Why is Firm Revival in Plastic?
As a brand, we’re huge fans of recycled aluminum, so we understand why seeing Firm Revival HydroRetinal Firming Serum in plastic packaging might raise an eyebrow or two. It's a fair question.
The short answer? We chose plastic because, for this product, it was the best way to protect the formula and keep it stable.
Sustainability isn't about chasing perfection. It's about making thoughtful, informed decisions that balance product performance, safety, longevity, and environmental impact. Sometimes that means using recycled aluminum packaging. This time, though, it meant plastic. Here’s why.
Why Packaging Matters for a Retinal Serum
We didn’t choose Firm Revival’s packaging for aesthetic reasons—it’s part of what keeps the formula efficacious.
When we decided to make a retinal serum, we knew there would be challenges. Unlike retinol, retinal is only one conversion step away from retinoic acid, the active form that delivers benefits. This proximity makes it more potent and more efficient, but also more reactive. Retinal is the most fragile out of all the over-the-counter retinoids, but all retinoids are inherently tricky to formulate with because they’re usually highly unstable and degrade when exposed to light, heat, or oxygen. Because there isn’t any regulation on what brands put on their boxes—and given how unstable retinoids are—the percentage of retinoids marketed is often not the percentage consumers get when they buy a retinoid off the shelf and apply it to their skin.
Firm Revival’s hero ingredient is the 0.05% next-gen retinal, and it uses a proprietary multi-phase delivery system with several layers and components that’s designed to maximize efficacy and stability while also helping minimize sensitivity. But for this system to actually work, the packaging has to protect the formula at every stage, from the manufacturing process through to the last pump.
Why We Chose Plastic Packaging
A retinoid's biggest threats are light and air exposure. To prevent degradation, you need opaque packaging to block light and airless packaging to stop oxygen from entering the formula every time the product is used.
The best way to keep our next-gen retinal stable was through airless, opaque plastic packaging. While plastic was necessary to protect the formula, we looked for ways to reduce its impact where possible—we chose a lightweight tube that used the least amount of plastic possible.
We didn’t make this decision because of cost or convenience—it was a deliberate, formula-first decision. As a part of our commitment to making Better Trash™, our goal is to always formulate products that are so effective and high quality that you’ll want to use them up completely, rather than throwing them away or replacing them prematurely.
Why Aluminum Packaging Wouldn’t Work for Firm Revival
At the same time that we chose plastic packaging for Firm Revival, we conducted stability testing to determine whether we could ever switch from plastic to aluminum in the future.
The results are in: we can’t switch to aluminum packaging without sacrificing Firm Revival’s stability and efficacy. For now, there isn’t an option for airless aluminum packaging that makes sense from a sustainability perspective (most of them have limited recyclability). And when we tested Firm Revival in a non-airless aluminum packaging, the formula oxidized and separated.
Taking Responsibility for Our Plastic Impact
Plastic-free isn't always possible, but instead of ignoring the impact plastic has on our environment, we’re taking steps to address it. Through our partnership with rePurpose Global, we are Certified Plastic Negative, which means that we are committed to removing more plastic waste from nature than we produce. For every pound of plastic used in our packaging, four pounds of plastic will be recovered from the environment. And each piece of plastic recovered is one that wouldn’t have been removed or recovered from our ecosystem, had it not been for our joint efforts with rePurpose Global.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, Firm Revival is in plastic for one simple reason: the formula needed it. Retinal is highly sensitive to light and oxygen, so protecting our hero ingredient’s potency meant opting for airless, opaque plastic packaging. For us, formulating a product that works as promised had to come first.
That doesn't mean we're done looking for better solutions. We're constantly evaluating new packaging innovations and materials, and if a more sustainable option can protect the formula just as well, we'll be ready to make the switch, like we were eventually able to do for Deliverance 3-in-1 Repair Serum.
Sustainability isn't about getting everything perfect the first time. It's about learning, evolving, and doing better, one step at a time.
As always, you’re Dieux-ing great.
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