me. And our planet matters to me.
sansceuticals.com
Interview Alice Lines
Photography Derek Henderson, Nastassia Bruckin, Ashley Turner, Mara Sommer (portrait)