I’ll admit it—I’m a hoarder when it comes to beauty product empties. I’ll leave them on my bathroom shelf for approximately 6 months before deciding they take up way too much space. Then I get frustrated I’ve got a massive pile of trash. But what do I do with all of my products?
Get More from Your Skincare Empties
Did you know there are programs out there that take your used items? Of course, we’ve all heard of the textile and clothing recycling programs H&M and Zara have (pro tip: H&M gives you a discount coupon, Zara does not). But did you know there’s similar things in the beauty world?
Yes, Sephora has a recycling program through Pact. And Nordstrom uses Terracycle. But is that getting your most bang for your buck? Unfortunately not.
If you live in an area that has a Credo Beauty Store, it’s definitely worth checking them out instead. They also recycle through the Pact program (Credo is actually a co-founder of it). But the main benefit for you is that each returned empty becomes 10 points in your Credo account.
They’re very specific in terms of what they will recycle, so be sure to check out their beauty recycling requirements. I wash out all of my products with boiling hot water and dish soap, plus a little scrub. I then let the bottles, jars, pumps, etc sit out in the sun for a couple days so they can dry out. The worst is when there’s still liquid in there and you’re transporting it across the city. A hot mess.
When you get into the store, find an associate and tell them, “Hi, I’d like to drop off some beauty empties, please.” They’ll know exactly what you mean and will bring you over to the checkout counter. They’ll then take out a small bamboo tray, where you will put each of the products onto. They’ll count it up, ask you for your email, then add your newly earned points to your account.
What Do Credo Points Do?
10 points might not seem like a lot, but each product you return will keep adding to the tally. In each individual visit to a Credo store, you can return 12 items for a total of 120 points. That’s 20 points more than the 100-point redemption rewards. These rewards are normally small travel-sized items, ranging from mascara to perfume to retinol serums.
The points you receive when you return your empties in store can be immediately redeemed for your products as well! Note: my friend did sign up for an account an hour before we visited the store and they were not allowed to redeem their points immediately. So perhaps there’s some account friction there… But in my personal experience, I’ve been able to redeem immediately.
Credo recycling pro-tip
If you’re not sure if Credo will take your beauty empty, I fully understand your concern (and confusion). I always err on the side of caution and bring an excess of 12 products (I’ll aim for 15 or so). When they inevitably tell me that this bottle is not accepted or jars like this need to be thrown away, I’ll have some extra empties to get me up to that maximum number of 12.
I’ve had the most success with plastic tubes and small plastic jars. Glass and larger plastic jars are typically accepted from your local municipalities, so Credo/Pact will not take them. They also do not take aerosols (rip to my beloved Living Proof Perfect hair Day Dry Shampoo).
“Cut your plastic tubes or they won’t take them.”
If they do reject your large bottles, ask them if they’ll take the pumps! These are typically a pain point for recycling centers, so if Pact is able to handle them, it is much better for the environment!
And nope, it does not have to be Credo products to be returned to Credo. I’ve returned Sephora items, drugstore brands, department store items, etc. They’ll take them, independent of the brand.
What if I don’t like the credo in-store rewards?
Since the points are added to your account, you do not need to feel pressured to redeem the rewards right then and there in store. You can keep accruing your points until you hit the amount for something you want. And the points can be redeemed on your next online order, further expanding your potential selection for rewards.
And yes, the points are the same types of points you would receive when you purchase a product.
This might be a hot take, but I do think the Credo reward system is better than the Sephora one… At least in terms of how easily I can redeem something for a decent product.
Your Favorite Product’s Favorite Final Resting Place
It’s always a sad day when you empty a product (spoken as a person who has finished off 6 Summer Fridays ShadeDrops). But now that you know this secret about turning your skincare and makeup empty products into new products, hopefully your sad days are not as blue!
So next time you’ve got a massive amount of beauty empties, don’t toss them in the trash! Think of them as your tickets to a new product—you just have to redeem them!
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