Growing up in Austin during the early days of Whole Foods, Cristina Guerra could often be found perusing its natural skincare offerings. “I’m an obsessive ingredient label reader,” she says. “I want to know what I’m putting in my body and on my body.” As an adult, she began formulating her own vegan shower oils, body butters, and foot balms. That passion for clean ingredients inspired Guerra to create her own product line, Luxe Refill, in 2017.
Focusing on a zero-waste model, the brand not only sells plant-based beauty items, but it encourages customers to reuse the containers they came in. Once the bottles and jars are empty, they can ship them back to the company to be refilled and returned. The paraben- and sulfate-free line features products such as magnesium deodorant, shea butter lotion, and arnica massage oils. Because the containers are reutilized, each vessel is thoroughly sanitized after use, and the formulas include preservatives—but only food-grade varieties that would be safe enough to eat.
This past October, Luxe Refill opened a North Austin storefront, where shoppers can stock up on items from the company and other sustainable brands as well as get their empty containers refilled. The store hosts small classes to teach customers how to DIY everything from face masks to balms, and it also leads sessions on why a zero-waste philosophy is so important. “The City of Austin has an initiative to be 90 percent landfill diverted by 2040, and we are very behind schedule,” Guerra says. “The city is doing as much as they can, but without the residents buying into it, it is a difficult thing.” In a city where two-thirds of residents already do not recycle, she is hoping to change the mindset toward product sustainability. After all, she notes, “reusing is better than recycling.”
Made with almond and jojoba oils, the brand’s bestselling product functions in many ways, including as a face moisturizer, makeup remover, and cuticle softener.
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The company not only sells plant-based beauty items, but it encourages its customers to reuse the containers they came in.
1712 Rio Grande Street, Suite 100 Austin, TX 78701
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1712 Rio Grande Street, Suite 100 Austin, TX 78701
Website by Web Publisher PRO