RPC Cresstale has completed the first trial production of a 100% biodegradable lipstick, using US-sourced PHA, a polymer made from organic sugars and oils that breaks down in soil, composting, waste treatment processes, river water and marine environments. The only products generated during decomposition are carbon dioxide and water.
All samples have so far been made on small cavity pilot tooling, but RPC is bullish about the pack’s prospects. It says while behaving essentially like fossil-based polymers when moulded, PHA has a smaller manufacturing “window”. Consequently the mouldings have “proved far more stable than more familiar biodegradable PLA polymer”, “proving” PHA’s suitability for cosmetics packaging. However, the converter must now find ways to overcome faults resulting from the material’s low viscosity and low melt point.
The lipstick uses the RPC patented “Revolve” mechanism, which boasts a “unique” collapsible tower, allowing the lipstick, including decorative cover and base, to be made in just four moulded parts from a single material.