Sephora: Overpackaging Like This Won’t Make For a Beautiful World

Another Sephora order, another box that's too large . . .

I've blogged about Sephora's packaging (and the packaging of the brands that they carry) before (you can find some of my blog posts here and here and here and here and here and here and here.). Sephora sometimes gets their packaging just right. Unfortunately, though, when I shop online, I often receive an overpackaged package. The problem seems to originate from the fact that Sephora insists on using cardboard boxes (with a strip of bubble wrap in the bottom) and never bubble envelopes (at least in my experience), so there will often be a lot of room in the box (for instance if one only orders one small item and this can happen a lot either if the item is high value so as to grant free shipping or if the person has VIB Rouge status which entitles the holder to free shipping on everything).

The other packaging problem that Sephora seems to have is that they carry a lot of items that have lots and lots of packaging. If a company like Sephora could influence the brands that it carries to use less packaging (for instance putting a safety seal around a lipstick, face mask, face cream, or mascara instead of using a box) then the amount of waste surrounding cosmetics and skincare would significantly decrease since Sephora is a big company with many customers.

I received this order in December (I'm just getting around to this now, since I've been busy with my baby!). I only ordered a lip gloss from Bite Beauty and a small jar of face mask from GlamGlow. Everything else below is either 100 point bonuses (in the Beauty Insider program at Sephora, each purchase gives the member points that they can then put towards deluxe samples), free samples with order (normally three with each order, but sometimes they go up to five), or the "free" makeup bag packed with samples that came with this order.

A special mention to GlamGlow for their excellent packaging of the face mask that I ordered. It had a safety seal around the small plastic jar which was filled to the brim with product. No wasting of materials here and it was fully recyclable.

Lots of packing paper as usual.

This box is definitely too big for the order.

GlamGlow is a great example of minimal packaging. Only a safety seal on this small size face mask and fully recyclable jar.

Why put a little lip gloss in such a big box? Why not use a safety seal like the face mask above?

There's nothing pretty about this wasted space or cardboard.

This lip gloss does not need any box, let alone such a big one.

This 100 point bonus bronzer had ridiculous packaging for a sample sized product.

Why make the box this thick and waste all this space?

This 100 point bonus lipstick came in a box. It is a sample size. Why not put a safety seal on it?

This 100 point bonus lipstick came in a box. It is a sample size. Why not put a safety seal on it?

Two out of three samples with the order had minimal packaging, the third, on the right, way too much.

The order came with a "free" makeup bag with samples in it. For some reason the bag was in a bag.

A bag in a bag with tissue paper too. Talk about overpackaging.

All of these samples came in the "free" cosmetics bag. Some had surplus packaging of their own.

I think that Sephora has a real chance to lead by example with their own packaging and working with the brands that they carry to create less waste and packaging or perhaps by making it easier to recycle packaging for cosmetics and skincare (mixed materials create problems, for instance in compacts that have plastic, metal, and glass or mascara that has perhaps rubber, plastic, metal, and/or bristles). While the cardboard boxes are recyclable, reducing is better than recycling. Overpackaging is never pretty (although some people on the Sephora website will disagree with me, because items that have more spartan packaging are sometimes called ugly or not pretty enough in the reviews).

Chatters Salon: Hair-raising Overpackaging

These bottles of shampoo and conditioner may be big, but they don't need a box this big.

During Chatters Salon's Boxing Day sale, I bought a large bottle of AG Hair Shampoo and one of AG Hair Conditioner. I bought them from Chatters Salon online. I buy big bottles of shampoo and conditioner, so that I won’t have to buy anymore for a long time, which conserves on packaging in the products and the packaging associated with shipping plus the impact of shipping itself. 

Unfortunately, when my purchase showed up in early January, the two large bottles were housed in an absolutely gigantic cardboard box. I have no idea why Chatters used such a huge box, but it was ridiculously over-sized and filled with packaging materials. 

The big box was full of plastic bubble packing materials.

The box was way, way too big even for 1 litre bottles.

My big bottles look positively miniature next to this gigantic box.

Using a smaller box would not only save on packing materials and cardboard, but it would probably also save Chatters shipping costs. Next time, I hope that Chatters uses a smaller box and avoids such hair-raising overpackaging.

Update:
The social media representative for Chatters Salon contacted me Friday night via Twitter:

"Interesting read. Thanks for your feedback and will share your thoughts with our shipping department. Have a great weekend."

I appreciate this swift response by Chatters Salon and the indication that something might be done to improve their packaging in the future.

Rhinaris: Overpackaging of Nasal Sprays Blows

This is much too much waste for a small nasal spray.

I have blogged before about wasteful packaging on nasal sprays (you can read my blog on NeilMed nasal spray here). For some reason, companies hawking nasal sprays feel the need to create an incredible amount of packaging for a very small item. Yes, it needs to be hygienic, but this could be accomplished with much less waste. My husband has the cynical, but perhaps accurate view that these companies increase packaging to make sure their product is seen on packed store shelves (click here to see my posts on other small over the counter items like Vitamin D drops for babies and probiotic drops for babies).

I opened up a box of Rhinaris nasal spray the other day and discovered a world of waste. There was a plastic bottle with a plastic cap, a separate plastic bag with the nozzle and cap in it, and there was the paper insert. After I assembled the nasal spray, I was left with lots of garbage and recycling, a plastic cap for the bottle that the nozzle ends up going into, a plastic bag from the nozzle, the plastic seal from around the top of the bottle, and the paper insert and cardboard box. Yes, some of it is recyclable, but really reducing would just be better for the world and its finite and precious resources.

Of course the box is too big.

All of this was in the box.

Everything to the left of the assembled nasal spray is waste or recycling.

Another overly large box. What a waste of cardboard.

Overpackaging like this makes me not want to buy a product, but it seems that all companies that produce nasal sprays seem to do this kind of overpackaging. Overpackaging of nasal sprays just blows.

Dole Organic Bananas: Putting Packaging on Bananas is Just Bananas

Even my baby knows that bananas have their own package; it’s called a peel. People who shout about organic produce being the best must feel chagrinned when they see products like Dole’s organic bananas. The bunch of these bananas that my husband bought the other day, had a giant strip of sticky tape as a label all the way around it, some plastic wrap  and what looked like masking tape or paper over the end of the bunch, and a plastic sticker! What a waste.

Anyone who says organic produce is better for the environment does not have this type of overpackaging in mind. A banana doesn’t need packaging. Dole’s overpackaging is just bananas.

Amazon Prime: What Are They Thinking with Their Packaging?!

Another order, another example of overpackaging from Amazon.

I have written many blog posts on Amazon Prime and their wasteful packaging since becoming a member a little less than a year ago. Unfortunately, Amazon continues to disappoint me with their voluminous and wasteful packaging (you can read my other Amazon posts here and here and here and here and here and here and here.). Despite having a feedback section where customers can report how the packaging was on their items (where one can fill in if the box was too big or just right and whether the items were adequately protected, along with leaving written comments if desired), I continue to receive overpackaged shipments with wasted cardboard, packing paper, and bubble wrap. Sometimes I will receive a well packaged shipment and hope that the Amazon overpackaging is ending and then they hit me with wasteful shipments again.

I received two packages this week from Amazon Prime. One package was bath toys for my baby. There were three varieties of toys, all very small, yet the box I received was very big. I opened it and found a ton of packing paper. When I pulled the packing paper back there was almost nothing but empty space in the box. What a waste! When is Amazon going to stop overpackaging shipments like this? Their packaging is regularly shocking (at least in my household). Yes, I can recycle packing paper and cardboard, but reducing is better than wasting precious resources.

Another big box from Amazon.

A big box with lots of packing paper.

I was stunned when I looked in the box and found all of that empty space.

What was Amazon thinking?! Such a big box for such little items.

All of this packaging from Amazon and I still had the packaging on the children's toys too.

For children's items there was not a lot of packaging. Unfortunately, Amazon negated this with their packaging.

The Playgro and Munchkin bath toys were surprisingly well packaged for children's items, but Amazon sure failed in their packaging.

Another package that arrive this week was a tiny bottle of rose hip oil. It came in a big bubble envelope. When I opened the envelope, there a tiny bubble wrapped bottle at the bottom of it. There was so much wasted space. Why was this sent in such a huge envelope? Again, what a waste of packaging materials.

I was surprised by the size of the envelope when it arrived.

I couldn't believe how much empty space there was in the envelope.

A giant envelope for a tiny bottle of oil in bubble wrap.

All of this packaging for a tiny self-sealed bottle of rose hip oil.

I will continue to fill out Amazon’s packaging feedback section on their website for my orders, but since the packaging continues to disappoint, I don’t know if I’m wasting my time. Surely, Amazon could save money by using less packaging materials and thereby have smaller shipping costs. Come on, Amazon!

What a Waste: My Sheepskin and Things Moccasins Won’t Make it Through This Winter Let Alone Next Winter

Holes in the lining and the soles falling off- not how one would expect "durable" moccasins to wear in 3 months.

I’m diverging from overpackaging for a post, as I have before to talk about wastefully made items that just create more waste and burden the environment (see a previous post I did on Forever 21 leggings that only lasted me one wear here).

At the end of November, I bought moccasins from Sheepskin and Things online. I bought one pair for my mother and one for myself. I received the moccasins on December 7th. A second box arrived at the same time with a third pair of moccasins in a different size and colour than my mother’s and mine and with an invoice with someone else’s name, address, and part of their credit card number. I immediately contacted Sheepskin and Things through their email address to tell them that I had received this other box of moccasins and asked them what I should do. I never heard anything back.

I was initially pleased with my moccasins. They were much prettier than my last moccasins, with a rabbit fur fringe and beading. They were light and comfortable to wear around my house, making excellent slippers. My place has a lot of wood floors, so I appreciated having warm slippers in the winter.

In early January, I noticed that the inside of my new moccasins, less than one month old were wearing through at the heels. I was shocked. I emailed Sheepskin and Things again. I never heard anything back. I was really disappointed and felt a fool for purchasing moccasins through their website, rather than from a store that I could take them back to.

Holes had started to form in the "sheepskin" linings of the moccasins.

In early February, when the moccasins were less than two moths old, I noticed that the bottoms of the moccasins were starting to come off as the stitching had come undone in places. I’m not sure if they are defective or just badly made, but I would expect more than two months of wear of moccasins before they start to fall apart. My other pairs of moccasins that I’ve had over the years have lasted much longer.

By two months, the holes in linings had become worse.

The soles of the moccasins were coming off already. . .

. . . in multiple places.

This time, I went to the Sheepskin and Things website, and filled in an online contact form. This time I did receive a reply. The fellow from their customer service department told me that they were switching their customer service system and that is why my emails had not been answered. I felt renewed hope that they would help me with my falling apart moccasins. They asked me to send photos of my moccasins.

I sent the photos from early January email and photos from early February. The fellow wrote back and said it looked like my moccasins had been wet from wearing them outside. I wrote back to tell him that I most certainly had not worn my moccasins, which I wear as slippers indoors only, outside. I pointed out to him that I have many, many other shoes to wear outside, including a couple of pairs of beautiful mukluks (not from their company by the way). I also said that I was really upset at the bad customer service that I had had thus far and being accused of wearing these moccasins outside.

It was obvious from looking at the photos that the stitching on the bottom of the moccasins had failed and that is why the soles were coming off. Also, the inside lining of the moccasins was clearly not just sheepskin as it had a strange net-like backing to it. Perhaps this doesn’t wear as well as true sheepskin and that is why my linings were wearing through so fast.

I heard nothing back from the customer service agent. I gave it a week and emailed back. Nothing again. I used the online form on their website again and asked if they would ever be replying to help me. I have heard nothing since. It’s been more than two months since I first contacted them about my defective moccasins.

The Sheepskin and Things website has this to say about their women’s moccasins:
“Providing Canadians and the world with only the best in Canadian made fur moccasins and fur slippers. Our fur moccasins and fur slippers are made with select soft suedes and luxurious leather. Enjoy our fur moccasins and fur slippers in the comfort of your home! Our moccasins and slippers are hand beaded with an assortment of colourful glass beads.”

The description for my particular moccasins on their website states:
“Create your own traditions with our womens [sic] Indian tan rabbit fur moccasins. These are the perfect gift for your family. These womens [sic] Indian tan moccasins are made in Canada with genuine Canadian suede and plush rabbit fur. Each womens [sic] moccasins have a hand sewn glass beaded design on the vamp that is unique to each moccasin. These moccasins are ideal for indoor wear. The suede moccasin sole is soft yet durable [emphasis added] keeping your feet warm and comfortable all year long.”

Besides stating that the moccasins are made with select/luxurious materials, that they’re ideal for indoor wear, and that they’re durable, the descriptions don’t say anything about the moccasins being destroyed if they come into contact with any water in your home (from time to time one may encounter drops of water on the floor of the bathroom or kitchen in one’s home.) In any event, they are most certainly not durable in my experience.

It’s been three months since I received the moccasins and there are holes in the “sheepskin” lining of the moccasins and the sole of each moccasin continues to come off.

Three months of wear and these moccasins look really worn out and sad on their soles . . .

. . . and in their worn out lining.

Can't believe that these moccasins are so worn out after only three months. What junk.

I feel upset every time I wear them, thinking about not only how I was ripped off, but also how the company treated me when it was clear that the moccasins were defective. I still can’t believe they chose to accuse me of wearing them outside and then never email me back. It’s one of the worst cases of customer service failure that I have ever experienced in my life. Who knows if that fellow whose moccasins got delivered to me ever got a replacement pair. And I still haven’t been told what to do with his moccasins. If I were the owner of the company, I would be embarrassed and worried if I had sent someone’s name and full address and part of their credit card number to another customer. In these days of identity theft, that’s a really bad move. Accidental or not, clearly their system needs some work.

My mother has not worn her moccasins much yet and maybe she’ll have a better experience, but given the company’s lack of customer service or willingness to stand behind the quality of my moccasins, I don’t feel optimistic.

I’ve bought many wonderful things online, but these moccasins are an example of either junk or something defective that a company won’t stand behind. It’s a shame for resources to be wasted on items that will just be thrown out before they should be. I try to buy items that will last as long as possible because that’s better than buying disposable or poorly made items that will just create more garbage in the landfill. Now I must look for a new pair of slippers soon, as these will be garbage much sooner than they should be. What a shame and what a waste.

I’ve been burned before and I’m sure I will be again shopping online, but one thing is for certain. I’ll never be buying anything from Sheepskin and Things again.

Amazon Subscribe & Save: Savings on Price, but Not Necessarily Packaging

Another overly big box, half empty and with a ton of packing paper. What a waste of packaging.

A little less than a year ago, I became an Amazon Prime member. I started subscribing to various products over time using Amazon's Subscribe & Save program. Now I have several products in my subscription rotation including baby products like diapers, household cleaners and paper, and even hemp hearts. While I appreciate some of the savings, they have only been in cost and not packaging (and one has to wonder how much unnecessary packaging adds to the cost of items on Amazon).

I’ve had a variety of deliveries over the many months that I’ve tried this service. Some of the deliveries have been filled with damaged items due to inadequate packaging materials and overly large boxes, while others have been undamaged but in overly large boxes with tons and tons of packing paper. But not all of the packaging has been bad. Some packages have been done very well with the minimum amount of packing paper or bubble wrap and appropriately sized boxes.

My most recent delivery of Subscribe & Save items (this was only about half of my items for March that arrived in this box) was a repeat of Amazon’s use of overly large boxes and too much packing paper (for my other posts on Amazon's overpackaging, please see here and here and here and here and here and here.)

So much packing paper.

And a half empty box.

All of this packaging material left after. Yes, I can recycle it, but half wasn't needed, so it's still a great waste.

I can only hope that Amazon will start listening more to the report feature that they provide on their site where customers can report whether their package was well protected or not, whether the box was a good size or not, and provide written comments about the packaging if they desire. I have used this feature over and over again, but many packages that I receive from Amazon still are overpackaged with wastefully large boxes or envelopes and too much packaging materials used (or not enough in the case of Amazon regularly not wrapping liquids like cleaners with plastic and then them sometimes spilling all over the box and its contents during shipment).

Amazon ships so many packages a day all over the world, that all of their waste in packaging will add up and create a mountain of recycling, garbage, and waste that we will all come to regret. Come on, Amazon!