XOCO is an upcycling solution for beauty packaging developed through the collaboration between Berlin Packaging Beauty and Krill Design, an Italian company specialized in the development of sustainable materials from food industry by-products.
The material was presented at Paris Packaging Week 2026 as part of a broader showcase of new packaging solutions designed to combine innovation, sustainability and emotional value.
From hazelnut shells to a material for the beauty industry
XOCO is a PP-based compound obtained by upcycling hazelnut shell by-products, engineered for the production of precision-moulded components for multiple beauty segments, including skincare, personal care and fragrance.
Krill Design’s contribution focused on the material development phase, transforming an agricultural secondary raw material into a solution that meets the technical and industrial requirements of the cosmetics sector.
XOCO can be used for functional and decorative components such as pump covers, collars, droppers, jar caps and fragrance caps, ensuring mechanical reliability, torque resistance and compatibility with cosmetic and fragrance formulations.
Material aesthetics and packaging storytelling
The visible organic particles on the surface give XOCO a distinctive texture, turning the material itself into a narrative element. Packaging thus becomes a communication tool, making choices related to resource use and circularity tangible and immediately perceivable.
This feature allows beauty brands to integrate material storytelling directly into the component, without relying on additional graphic elements.
Integration into industrial processes
XOCO is compatible with established PP recycling streams, subject to local collection and processing infrastructure, and is suitable for a wide range of industrial decoration techniques.
The solution therefore enables brands to combine sensorial identity, technical performance and sustainability coherence, while maintaining continuity with existing production processes.
A collaboration focused on applied innovation
The collaboration between Berlin Packaging Beauty and Krill Design demonstrates how upcycling can be translated into concrete solutions for beauty packaging, moving beyond a purely conceptual approach and finding real application in components designed for industrial production.
XOCO is an example of how materials, design and industry can converge to address the evolving needs of the market.
