In 2024, Arcade Beauty launched, in partnership with a major beauty player, an eco-designed version of ScentSeal, its press sampling solution. For this new generation, the aluminum layer has been removed and replaced with a barrier technology that has no impact on recyclability.
Developed in the 1990s, ScentSeal technology takes the form of a label affixed to a cardboard backing. This solution is used in numerous applications—press inserts, point-of-sale (POS) distribution, street marketing, and direct mail.
“ScentSeal enables customers to sample a hydroalcoholic formula with an exceptionally close match to the original fragrance. It’s an optimal technical solution for sampling, but it requires a barrier capable of protecting the product. The challenge was to maintain this protection while eliminating the aluminum,” explains Claudie Guérin, CSR Director at Arcade Beauty.
Decreased CO2 emissions
“We already had a solution with a high paper content, so it was logical to go further by removing almost all the aluminum from the outer label containing the fragrance,” continues the manager.
The innovation consisted of replacing the aluminum barrier with an equally effective, innovative technology. For this new generation of ScentSeal, the outer label is composed of 48% paper and, depending on the format of the backing card, the entire product features 70% to 90% paper. The entire product is therefore technically recyclable.
Above all, minimizing aluminum to a nearly negligible amount significantly reduces the CO2 emissions linked to both the production and recycling of the label. According to Arcade Beauty’s calculations, the new ScentSeal cuts CO2 emissions by approximately 37% compared to a traditional sample.
Manufactured and printed in France, this eco-designed version eliminated more than 5 tons of aluminum over a year of use by the customer.
Unchanged performance
For this development to be accepted by the market, the challenge was to maintain all of the original performance.
“In the case of ScentSeal, the challenge was to combine reducing the environmental footprint while maintaining product quality and performance, ensuring a consistent experience for consumers,” emphasizes Audrey Hatet, Key Account Manager at Arcade Beauty.
According to the experts involved in the project, the shelf life and olfactory rendering of the sample remain the same.
“The fragrance concentrates were tested on both versions of ScentSeal. The results for the aluminum-free version are excellent; we didn’t find any fragrances that would not be suitable,” continues Audrey Hatet.
On the mechanical side, the label’s resistance to pressure exerted by the weight of magazines or postal transport was also validated.
Towards new developments
At Paris Packaging Week 2025, Arcade Beauty also introduced Paper BeautiSeal, a version of this technology tailored for foundation sampling. It enables multiple shades of the same formula to be presented on a single flat paper support. Another recent innovation is the 80% Paper Packette—developed in collaboration with Origins—as a sustainable alternative to traditional aluminum pouches.
Arcade Beauty continues its research to reduce plastic in ScentSeal’s barrier layer while maintaining protection for the hydroalcoholic formula and ensuring optimal olfactory performance. Further developments are on the horizon!
