Best Places For Cologne Refills

Many brands now offer cologne refills, which is great news for those who want to reduce their waste. Some brands that offer this service include Ralph Lauren, Kilian, Hermetica, Mugler, Le Labo, and Fulton & Roark. You can often refill your bottle at a dedicated refill station in-store, or you can buy a refill bottle to use at home. Some brands, like Mugler, have created refillable perfume spray bottles that can be topped up at their fountains, which are available at selected perfumeries worldwide. Others, like Le Labo, offer a discount when you bring your bottle back to the store. So, if you're looking to reduce your environmental impact, refilling your cologne bottle is a great option.

Refillable cologne bottles

One popular brand that offers refillable cologne bottles is Mugler. Mugler's refillable perfume spray bottles can be refilled at their Mugler Fountains, which are located at selected perfumeries worldwide. The brand is committed to reducing waste, and their refills result in less metal, plastic, cardboard, and glass waste. Additionally, Mugler Ambassadors at the fountains can replace any broken caps or nozzles on your perfume bottle.

Another brand that offers refillable cologne bottles is Ralph Lauren. Their Polo Earth Eau de Toilette fragrance is presented in a refillable bottle with a modern silhouette. This vegan and 97% natural-origin fragrance celebrates the beauty of nature, with 7 ingredients sourced sustainably from local communities worldwide.

Some other brands that offer refills include Kilian, Hermetica, Le Labo, Louis Vuitton, Armani, Dior, Guerlain, and Fulton & Roark. These brands often have specific locations or conditions for refills, so it's best to check their websites or stores for more information.

Additionally, some retailers like Sephora and The Perfume Shop in the UK offer multi-brand refill stations, allowing customers to refill fragrances from various brands. This option provides convenience and contributes to a more sustainable fragrance industry.

In-store refills

Department Stores

Sephora, Nordstrom, and Selfridges offer in-store cologne refills. You can bring your empty bottle back to the store and refill it at their fragrance counter or dedicated refill station. This is a great option if you want to explore different scents or discover new fragrances.

Fragrance Boutiques

Specialty fragrance boutiques like Le Labo and Diptyque also provide in-store refills for their colognes. These boutiques often have unique and exclusive fragrances, and their refill services can be a great way to support sustainable practices while enjoying your favourite scent.

Brand-Specific Options

Certain cologne brands offer in-store refills exclusively for their products. Mugler, for example, has over 10,000 Mugler Fountains worldwide, where customers can refill their empty perfume bottles with the assistance of skilled Mugler Ambassadors. Fulton & Roark also offers in-store solid fragrance refills, allowing customers to easily snap in a new fragrance to their existing case.

Local Options

Depending on your location, you may find that certain cologne brands are available for refill at local stores. For example, in the UK, Boots offers in-store refills for the Mugler Alien and Angel fragrances, while The Perfume Shop in Nottingham has a multi-brand refill station for select fragrances from Mugler, Armani, Prada, and YSL.

Remember to check with your local stores to see if they offer in-store cologne refills, as availability may vary by region.

Refill stations

There are a few different types of refill stations. Some stores, particularly high-end department stores and specialty fragrance shops, offer in-store refill services where a professional will refill your empty bottle. Other retailers have dedicated self-service refill stations, often found in eco-friendly and zero-waste stores. Additionally, some brands have their own refill stations within larger stores, such as Louis Vuitton, which has a fragrance fountain in Selfridges on Oxford Street, London.

When visiting a refill station, it's important to ensure that your bottle is clean and compatible with the refill pack to avoid any contamination or issues with refilling.

While not all brands offer refill options, some popular brands that do include Chanel, Dior, Le Labo, Byredo, Yves Rocher, The Body Shop, Kilian, Hermetica, Mugler, and Diptyque.

It's always a good idea to check with the store or brand in advance to confirm their refill policies and availability.

Online refills

There are a variety of options for refilling cologne online. Firstly, some brands offer dedicated refillable cologne bottles, which can be topped up at their stores or fragrance fountains. For example, Mugler offers a range of refillable perfume sprays, which can be refilled at their Mugler Fountains, found at selected perfumeries worldwide. Similarly, Kilian and Hermetica also offer refillable cologne options.

In addition to dedicated refillable bottles, there are also online retailers that sell empty, refillable atomizer bottles, which can be used to decant cologne from an existing bottle. These atomizers are typically small and portable, making them ideal for travel. Websites such as Amazon offer a wide range of these atomizers, with different colours, materials, and sizes available.

Some online retailers, such as Notino, also promote the sale of refillable colognes and perfumes. They may offer discounts for returning bottles for refills, although this may vary by region. It is worth checking with specific retailers to see if they offer any incentives for refilling.

Finally, some cologne brands may offer refills for specific products, which can be purchased online. For example, Ralph Lauren offers a refillable option for their Polo Earth Eau de Toilette, a vegan and natural-origin fragrance.

Environmental impact of refills

Refills can have a significantly positive environmental impact, reducing waste and the carbon footprint of a product. Research from The LCA Centre shows that buying a refill instead of a new product can save 70% CO2, 65% energy, and 45% water use. This is largely due to the reduction in the need to manufacture new packaging.

However, refillables are not always recyclable, and it is important that brands do not falsely advertise their refillable products as eco-friendly. For example, Kim Kardashian's SKNN skincare line was criticised for its refillable packaging, which, while reusable, is made to be long-lasting and is therefore not recyclable. This will ultimately contribute to pollution as plastic is non-biodegradable and will likely end up in landfill or the ocean.

To be environmentally conscious, consumers should opt for refillable products packaged in materials such as glass, aluminium, paper, cardboard, metal, and wood, which can be recycled. It is also important to note that recycling alone is not enough, as recycled plastics are often downcycled, meaning they are recycled into products of lesser quality that are less likely to be recycled again.

Additionally, consumers should be aware of the potential for greenwashing when it comes to refills. For example, some refills come in plastic containers, which can actually increase the amount of plastic in the system and make the product less sustainable.

Despite the potential for greenwashing, refills can still be a more sustainable option. For example, Unilever's Cif offers a concentrated refill system that requires consumers to add the refill to an old spray bottle already filled with water. This product is made with 75% less plastic and will help remove 1.5 million plastic bottles from UK supermarkets.

Overall, refills can have a positive environmental impact by reducing waste and carbon emissions, but it is important for consumers to be aware of the potential for greenwashing and to opt for products packaged in recyclable materials.

Frequently asked questions