A London-based sustainable packaging developer, Shellworks has introduced the world’s first fully home-compostable pipette dropper, a zero-plastic innovation designed to meet growing demand for eco-conscious beauty solutions.
Shellworks’ Vivomer-powered pipette dropper is a single-material, home-compostable solution replacing glass, plastic, and rubber. It is a scalable innovation that’s already transforming beauty packaging while cutting plastic waste and driving a sustainable future.
The technology behind it
The company has made the dropper with Vivomer, its proprietary plastic-free material. The pipette dropper mimics the properties of glass, ceramic, plastic, and rubber, traditionally all separate materials. Yet is made entirely from one biodegradable compound. This ensures that, unlike conventional droppers, it breaks down seamlessly as a whole when disposed of.
From funding to market impact
Backed by £4.6 million in seed funding (2022), Shellworks spent two years developing this innovation. It can now produce 2.4 million units annually, with capacity to scale further. Already, the pipette has been adopted by People Care Planet Care (formerly Haeckels) and celebrity hairstylist Sam McKnight’s brand. Discussions are ongoing with around ten other beauty labels across the UK, EU, and US.
Made from upcycled waste
Vivomer is derived from waste biomass, such as plants. It is then fermented into a stable, plastic-like material. Unlike petroleum-based plastics, it contains no toxins (BPA, PFAS) and naturally decomposes in home compost or landfill at a rate similar to cellulose.
Beyond droppers
Shellworks is also producing jars, bottles, caps, and capsules from Vivomer. Its innovations are already in use by brands like Abel (NZ), Eclo (France), and Wild (UK), collectively replacing 90 tonnes of plastic to date.
From the leadership desk
“Pipette droppers used for serums, oils, and wellness products are typically constructed from fused materials including glass, rubber, and plastic, presenting a sustainability challenge in the beauty industry. Their small size means they slip through recycling equipment, causing nearly all pipette droppers to end up in landfills or incineration facilities, representing millions of units of waste annually,” Shellworks states.
“Brands no longer have to choose between sustainability and shelf appeal. We designed this dropper to feel as good as it looks, and to disappear responsibly when it’s no longer needed. This represents a fundamental shift from sustainability as an add-on to sustainability as the foundation of product design,” says Amir Afshar, Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer at Shellworks.”We engineered Vivomer to be a truly industrial material- it’s precise, resilient, and beautiful when moulded. This dropper proves that even the smallest, most technical packaging challenges can be solved with the right material platform.” adds Dr Jay Gaston, Materials Lead at Shellworks.
