INEOS launches rPP1025C Recycl-IN polymer with 70% recycled content, delivering high-performance, compliant, and lower-carbon solutions for cosmetics packaging.
INEOS Olefins & Polymers Europe has announced the introduction of a new grade within its Recycl-IN portfolio, reinforcing its commitment to advancing sustainability in the plastics and packaging industry. The newly launched material, a Recycl-IN hybrid polymer containing 70% recycled content, has been specifically developed to meet the demanding requirements of contact-sensitive cosmetics packaging. With this innovation, INEOS aims to help brands significantly increase recycled content in their packaging solutions without sacrificing quality, performance, or visual appeal.
Recycl-IN hybrid polymers are engineered to offer the same mechanical strength, aesthetics, and processing efficiency that customers traditionally associate with virgin polymers. At the same time, they enable a substantial reduction in environmental impact. This balance is achieved by blending high proportions of mechanically recycled plastics with advanced “booster” polymers. These booster polymers enhance performance, allowing the recycled material to meet stringent technical standards while also contributing to lower CO2 emissions across the product lifecycle.
The new grade, named rPP1025C, is a natural-colour polypropylene homopolymer optimized for thin-walled injection moulding and fibre extrusion. These characteristics make it particularly well suited for producing rigid, lightweight, and visually refined cosmetic packaging components. Typical applications include screw caps, jars and lids, mascara reservoirs and caps, deodorant roller balls, spray-over caps, and various dispenser parts. Such items require a careful balance of stiffness, durability, and surface quality—requirements that rPP1025C is designed to meet.
Among its key attributes, stiffness stands out as a major benefit. The material maintains its shape effectively, protects the packaged product, and delivers a premium tactile feel that is essential in the cosmetics sector. Heat resistance, comparable to that of virgin polypropylene, ensures product stability and helps extend shelf life, even under fluctuating temperature conditions during storage and transportation. Together, these properties support reliable functionality throughout the product’s use phase.
Like all materials in the Recycl-IN range, rPP1025C is designed as a true “drop-in” solution. Manufacturers can process it using existing equipment and established processing conditions, as its mechanical strength, ease of processing, and optical properties remain comparable to virgin polypropylene. Importantly, this performance parity is achieved while delivering an estimated 35% lower carbon footprint, supporting brand owners in meeting their sustainability and climate goals.
Safety and regulatory compliance have also been central to the product’s development. The recycled content used in rPP1025C is covered by an FDA No Objection Letter (NOL) and is certified as Post-Consumer Recyclate (PCR) by RecyClass. These certifications align with ISO 14021 environmental labelling standards, providing assurance to brand owners and consumers alike regarding material integrity and traceability.
This launch represents the second Recycl-IN hybrid grade developed by INEOS specifically for cosmetics packaging, following the earlier success of rPP2030C. Beyond cosmetics, INEOS continues to expand its portfolio of Recycl-IN hybrid polyolefin compounds for both rigid and flexible applications. These materials are already being offered across a wide range of sectors, including automotive, construction, drainage systems, packaging, sports infrastructure, storage solutions, and textiles.
Additional benefits of rPP1025C include its natural colour, which reduces costs, simplifies recycling streams, and provides a neutral base for versatile branding without added pigments. The grade also offers strong scratch resistance, helping packaging retain a pristine, premium appearance over time. Furthermore, its virgin-quality colourability enables designers to achieve a broad spectrum of shades—from light to dark—ensuring maximum creative freedom while maintaining sustainability objectives.
