The Perfume Shop tackles fragrance waste with nationwide recycling push
The Perfume Shop is addressing a significant source of waste in the beauty industry, highlighting that UK households discard an estimated 59 million perfume and aftershave bottles each year.
As part of The Great British Beauty Clean Up 2026, the fragrance retailer reports a 234% year-on-year increase in bottles recycled through its stores, with 7,714 bottles collected so far in 2026.
The initiative is a nationwide campaign that brings together brands, retailers and beauty professionals to reduce industry waste.
It runs throughout March, aligning with Global Recycling Day on 18 March and the United Nations International Day of Zero Waste on 30 March, promoting the message: “Refill. Reuse. Recycle”.
Industry data suggests that more than half of UK adults (53%) dispose of empty perfume bottles in general waste. While many bottles are made from glass, their mixed-material components - such as pumps and caps - can make them difficult to recycle at home. As a result, large numbers of bottles are sent to landfill or incineration.
To address this, The Perfume Shop has expanded its in-store recycling programme. Updated recycling units introduced in 2025 include sturdier wooden designs and additional sections for used fragrance blotters. The company has also increased its range of refillable products from 113 stock keeping units (SKUs) in 2024 to 155 in 2026, representing a 37% increase over two years.
Customers who return empty perfume bottles in-store receive a 15% discount on same-day purchases. Collected bottles are either recycled through external partners or repurposed creatively, such as being incorporated into in-store displays like chandeliers.
Between 10 March and 31 March, customers who recycle their empty fragrance bottles are also entered into a prize draw to win a £1,000 refillable fragrance bundle.
Gill Smith, Managing Director at The Perfume Shop, said: "Sustainability is an ongoing journey for us, it’s part of how we want to operate as a business.
"We know millions of perfume bottles are still being thrown away each year, so our focus is on making practical changes that feel easy for customers to take part in. If bringing a bottle back to the store or choosing a refill becomes second nature, that’s when real progress starts to happen."
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