The Scoop: Plaine Products is a beauty company that supports environmental sustainability and gives consumers a painless way to eliminate single-use plastics in the shower. Its unique packaging allows for automated or as-needed refills of shampoo, conditioner, soap, and other all-natural products. Singles, those in relationships, and families can reduce their plastic waste by getting a gift bundle, making a refill order, or enrolling in a monthly subscription with Plaine Products. DatingNews.com readers can use the code BeyondPlastic to get 20% off. Plaine Products will donate that amount to the nonprofit Beyond Plastic, whose mission is to end plastic pollution by being a catalyst for change at every level of our society.
Every year, Americans throw away over 30 million tons of plastic. And only 8% of it gets recycled. As a result, our landfills are full of plastics that are harmful to the environment and do not biodegrade.
However, plastic-clogged landfills are far removed from the average American’s daily life, so sometimes it takes leaving the country to realize the problems we have at home.
Sisters Lindsey McCoy and Alison Delaplaine Webster co-founded Plaine Products in 2017.
Lindsey McCoy was working for a nonprofit in the Bahamas when she discovered the serious hazard plastic trash can cause in the community. Plastics littered the beach and piled up on the side of the road. They were terrible reminders of the civilized world’s wasteful relationship with plastic — and they weren’t going away.
“It visually clicked for me,” Lindsey said. “I started moving away from single-use plastics by reusing straws and carrying water bottles, but I couldn’t find a solution for all those plastic bottles in the shower and bathroom.”
Lindsey saw an opportunity to solve a problem for her family and for the planet, so she called up her sister Alison Delaplaine Webster, and together they launched Plaine Products to begin reducing plastic waste in the U.S.
Plaine Products offers consumers a zero-waste way to keep their hair shiny and skin silky smooth. The beauty company sells haircare and skincare products with refill orders and subscription options that ensure its plastic bottles don’t end up in the trash.
Subscribe to Get Refills of All-Natural Beauty Products
Americans can cut a lot of unnecessary waste from their lives simply by being more mindful about the products they choose to fill their pantry, shelves, and bathroom. It’s important to pay attention to the small things that can have a sizable impact over time. For instance, experts estimate that Americans could fill 1,164 football fields just with the shampoo bottles they throw away every year.
Plaine Products is on a mission to cut that number down to size by encouraging consumers to stop throwing away their shampoo bottles and soap dispensers.
A Plaine Products subscription can help couples in a relationship lead a more sustainable lifestyle.
The Plaine Products team has pioneered a refillable packaging system in which customers can order a refill or get a subscription that provides automatic refills every month. A refill order comes with a new bottle to replace the old one and a box with a printed return label for customers to put the old bottle in.
Once the customer mails (at no cost) a used bottle back to Plaine Products, the team washes and recycles it for future use.
“We work very hard to make this a convenient way for people to have less plastic in their life,” Lindsey said. “It’s a great way to introduce someone to sustainability — without compromising on quality.”
Lindsey said her sister Alison is a stickler when it comes to quality. She sees to it that the all-natural products give people the results they desire — whether it’s detangling hair or giving skin an added luster. After all, the sustainable mission can only succeed if customers like the products and keep buying them month after month and year after year.
Plaine Products keeps things simple when it comes to its product line. It offers haircare, skincare, and facial care categories with full-size and travel-size options as well as curated bundles. All its products are vegan and toxin-free, and they come in two scents: rosemary mint vanilla and citrus lavender.
These ethical products help everyday individuals and couples foster a healthier relationship with the earth.
A Sister-Run Startup Works Toward Greater Sustainability
The idea for Plaine Products began with two sisters. One brought the core values and overarching environmental vision, and the other brought practical product testing and consumer insight. Together, Lindsey and Alison grew a company that has shaken up the beauty industry.
Some team members work at the packaging area in Cincinnati, but most are remote workers with flexible hours. Lindsey said the flexible and collaborative work environment has helped win over talented individuals who care about the mission and want to help Plaine Products thrive.
Plaine Products now offers a hand sanitizer in reusable plastic bottles.
So far, the Plaine Products company has successfully diverted 170,000 plastic bottles from landfills, and the team is fired up to reach 200,000 by the end of 2020.
Plaine Products started out selling shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, and then expanded to offer body lotion, hand soap, and face moisturizer. Recently, the company released an all-natural beauty oil that can be applied to the face, hair, or body.
Another new product turning heads is the hand sanitizer, which Plaine Products began working on pre-pandemic and released in June 2020. The hand sanitizer is peppermint scented and uses 70% ethyl alcohol to keep hands germ-free.
“It smells yummy, and our customers love that it’s not sticky,” Lindsey said. “It goes on clean and evaporates.”
As Plaine Products builds its relationship with customers, the team makes a point to develop new moisturizers, creams, and oils to help people stock their bathroom cabinets with environmentally sustainable products.
Customers Praise the Zero-Waste Packaging & Quality Results
Plaine Products appeals to people of all ages. Some are teenagers who care about the future of the planet. Others are grandparents who want to keep harmful chemicals out of their bodies. Lindsey told us that one older woman doesn’t like to use the internet, so she sends Plaine Products a handwritten note and cheque when she wants to order her refills.
Many loyal customers continually use Plaine Products day in and day out, and they have left some stellar testimonials about their experience.
“I was so happy to come across Plaine Products in my search for not only a sustainable alternative to store bought shampoo/conditioner, but one that actually gets the job done right,” said Philip, aka The Vegan Model. “Plaine Products has found the winning formula by not only creating products that save the planet, but ones that make your hair feel luxurious as well! Double win!”
Plaine Products is on track to divert over 200,000 plastic bottles by the end of 2020.
Whether they’re single or in a relationship, Plaine Products customers say they appreciate being able to look their best without having a negative impact on the environment.
A 51-year-old woman named Kara said Plaine Products conditioner made her curly hair look and feel better than ever. “Your product is nothing short of miraculous,” the Colorado woman said. “[This is] literally the first time in my adult life where my curls look good AND my hair is soft.”
“This company is trying something amazing with their refill program and I’m so happy to support them,” said Meredith from Vermont. “Such a cool concept and one that I hope catches on everywhere!”
Lindsey said that getting positive feedback from customers is her favorite part of being CEO of Plaine Products. “It makes all of the tough parts of the job that much easier,” she told us. “It’s incredibly rewarding to hear people say Plaine Products is helping them feel better about themselves and what they do for the planet.”
Plaine Products Offers Guilt-Free Pampering on Demand
Single-use plastics spend a brief time in consumer hands and then spend a lifetime as trash and litter. That’s not a sustainable system, and it’s up to everyday Americans to change their relationship with plastic. Environmentally conscious individuals, couples, and families can turn to solutions like Plaine Products to decrease their plastic waste without disrupting their daily routines.
Plaine Products has created a streamlined solution to the issue of shampoo and soap bottle waste. The company refills and reuses its bottles, offering monthly subscriptions to ensure customers never run out of their favorite shampoos, soaps, lotions, and oils.
Relationship partners can use Plaine Products to take better care of themselves and the planet. Its refill system reduces the consumer’s plastic footprint while providing the sweet-smelling, hair-detangling, and skin-enriching benefits that consumers need to look and feel their best.
“People go into it for the sustainable packaging, but they stick with it because they love the products,” Lindsey said. “And, hopefully, it’s a gateway for them to lead a more sustainable life. That’s our goal.”
