Cute little bottles and tubes are too much trouble. The EU strictly opposed not only mini shampoos, but also other single-use plastics.
Small cosmetics are pleasing, but they also have a number of disadvantages
Anyone who has ever spent the night in a hotel knows that tiny moment of childlike joy when you open the bathroom door for the first time. Next to the shiny sink, miniature hotel cosmetics are always waiting for you there. A tiny bar of soap, a pinky-sized bottle of shampoo and a scented body lotion, sometimes even conditioner or .
It was such a nice, almost nostalgic part of traveling that many of us packed in our suitcases as a souvenir to keep a bit of that holiday scent at home. However, these times definitely rang a bell. The European Union gave these plastic small things a red color. And no wonder.
Cosmetics in biodegradable plastics are an improvement, not a solution.
The end of the plastic era in hotel bathrooms
You might wonder why EU officials have focused on such a small thing, but a look at the numbers speaks volumes. Every year they produce hotels all over the world millions of these little wrappers. The problem is that recycling lines can’t handle them well enough.
The packaging is too small and contaminated cosmetic residue, so it usually ends up in landfills or incinerators. Less than half is recycled of all single-use plastics. The new regulation, which will apply from 2030, thus applies not only to miniature hotel cosmetics, but to a whole range of others single-use plastics.
If we want to relieve our planet, we have to start with these useless things, which we consume in a few minutes, but remain in nature for hundreds of years.
Hotels are now returning to a solution that is factual and actually much more logical. Instead of a bunch of small bottles, you will find large dispensers in the shower that are firmly attached to the wall. It may seem aesthetically imperfect to some, but hoteliers are confident that nothing changes for the guest.
If you choose a quality hotel, the filling in these dispensers will often be of much higher quality than before. Thanks to the absence of thousands of small packaging, hotels will save considerable resources, which they can theoretically invest in higher quality natural products.
Will we get used to it? Certainly yes
Many guests had those little bottles associated with the feeling of being extra pampered. It’s that psychological effect of “everything is just for me”. However, the modern concept looks different, but the guest is still 100% taken care of.
Rather than a pile of plastic, the emphasis is on sustainability and nature-friendliness. Elegant ceramic or glass containers that can be filled repeatedly look much better in the bathroom today. The hotel can definitely accommodate them in style and provide visitors with the same comfort.
