Meet Plus, A New Zero-Waste Personal Care Brand That Wants You To Throw Your Packaging Down The Drain

During her time as a beauty editor for a slew of popular magazines, Julie Schott was constantly exposed to the industry’s best and brightest products, each promising to top the last. But even with the most impressive of new launches or the most beloved of cult classics, she couldn’t help but notice a common thread running throughout the space: an overwhelming amount of waste.

Schott knew that every year in the United States, 42.1 billion bottles are used to ship products that contain over 70% water, but seeing this waste firsthand opened her eyes in a new way, and she knew she had to do something about it. “There wasn’t a clear solution,” she recalls. But after joining forces with her Starface cofounder, Brian Bordainick, and entrepreneur Cathryn Woodruff to brainstorm tangible changes they could make, the answer was clear, and Plus was officially born.

Launched earlier this month, the brand is reimagining personal care and the waste it generates by creating products that are better for consumers and better for the planet. Its debut product, Plus Body Wash, is a just-add-water, no-bottle cleanser made from nourishing ingredients and significantly less water than traditional bottled options. “Bottled body wash can contain up to 90% water (with only a small percentage of active ingredients), and personal care products account for one third of all landfill waste,” Schott explains. “With Plus, we questioned whether water-based formulas and single use plastics were necessary for an effective, enjoyable shower experience and found that they’re ultimately not.” The body wash comes in two gender-neutral scents—Summer, with notes of neroli, lemon, and orange, and Waves, with notes of coconut, jasmine, and sea salt—as well as an unscented version, Cloud, all of which are vegan, cruelty-free, and clinically tested.

But the brand’s sustainability efforts go far beyond the dehydrated formula. The single-use body wash sheet is housed in a tearable, completely dissolvable sachet, so once you’ve removed the sheet, you can simply drop its packaging into the shower and watch as it fades into oblivion. “There were countless iterations before we arrived at the final formula in this format,” Woodruff notes. “Our dissolvable sachet is made of wood pulp from responsibly managed forests, and we specifically sourced inks that are water-based, non-toxic, and FDA-approved, that completely dissolve down your drain.” 

By switching from a traditional body wash to Plus, customers are helping to reduce water use and carbon emissions, as well as eliminating single-use plastic that often ends up in a landfill. The brand worked closely with sustainability experts to understand its impact and found that Plus cuts water use in production by 38% and reduces CO2 emissions in shipping by over 80%, thanks to its USPS emissions-conscious shipping. “Our lightweight body wash is naturally lower in CO2 emissions than liquid, and we’re working to lower emissions further at each step,” Woodruff says. “For what we can’t reduce today, we offset 110% via verified Pachama forest improvement projects. We know carbon offsets are not a perfect solution, but it’s one small step we can take.”

At $16.50 for a pack of 16 washes, Plus is considerably more expensive than most body washes, but the brand is confident that consumers will be willing to pay more for an eco-friendly product. “We’re a new brand, bringing a new process and product format to life,” Woodruff explains. “We created Plus to provide an easy swap for the discerning bottled body wash customer, but we encourage people to go plastic-free and waterless in whatever way works for them. As we scale, our goal is to continually make Plus more price accessible.”

With continuously growing demand for more sustainable products, packaging, and practices, especially among younger consumers, Plus believes it’s at the forefront of a huge movement within the beauty industry, but it wants to be more than just a line of bath and body products. The brand is on a mission to transform the personal care space with its body wash but more importantly, with the dialogue it inspires. “Plus offers an easy switch for anyone who wants to make more sustainable choices in their everyday lives, without having to compromise,” says Schott. “None of us are perfect when it comes to sustainability, but daily choices add up. If Plus can spark conversation, and empower more people to make better decisions for the planet, that’s a win.”