Packaging is a hot topic in the sweetness industry for the time being, and rightly so. The industry’s excessive amounts of single-use plastic and penchant for elaborate press mailers contributes greater than 120 billion units of packaging into the world every 12 months, lower than 10 per cent of which is recycled. 

In an effort to alter beauty’s wasteful culture and end this packaging crisis, a slew of corporations and types have emerged with sustainability of their hearts and zero-waste solutions of their hands. On Repeat, for instance, a zero waste beauty packaging service, launched earlier this week with a mission to assist brands create bespoke refill solutions and compostable or dissolvable packaging. 

One other brand hoping to make a difference is Plus. Launched in April, Plus combats shower routine waste with its just-add-water, no-bottle body wash. Available in two scents, in addition to a non-scented option, the shower gel is available in the shape of dry sheets which transform once water is added. The packaging is totally dissolvable, created using wood pulp from responsibly managed FSC forests, and the mailers are all compostable.

From the founders of Starface, Julie Schott and Brian Bordainick, in addition to Cathryn Woodruff, Plus stems partially from Schott’s time as a beauty editor when she saw first hand the quantity of waste the sweetness industry generates. At a loss for an answer, she and the Plus team began brainstorming tangible changes they might make. “Body care was the clear first step,” she says. “Personal care items like liquid body wash are made out of mostly water (with only a small percentage of energetic ingredients) and housed in single-use bottles.”

Traditional bottled body wash can contain as much as 90 per cent water which implies the vast majority of brands are only shipping water all over the world unnecessarily in plastic bottles the vast majority of which is able to find yourself in landfill. “With Plus, we questioned whether water-based formulas and single-use plastics were obligatory for an efficient, uplifting shower experience, and located that they’re ultimately not,” says co-founder Woodruff. By eliminating water from the production and shipping stages, the brand has also reduced its carbon emissions by 80 per cent.

Now, following a successful launch within the US, Plus has arrived within the UK where it’s hoping to assist start to cut back the ten,000 tonnes of plastic waste a 12 months created by bath and shower products, and supply one small but fun solution to a much greater problem. “If Plus can spark conversation, and empower more people to make higher decisions for the planet, that’s a win,” as Schott says.

Plus’s credentials up to now are top-notch, however the query still stays – does it actually work? As a way to shift deeply-rooted consumption habits, the product needs to be just pretty much as good, if not higher unfortunately, than the products currently in use. So I spent a while testing out the body wash and may now report back to you all about it. 

When you’ve read any of my Tried and Tested reviews up to now, you could be aware I wish to begin with packaging. I do know I’m not alleged to judge the book by its cover but that is the sweetness industry in any case and if there’s ever a spot where you possibly can ask for something to look good in your counter, it ought to be here. Luckily, with regards to Plus, I feel the packaging is great. It’s fun, vibrant, and funky while still being chic. The person sachets are available three color schemes depending on what scent you’ve chosen: lavender and navy for ‘Waves’, orange and tangerine for ‘Summer’, and yellow and lilac for ‘Cloud’. As mentioned earlier, the mailers are entirely compostable and I duly deposit them in my compost bin feeling incredibly sanctimonious whilst doing so.  

Once within the shower, the product could be very easy to make use of. You just tear open the person sachet, remove the sheet of shower gel from inside, and drop the packaging to the underside of your shower where you possibly can watch it dissolve in front of your eyes. It’s very satisfying. The sheet of body wash then transforms into gel once mixed with water and also you proceed as usual. The one issue I encountered at this stage was where to place the sachet within the shower before opening it. It needs to remain dry because once wet it can dissolve, with or without the gel still inside it. Body wash is just not step one of my shower routine and once I left the sachet on the ledge where my shampoo is, it got too damp. You may solve this problem through the use of it while you first get into the shower or by keeping it outside the actual shower after which grabbing it when needed, as I then did.   

The gel itself could be very nice and each scented options smell great. ‘Waves’ brings coconut, sea salt, and jasmine together for a really beachy vibe, while ‘Summer’ has neroli, orange, and lemon. Smell is something I will be quite particular and fussy about but I loved each and could be very completely happy to proceed to make use of either. They each also perform their job of body wash thoroughly. I’ll say, nonetheless, I wish there was more product in each individual sachets as I discovered one wasn’t quite enough for my whole body and I tended to make use of a second to ensure my legs got a correct scrub. 

This leads us to the following point which is price. The body wash is available in packs of 16 which retail for £12 each which works out to 75p per shower. A small indie brand doing much-needed, revolutionary work on sustainability, Plus isn’t in a position to offer the discounted prices that big corporation-owned mass-produced brands can. But in the event you can afford to spend somewhat extra in your shower, I’d highly recommend the Plus shower gels. They give the impression of being good, smell good, work good, and cut down on plastic-waste so good. Also they are ideal for travelling and won’t take up any precious room in that small plastic bag of liquids or in a suitcase. Overall, an enormous thumbs up from us.