Radox, the UK’s number one shower gel brand, has re-designed its bottles so they can be refilled and re-used. The new bottles are made from 50% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic* and can be refilled with Radox’s new 500ml refill packs**, which use 74% less plastic to help shoppers reduce their plastic use.
Alongside the packaging innovation, Radox is modernising its existing range with improved refreshing and mood boosting fragrances.
Reducing plastic
In development since 2019, the update is Radox’s biggest relaunch in more than 10 years. By moving to bottles made from 50% PCR, the brand is saving 450 tonnes of virgin plastic, whilst also removing 50 million single-use hooks from the UK each year. The bottles have also been reorientated to sit cap-up, to ensure convenient refills.
The relaunch is part of a multi-million-pound investment in new packaging moulds and factory capabilities to ensure Radox has future-fit packaging with the use of PCR plastic and refill-ready cap.
Independent research shows packaging is the most important sustainability concern for UK personal care users and these changes are part of Unilever’s wider mission to make sustainable living accessible to everyone and halve its use of virgin plastic by 2025.
As part of the packaging redesign, Radox has changed the colour gradient on its logo to be easier to read for people with colour blindness and has also removed the ‘For Men’ label on its bestselling ‘Feel Awake’ variant to make the product more inclusive.
Introducing mood boosting fragrances
What’s more, Radox has invigorated its collection with new fragrances to boost mood, reflecting the importance of fragrance in the cleansing category, currently the number one benefit sought by shoppers. In addition, a new Strawberry and Raspberry ‘Feel Radiant’ variant is launching in an eye-catching shade of hot pink, with a new fruity fragrance.
Radox Shower is currently growing ahead of the market in value (+5.6% compared to +3.7%) and is the number one shower brand in terms of volume and value sales.
Chris Barron, General Manager, Unilever Personal Care, says: “This is the start of an exciting new era for Radox. As the UK’s number one shower gel brand, we want to lead from the front and our mood boosting fragrances will give us another reason to standout on shelf. We also wanted to prioritise sustainability and we are now taking our next big step forward with the launch of our new refillable bottles.
“We wanted Radox to become the most sustainable entry-level shower gel and we’re now the first brand within this tier offering 50% PCR plastic. The bottles have been redesigned with a refillable future in mind, and our new refill packs use 74% less plastic than a bottle, helping our customers to enjoy the Radox they know and love whilst using less plastic. We know the hook has been a distinctive feature of the Radox shower gels in the past, but removing them is the right thing to do in order to dramatically reduce our use of single-use virgin plastic.”
To support the brand relaunch, Radox is investing £3.2m MMS (media marketing spend) in a new marketing campaign launching this summer across TV, shopper marketing and on social media, highlighting the brand’s sustainability credentials and revitalised fragrances.
The new Radox shower gel range will be available nationwide across grocery and convenience from 24th April. What’s more, three (225ml) price-marked packs will be introduced for the convenience channel, across the ‘Feel Awake’, ‘Feel Refreshed’ and ‘Feel Moisturised’ fragrances.
RRP***:
- 225ml: £1.00 RRP (Feel Relaxed, Feel Awake, Feel Refreshed, Feel Active, Feel Uplifted, Feel Moisturised, Feel Revived, Feel Ready, Feel Energised, Feel Radiant, Refreshing and Nourishing)
- 450ml: £1.75 RRP (Feel Moisturised, Feel Awake, Feel Uplifted, Feel Refreshed, Refresh, Nourish and Superdrug Exclusive variants****)
- 675ml: £2.25 RRP (Feel Moisturised, Feel Awake, Feel Refreshed, Feel Uplifted, Refreshing, Refresh, Nourish)
- NEW 500ml Refill Pouches: £1.75 RRP (Feel Awake, Feel Refreshed, Feel Uplifted)
*Excluding cap and labels
** Radox refill pouches are made from multi-material laminates including different plastics, which are not currently widely recyclable. Unilever is a leading partner of the Flexible Plastic Fund and is working towards moving the pouches to recyclable material very soon.
***Pricing at discretion of retailer at all times.
**** Superdrug will stock exclusive 450ml bottle versions of ‘Sweet Summer Nights’, ‘Under the Stars’, ‘Sunshine Showers’ and ‘Secret Floral’.
