Shiseido introduces the first vertical farm beauty brand Ulé – with lids made with sustainable Sulapac material

Using the latest scientific technology, Ulé produces the plants used in its skincare items in cocoon-like, protected environments to meet the plants’ needs and to protect them from any contamination.

Shiseido has unveiled a new beauty brand Ulé, focused on botanical, conscious beauty. The brand grows its plant ingredients at the Ulé Eco-Farm, near Paris, to ensure the purity of the ingredients and supply chains that are as short as possible.

Lindsay Azpitarte, the creator of the brand, has worked at Shiseido for ten years and began the development of Ulé in 2019, with Shiseido Group’s support. She followed an intrapreneurial path with her project and brought in expertise from inside Shiseido to create a new, innovative brand that resonated with consumers’ needs today.

Indoor and high-tech, the vertical farm is an agricultural and technological breakthrough in terms of eco-responsibility, efficiency and safety. The technology also allows for full traceability of the plants.

“We are the first skincare brand to create the future of botanical beauty powered by vertical farming. Here in France, we cultivate and extract ultra-potent whole plants from around the world at our proprietary Ulé Eco-Farm. This allows us to maintain the shortest supply chain possible and lessen our environmental impact while ensuring the freshness of our plants,” says Lindsay Azpitarte, New Brand Development Vice President from Ulé.

Beauty with a good conscience is at the heart of Ulé. 100% of their formulas and packaging are made in France. Ulé also minimizes its environmental impact with ultra-light bottles and ecological, bio-based lids made with materials that biodegrade without leaving permanent microplastics behind. They are made of wood chips from industrial side streams and plant-based binders, complementing Ulé’s commitment to conscious beauty and harmony with nature. The texture of this composite reveals the fibers embedded within it. This unique material has been developed by the Finnish innovation startup Sulapac. All eight of Ulé’s products, consisting of serums, mists and creams, have lids made with Sulapac materials. The launch of Ulé marks the largest product range to date using Sulapac’s solutions.

“Ulé and Sulapac share a deep respect for nature and a commitment to protect it while also having the ambitious goal of creating the highest quality of product for the users. Our collaboration on this project began in early 2021, and it moved very fast from initial discussions to packaging development and testing, and final approval for the spring launch. The result is a beautiful, two-color lid with Sulapac Arctic white and a custom-made green color. Also, Ulé has utilized the Sulapac Barrier innovation. It is the world’s first material for water-based products that biodegrades without leaving permanent microplastics behind,” explains Dr. Suvi Haimi, CEO and Co-founder of Sulapac.

In the cosmetics industry, the development of new products and their packaging is often an endeavor that can take several years. Therefore, this collaboration is a great example for companies considering new material alternatives. There are novel drop-in solution materials, like Sulapac, that enable efficient, eco-friendly packaging development. New packaging can be achieved even within a year.

“Once there are truly eco-friendly alternatives that don’t compromise on quality in the market, consumption habits are likely to become more sustainable. We need pioneers like Shiseido and Ulé to set an example for others to follow,” says Haimi.

 

Further information

Suvi Haimi, CEO and Co-Founder
suvi.haimi@sulapac.com, +358 44 029 1203

Antti Valtonen, Head of Communications
antti.valtonen@sulapac.com , +358 40 729 4793

Antoine Poujol, International Communication Manager at Shiseido
antoine.poujol@emea.shiseido.com

 

About Sulapac
Sulapac® is an award-winning, patented, bio-based alternative for conventional plastics. It accelerates a plastic waste-free future with sustainable materials that are beautiful and functional. Like nature. The Helsinki-based company was founded in 2016 by Dr. Suvi Haimi, Dr. Laura Tirkkonen-Rajasalo and Dr. Antti Pärssinen. Its investors include CHANEL and Sky Ocean Ventures. Sulapac was ranked one of Europe’s 100 hottest startups by WIRED UK in 2018, 2019 and 2021, and one of the Nordic startups to watch in 2021 by Sifted, backed by the Financial Times. Join the forerunners. Together we can save the world from plastic waste. More on www.sulapac.com.

About Ulé
We are inspired to create a greener and more optimistic future, together. One that allows us to live in harmony every day—with the nature around us as well as the one within. We are the first skincare brand to create the future of botanical beauty powered by vertical farming. Here in France, we cultivate and extract ultra-potent whole plants from around the world at our proprietary Ulé Eco-Farm. This allows us to maintain the shortest supply chain possible and lessen our environmental impact, while retaining the freshness of our plants. Our plants don’t just grow, they thrive in an ideal cocoon—brimming with molecules and nutrients that are precisely extracted into super-actives to deliver the greatest benefits to skin. We believe beautiful skin is resilient skin. Able to maintain its vitality and gracefully adapt to the changing world around it—revealing our healthiest and most naturally radiant complexion. Creating a lifestyle that both respects nature and allows us to find our joie de vivre with wild abandonment. At Ulé, it’s in our nature. ulebeauty.com

 

Get to know Sulapac’s beautiful, functional and sustainable material solutions.