• Design Jobs
  • Firms
  • Awards
  • Conference
e

Core77

Sign In / Join Now;
e
  • Topics
    • Product Design
    • Process
    • Technology
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Materials
    • News
    • Furniture
    • Tools
    • Transportation
    • Education
    • Footwear
    • Impact
    • Reference
    • Video
  • Features
    • Features
    • Yo! C77 Sketch
    • Photo Galleries
    • Bizarre Inventions
    • Design Calendar
    • Weekly Maker's Roundup
    • DiResta's Cut
    • Industrial Design Tips
    • Hand Tool School
    • Tools & Craft
    • Design Experience that Matters
  • Shopping Guide
  • Projects
    • Projects
    • Firm Projects
    • Reader Projects
  • Forums
    • Forums
    • General Discussion
    • Students & Schools
    • Design Employment
    • Sketching
    • Software & Technology
    • All Forums
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • About
    • Contact
    • Advertise

New Brand by Humankind Launches Compostable Refills for their Deodorant and Mouthwash Tablets

One small step for packaging design, one giant leap by Humankind

By Emily Engle - Feb 06

  • Join Core77 Today
  • Submit your projects for publication
  • }Favorite This
  • Y1
  • m1
  • U1
  • X1
  • H1

Just a few weeks ago, I begged subscription-based micro brands to cut down on excess refill packaging that goes against their "sustainable" missions in a 2018 trend re-cap. Just a couple months into the new year and new brand by Humankind announces this:

Enter a caption (optional)

Yeah okay, this is another plastic refillable deodorant shell. But, just like with any good real-life human, it's what's on the inside that counts, right? Instead of sending customers plastic cartridge refills like most deodorant, razor, etc. subscription brands do, by Humankind sends what they call 'Kindfills', which are compostable paper refill pods that look like this: 

Deodorant Kindfill

They also do the same for their mouthwash tablets ($9.95), which are essentially little pills that turn into mouthwash when dropped in water. They can also be used without water, which I happily tested and enjoyed in the airport after a morning breath-inducing flight. 

Mouthwash tablet packaging
Enter a caption (optional)
Enter a caption (optional)
Mouthwash tablet Kindfill

While the deodorant and mouthwash tablet packaging is still plastic, at least the refills, which are much more frequent, aren't. Now all that's left is figuring out how to mail the refills in compostable packaging... baby steps!

Enter a caption (optional)

Back to the deodorant ($14.95): from an ID/packaging design perspective, I truly do appreciate the ease of use the plastic shell offers as opposed to competitors. Without reading directions, it was clear all the user has to do to add a cartridge is unscrew the bottom, pop a cartridge in place, turn the cartridge to lock it in and finally screw the base back on. Once the base is screwed back on, it does not fall out of place unless intentionally activated. It reminds me of the locking mechanisms on two objects I frequently use at home, the Muji aroma diffuser and Naoto Fukasawa blender. 

I thought the smooth finish of the plastic would slip through my fingers as opposed to the ribbed design of competitor Myro, but in addition to the larger size of by Humankind's version, there's actually a slight grip to its material, making a ribbed design unnecessary. I'm also digging the more muted color palette by Humankind offers as opposed to Myro, but I admittedly still gravitate towards the very 2019 update to millennial pink, lime green. 

Oh, and by Humankind also offers shampoo bars ($12.95), which don't require any plastic packaging, so there's not much for me to say on that front.

The latest design news, jobs & events.
Straight to you every other week.

Join over 300,000 designers who stay up-to-date with the Core77 newsletter...

Subscribe

Test it out; it only takes a single click to unsubscribe

  • }Favorite This
  • Y1
  • m1
  • U1
  • X1
  • H1
  • Packaging

Emily Engle

Emily is Core77's Editor, footwear enthusiast and resident stress baker.

Comments

Core77's Design Directory

View all Design Firms »

Hot On Coroflot

DAINESE - Torque D1: Design Story ( Designer: 2015 ) David Sheridan
JAM BOOKCASE Sven Rudolph

Recent Posts

  • Sphero's BB-8 Rolled into Robot Fame. Their RVR Prototypes Open Up a Much Wider Universe of Possibilities.

    By Kickstarter Design & Tech - 16 hours ago

  • SendCutSend: A Speedy Outsourcing Service for Laser Cutting Metal

    By Rain Noe - 16 hours ago

  • Clever Medical Design: ZipStitch, a DIY Non-Invasive Substitute for Stitches Based on Zip-Ties

    By Rain Noe - 20 hours ago

  • Auto Safety Feature of the Near Future: Airbags on the Outside of Cars

    By Rain Noe - 20 hours ago

Continued Reading
  • Packaging
    4 Comments

    By Rain Noe - Feb 01

    A Desktop Machine That Lets You Make Your Own Bubble Wrap

    Sealed Air Corp's Bubble Wrap Inflator Nano

    Bubble Wrap obviously takes up a lot of space; indeed that's kind of the point. So for businesses that go through a lot of the stuff, it would reduce their warehousing and shipping demands if they had a way to produce Bubble Wrap on-site. Which is why Sealed Air Corp.

  • Packaging
    3 Comments

    By Rain Noe - Feb 01

    The Perfection of Eggs as Packaging

    Because we have free-range chickens, we often find eggs laid in random places around the farm. Every day is like Easter here. These become breakfast, courtesy of the missus. When a chicken's diet consists primarily of bugs and grass (supplemented by feed in the colder months), the yolks are extremely

  • Packaging
    7 Comments

    By Rain Noe - Nov 13, 2018

    How Online Shopping Will Change the Shape of Bottles

    When the need for "shelf presence" is removed, designers can focus on efficiency

    "Shelf presence" has driven the design of bottles for decades. That's because consumer product bottles were traditionally sold on store shelves, as discussed in the previous entry on this topic. But now that online shopping is growing exponentially, bottle designs are changing to meet the very different needs of e-commerce.

  • Object Culture
    1 Comment

    By Rain Noe - Nov 13, 2018

    Why Consumer Product Bottles are Always Wider Than They Are Deep

    …and why they should actually be labeled like books

    The branch of industrial design I spent the most time working in was called "structural package design," i.e. bottles. Our SPD department was small compared to Graphics and Marketing, which is typical for most corporate I.D. gigs, and that was partially a function of how bottles were sold prior to

K

{

Welcome

  • YSign In with Facebook
  • mSign In with Twitter
  • USign In with Linkedin
OR
  • jSign In with Core77 Account
  1. Forgot password?
  • Cancel

Don't have an account? Join Now

K

{

Welcome

Create a Core77 Account

  • YJoin Now with Facebook
  • mJoin Now with Twitter
  • UJoin Now with Linkedin
OR
  • jJoin Now with Email
  • Cancel

Already have an account? Sign In

By creating a Core77 account you confirm that you accept the Terms of Use

K

Reset Password

Please enter your email and we will send an email to reset your password.

  • Cancel
Today On the Core77 Network...
  • ]Design Jobs

    • Staff Industrial Designer

      Milwaukee Tool Brookfield, Wisconsin
    • Senior Interaction Designer

      TEAGUE Seattle, Washington
    • Graphic Designer

      West Elm New York
    • Senior Graphic Designer

      West Elm New York
    • Post A Job
    • View All Jobs
  • ]Design Directory

    View other design services:

    • *Hot On Coroflot

      • Jumpstart Charging Systems

        Ryan Paul
      • Beverage Dispenser

        Jonathan Smith
    •  

      • ET TOY WORK

        Rurik Tyler
      • ECCO Biom Venture TR

        Ventsislav Nikolov
    • © 2019 Core77, Inc. All rights reserved.
    • Terms
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    • About
    • )
    • m
    • Y
    • '
    • S
    • © 2019 Core77, Inc. All rights reserved.
    Advertise Here