In the quest to use less plastic packaging, there are some exciting new developments in the beauty industry, as savvy thinkers dream up new ways to package our everyday bathroom items in plastic free containers.

And one of the most interesting new ideas is this one from the UK: solid cubes of shampoo, which are designed to be crumbled with a drop of water, creating a shampoo paste which is entirely free from plastic packaging.

What are Beauty Kubes?

Made in Cornwall, England, the shampoo Kubes are small squares of shampoo, packed in a cardboard box.

Each Kube is a measured amount for washing hair - so you simply take one and step into the shower. Crumble the dry Kube in your hand, adding a splash of water to make a paste, then massage it into your wet hair, where it will foam.

There are 27 Kubes in each box, which they claim is the equivalent to a 250 - 300 ml bottle of conventional shampoo.

Beauty Kubes are:

• cruelty free (not tested on animals)

• free from palm oil and palm oil derivatives

• completely free of plastic packaging

• vegan - no animal derived ingredients

• made from largely organic ingredients

• free from sulphate surfactants

• enriched with plant oils (like coconut milk & citrus oils).

INGREDIENTS:

Tapioca starch*, Sodium cocoyl isethionate, Cocos nucifera milk powder*, Sodium cocoyl glutamate, Inulin, Rosa centifolia flower powder, Panthenol, Glycerin (Palm-free, from a rapeseed source), Citrus aurantium dulcis peel oil*, Citrus paradisi peel oil*, Tocopherol*, Maltodextrin*, Cymbopogon martinii oil*, Limnanthes alba seed oil, Helianthus annuus seed oil, Acacia senegal gum, d-Limonene**, Citral**, Geraniol**, Linalol**, Farnesol**

*Organic ingredient **Occurs naturally in essential oil.

Available in versions for normal to dry, + for oily hair, Beauty Kubes also offer a conditioner in the same Kube format - although they note that most customers find they don’t need conditioner as the Kubes are not drying.

They also make a combined shampoo and body wash Kube - both in a mens fragrance and a unisex version - which would be wonderful for travelling.

The brand which makes Beauty Kubes is Eve of St Agnes, a natural & organic UK made beauty range, which was founded in 2012. They launched Beauty Kubes last year, but they have plans to introduce more plastic free beauty products in the future. One of their other lovely current offerings is a cotton canvas zippered pouch, filled with their Beauty Kube shampoo + Eve of St Agnes skincare range which is also free from plastic packaging. Instead, the face cream and body cream (which are vegan, and enriched with botanical oils) are packed in a recyclable aluminium tin.

Different shampoos seem to suit different hair, it seems, and I know that many people have not found success with solid bar shampoo and conditioners. (I personally love the Ethique range of hair products, but they don’t suit Henrietta’s hair so well, for example.)

So this could be a very welcome alternative, and a wonderful step towards more zero waste living.

Beauty Kubes are available direct from the UK maker, and they ship internationally.

If you are in Australia, you can also get them from

Biome.

Ecologist.

Or if you are in the US, you can get them from

Well Earth Goods.

In Singapore, you can get them from

Your Sustainable Store.