Kanebo adopts Eastman’s Cristal One resin for new lotion launch
The speciality resin was chosen because it is designed to enter PET recycling streams while providing the strength, transparency and finish required for premium cosmetic packaging.
USA – Eastman has equipped Kao cosmetics company Kanebo, Kao-owned cosmetics company, with its Cristal One IM812 polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin for the overcap of the Generating Essentials Treatment Lotion.
Kanebo selected the speciality material because it is designed to be recyclable through PET recycling streams while delivering the performance required for premium skincare packaging.
Kanebo says recyclability was a major consideration in its material selection. Cristal One IM812 is classified as a Resin Identification Code 1 material, indicating compatibility with the PET recycling stream.
Tara Cary, Eastman’s marketing manager for cosmetics and personal care packaging, says the resin has been recognized by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) as meeting or exceeding the requirements of its Design for Recyclability Recognition program under the critical guidance pathway.
The APR recognition follows an engineering assessment that Eastman describes as one of the most demanding evaluations in the recycling industry.
The assessment indicates that Cristal One IM812 can be processed within the RIC 1 recycling stream.
The material has also received recyclability certifications from RecyClass and the European PET Bottle Platform for the European market. Eastman says Cristal One IM812 is among its injection-moldable speciality PET materials developed for demanding cosmetic packaging applications.
Kanebo’s products are sold in Asian markets, meaning that the company was not immediately required to ensure compliance with the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
Nevertheless, the skincare company decided to use a material that corresponds with expected future regulatory requirements.
The decision reflects Kanebo’s intention to address emerging packaging standards in advance rather than waiting for legislation to make such measures compulsory.
Shota Kawasaki, a packaging engineer at Kanebo, says the project required the company to assess the relationship between material performance, processing conditions and the desired surface finish.
After reviewing several candidate materials, Kanebo concluded that Cristal One IM812 offered the most suitable balance for the overcap’s technical and design requirements.
The overcap has a thick-wall construction and relatively high weight, creating more demanding performance requirements than those associated with a lighter cosmetic closure.
According to Eastman, the resin passed drop-impact testing and retained the required strength after the component had been painted.
The material’s ability to withstand these conditions was important because the cap needed to combine durability with a high-end appearance.
Cristal One IM812 is designed for injection moulding and provides transparency and toughness for premium cosmetic parts.
The main technical challenge was to develop a heavy, thick-walled overcap that could tolerate impact while also achieving a sophisticated opaque-to-transparent black gradient.
The component additionally needed to deliver the intended gloss level and premium visual effect.
Cristal One IM812 supplied the clear colour base needed to produce Kanebo’s target black shade and gradient.
Its combination of toughness, transparency and colour accuracy helped the company achieve a polished luxury appearance without making the overcap look unnecessarily bulky or excessively heavy.
The result supports Kanebo’s brand aesthetic while maintaining the functional qualities expected from a thick-walled skincare component.
The Kanebo application adds to Eastman’s growing use of Cristal One materials in colour cosmetics and other premium beauty components.
In 2025, Eastman and packaging manufacturer Toly introduced Gemini, a cosmetic compact made with Cristal One Renew IM812.
The launch marked the first use of the resin in a makeup compact and demonstrated its suitability for thick-wall packaging requiring clarity, gloss and structural performance.
SUQQU has also used Eastman’s recyclable resin in a cosmetic compact. In that application, the material serves as an alternative to acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or ABS, which has traditionally been used for compact base plates.
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