The compostable & refillable brand Tesco is betting on

Sustainable and refillable personal care brand Wild is based around a commitment to reducing plastic in the bathroom and using natural ingredients in its formulations. According to the brand, its compostable refills break down naturally and leave no potentially harmful traces such as microplastics. 

Its natural and refillable deodorants were already stocked on Tesco shelves, but as of this week, all of Wild’s product ranges will be stocked at 744 Tesco locations across the UK, with a fully branded bay in 69 stores – as the supermarket chain seeks to work with greener brands.  

According to Wild’s brand & partnerships lead, Eli Miansarow, the company targets customers who “are seeking effective, natural, and eco-conscious alternatives to conventional personal care products. 

Branching out into hair care​

Wild has also just launched a new natural, SLS-free hair care range that includes botanical extracts, vitamin-infused oils, and protein complexes. This will only be available for retail purchase at Tesco stores, and not even on its own direct-to-consumer website.

The brand’s body wash line is also exclusively offered through Tesco retail outlets, along with its Amber & Oud and Fresh Cotton Refill Sensitive deodorant refills and Ombre case & Lemon Basil & Blood Orange Starter Pack, which are both exclusively sold at Tesco stores, too.

Miansarow shared that the business’ is on a mission to “remove single-use plastic from bathrooms, envisioning a future where retailers embrace refillable options to make a real difference in reducing single-use plastic.” 

“We aim to continue this mission by expanding our product line, increasing accessibility, and furthering our commitment to sustainability, she shared, adding that the company “also seeks to grow its market presence globally while maintaining its position as a leader in the natural personal care industry."

The business was founded in 2019 by co-founders Freddy Ward and Charlie Bowes-Lyon who were childhood friends with a mission to address the issue of single-use plastic in personal care products.

Speaking about the new Tesco partnership, Bowes-Lyon shared that: "Tesco's commitment to sustainability aligns perfectly with our mission to reduce plastic waste, promote natural ingredients, and provide products that are trusted by hundreds of thousands of customers."

He added that he was confident that the partnership would “inspire positive change in personal care routines while contributing to a greener, more sustainable future."

Difficult to remove plastic from personal care packaging​

Miansarow said one of the biggest challenges Wild has faced along the way is how difficult it really is to remove plastic from personal care packaging.

“We were probably quite naïve when we were initially developing the compostable deodorant refill and we were also self-funded and had very little money to iterate with, which meant trying to persuade investors that we could create something that was yet to exist,” she shared.

“This took a while, and it was only after our first funding round that we really had the cash to bring our creation to market. It wasn't the easiest route to market, but I think we felt it was of the utmost importance to authentically create something that was genuinely game-changing within the industry.”

She continued: “This was similar with our compostable body wash refill, which was the first bottle that could hold liquids without a plastic liner, upon which other bottles to date have relied. It took years of setbacks and failed attempts until we finally made a completely plant-based bottle that was stable enough to hold liquids over a prolonged period."

Despite the difficulties, Miansarow is now confident that more companies will follow Wild’s approach in the future. She concluded that the personal care industry is “increasingly moving towards sustainability, with consumers demanding eco-friendly and natural products” and that within this trend “refillable packaging, biodegradable materials, and cruelty-free formulations are gaining popularity."