Live Green and Earn Points

  • The best way to get a free MAC lipstick is to save your empty MAC containers. Once you get save at least 6 containers fo any kind of MAC product, then you can submit them in for a free lipstick.
  • The initiative, called the 5 Pot Program, encourages customers to save the black plastic pots that package Lush products including face masks, moisturizers, shaving soaps, body scrubs, and more. You can bring in five of the pots to your local Lush store, and in return, you'll receive a Fresh Face Mask of your choice, free of charge.
How many empty mac containers for free lipstick removal

It offers one free MAC Lipstick for any six of its cosmetics containers returned through the mail or to any MAC Cosmetics retailer. CARGO Cosmetics: The company's Plant Love lipsticks not only come in biodegradable tubes, but the paper packaging is sprinkled with wildflower seeds that blossom when planted and watered.

Recyclebank

Lifestyle
There are several practical uses for leftover lipstick tubes, as well as the old lipstick itself. Some manufacturers also allow you to send used lipstick tubes back for recycling.
Reusing or recycling leftover lipstick and lipstick tubes prevents them from ending up in landfills and reduces the need for additional raw materials to manufacturer new lipsticks.

How to reuse leftover lipstick and lipstick tubes

Use your lipstick to the max by ensuring you consume every last smudge of color with these easy use-up tips:
  • When your lipstick runs low, scrape out the tube and put leftover lipstick in a small container with Vaseline to create a tinted lip gloss. Add honey or vanilla for a natural and appealing fragrance!
  • Scrape out several old lipstick tubes and mix them for your own custom color.
  • Give used (nearly empty) lipsticks to kids for dress-up or save for Halloween makeup.
  • When lipstick accidentally melts in the car or the sun, place in the freezer for a few minutes instead of throwing it away and it will reform.
And don't forget to take care of the tubes and containers! Here are some handy uses for old lipstick tubes:
How many empty mac containers for free lipstick removal
  • Wash and save empty lipstick cases and use as containers for pills, matches, pins, and band-aids.
  • Use an empty lipstick case to carry a mini sewing kit, complete with a needle and thread, button, and pin.

Find it! Lipstick companies with eco-friendly packaging and recycling programs

Avoid the worry of what to do with old lipstick tubes by purchasing products from companies that do the recycling for you! Several cosmetics companies now accept used lipstick containers, often in exchange for free cosmetics. Others offer biodegradable eco-packaging. So, keep your lips pretty and minimize the amount of landfill waste you generate by purchasing lipsticks from these companies:
  • MAC Cosmetics: This company recycles used containers for all of its cosmetic products via its Back to MAC recycling program. It offers one free MAC Lipstick for any six of its cosmetics containers returned through the mail or to any MAC Cosmetics retailer.
  • CARGO Cosmetics: The company's Plant Love lipsticks not only come in biodegradable tubes, but the paper packaging is sprinkled with wildflower seeds that blossom when planted and watered.
  • Lip-Ink International: Offers free lipsticks and free shipping for every four empty Lip Ink Lip Color vials returned for recycling.

Reusing and recycling leftover lipstick and lipstick tubes helps you go green because…

  • It reduces the resources used for manufacturing, transporting, and producing new lipsticks.
  • It minimizes the amount of lipstick that ends up in landfills or incinerators.
Every single minute, 1,484 tubes of lipstick are sold in the United States, ultimately resulting in mountains of discarded lipstick tubes that contribute to the 12 percent of solid waste that is plastic.Etcoff, Nancy (2000) Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty. Anchor: 102 Of the nearly 29 million tons of discarded plastic, only 5.7 percent is eventually recycled, compared to nearly 50 percent of paper and 22 percent of glass and aluminum that is recovered and recycled.[1]
Lipstick waste is also detrimental to the environment as most conventional brands contain petrochemicals, which deplete the earth of a nonrenewable resource, as well as pollute the environment upon disposal. Many lipsticks also contain pigments such as lead acetates and coal-tar dyes that can seep into the water and soil and alter the chemical makeup of ecosystems. Even natural or organic non-petroleum-based lipsticks create additional waste when they end up in landfills after disposal.

Glossary

  • lead acetates: Highly hazardous metal compounds used in lipsticks, hair dyes, and other hair styling products, that are known carcinogenic toxins affecting human reproduction and development, the nervous system, and respiration.
  • petrochemicals: Chemicals made from petroleum-based materials that are used in cosmetics products, plastics, pesticides, and foods.

External links

Footnotes

How Many Empty Mac Containers For Free Lipstick Without

How many empty mac containers for free lipstick removal
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I’m glad I had only thrown away a couple of panned out MAC blushes – all Pink Swoon – before I got to know about the Back To M.A.C Program. Haha, I wasn’t too adventurous in the past when it came to blushes. I still have another Pink Swoon in my stash, but the most often used blush now is Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso.

2 Pink Swoons saying goodbye.

Back To M.A.C is the company’s recycling program, and is one of its five social initiative programs.

The program is pretty clear-cut – return six M.A.C primary packaging containers in exchange for a free MAC lipstick of your choice. The lipstick cannot be from the M.A.C Viva Glam program as 100% of the purchase price of any item from that program contributes to the M.A.C AIDS Fund. I think they used to offer lipglass and eye shadow too, but now it’s only lipstick.

How many empty mac containers for free lipstick without

So you can pretty much bring back anything MAC, except for samples, applicators (like puffs, sharpeners, curlers), false lashes, cases, etc.

From MAC website:

Most primary packaging of M·A·C products is accepted as Back to M·A·C 'currency.' M·A·C does not accept the following as a part of the program:

  1. Secondary packaging of any sort [paper box, plastic/cellophane wrapper, shopping bags, etc.]
  2. Samples [sample containers, special/trial size products for promotional/seasonal kits]
  3. Cosmetic applicators/tools [disposables, puffs, sponges, scissors, spatulas, swabs, sharpeners, tweezers, curlers]
  4. Accessories [bags, belts, makeup cases, lashes, Blot Film].

If you are unsure of whether an item is considered a ‘primary packaging’, simply bring it to a MAC counter or see if your item falls into any of the categories below.

I brought home 2 lipsticks in exchange for 10 eyeshadow pots and 2 blush pans! YAY!!! 😀

I didn’t choose the colors on a whim, though; I spent a long, long time picking the top 2 that I liked – a pink and a coral. It must have been 3 or 4 trips to various MAC counters, asking the opinion of several MUAs before I decided on See Sheer and Speed Dial.

Really, never judge a book by its cover. I was not entirely positive the shades the young and trendy-looking MUAs picked for me previously suited my taste that well. Then on the last visit, it was a slightly um, older and less hip-looking MUA that served me. She picked See Sheer and Speed Dial and I LOVED how they looked on me straight away!

I told her I wanted a pink and a coral, but unlike the others who simply chose a general pink and a random coral and shoved it into my hands, she actually stood in front of the lipstick counter for a while and gave thought to her selection. Talk about professionalism! Wootz! 😀

How Many Empty Mac Containers For Free Lipstick Removal

Back To MAC Program lipsticks are marked with a cross. And apparently they keep different stock for normal purchases and Back To MAC. If you want a color that is not stocked for the Back To MAC Program, they will not give you one from the normal inventory. That was what happened with my See Sheer. Raffles City MAC ran out of stock so I had to get it at the Ngee Ann store.

I think Back To MAC is an excellent recycling program. It not only helps us to correctly dispose of plastic containers, but also encourages us to depot our eyeshadows to save space! Some people immediately depot their eyeshadows to put in customizable palettes like the Z-palette and accumulate enough to exchange for a MAC lipstick!

How Many Empty Mac Containers For Free Lipstick Making

It’s a pity only MAC in Ngee Ann City Singapore sells the refill pans. They cost about SGD5 less than the potted ones. MAC should sell those refill pans in all Singapore stores so we can save money and the environment!

How Many Empty Mac Containers Do You Need To Get A Free Lipstick

Oh, another thing. One of MAC’s five social initiatives is MAC Cruelty-Free Beauty, and the company prides itself on not testing on animals. This seems to have changed though and there have been cries of outrage from bloggers (like Phyrra) who feel betrayed that their trust has been trampled on. What are your views?