refillery at portia-ella on Lilac + low waste offerings

refillery at portia-ella on Lilac + low waste offerings

The refillery at portia-ella on Lilac is officially open!

Yup, you heard that right, our bestsellers are available as refills so that you can enjoy the self-care products you love with even less impact on the planet, and we're here to answer all your questions!

which products are offered at the refillery?

Our bestselling skincare, body care, hair care, and home keeping products are now available as refills directly into the bottle or jar of your choice, as well as a wide selection of low-waste bars soaps, hair care, deodorant, and makeup that's minimally packaged and refillable. Please ask our staff any questions you may have!

skincare at the refillery

Om Organics

Pure Anada

body care at the refillery

    Pure Anada Foaming Hand Soap

    Pure Anada Hand & Body Lotion

    Om Organics 

    hair care at the refillery

    SoulDeo

    Pure Anada

    deodorant at the refillery

    Routine

    home keeping at the refillery

    low waste offerings

    Pure Anada

    Anointment

    Om Organics

    Active Humans

    Sappho New Paradigm

    Plume Science

    Elate

    Tanit

    Routine

    Forest Garden Bar Soaps

    La Marcotterie Bar Soaps

    Zyderma

    how to use the refillery?

    Simply bring us a clean, airtight container (either your product's original packaging or a bottle or jar of your choice), and we'll take care of the rest!

    We first ensure your container meets our minimum standards for use. If the container doesn't meet our sanitary standards we will not be required to refill your container at that time. We will do this at each visit to help keep our refillery sanitary for all customers. portia-ella minimum standards are as follows:

    • The container must be made of a material (e.g. plastic, glass, metal, ceramic) that can be cleaned, washed, and sterilized.
    • The container must be reusable and of a type that is ordinarily used for food products.
    • All containers must be sealable (e.g. jars or bottles must have an accompanying lid.)
    • Plastic and paper bags are not considered to be acceptable reusable containers.
    • The container must be intact, sturdy and capable of being filled with product, with no holes or cracks.
    • Glass or ceramic containers must not be chipped in any way.
    • The container (and accompanying lid) must be visibly clean. The container must not contain any food or other residue, indicating that it has not been cleaned after its prior use. The lid must also be clean. Metal lids should not have any visible rust on them.
    • Your container must be sprayed with our alcohol sanitizing solution (provided throughout the refillery) prior to filling your container.
    • 25 grams minimum purchase per refill product

    Please then let a staff member know which product you are interested in and they'll be happy to help you out. You can choose between a full refill of your original product's packaging, or purchasing by the gram which our staff will measure out for you.

    how much do you save by refilling?

    You can expect to save between 15-30% on products purchased at the refillery, although most items save you 25% minimum.

    But, by replenishing your favourites at the refillery, you also help to save plastic, glass, and overall packaging waste as well. Enjoy your favourites, low waste-style.

    what about packaging?

    For brands Pura Botanicals, Cocoon Apothecary, Malechemy, Elate, Graydon, Routine, and Zyderma, we accept back your packaging so that they can be returned to the brand and to PACT, with whom these brands have partnered with to help close the loop and life cycle of packaging. Please ensure that items brought back are fully cleaned. Learn more about PACT and the brands that they partner with.

    For all of our other brands, please keep in mind that plastic indicates whether it is recyclable on it itself, and most glass is recyclable. Plastic components are not recyclable in most cases, but after being cleaned, could be utilized for other purposes in your home if you so desire. Please bring any cleaned portia-ella empties back to us for repurposing, recycling, and upcycling. At this time, we are not accepting any other brands' packaging for disposal. With many of our brands offering refills or refill sizes of their products, we are truly heading in a new direction, a positive one, filled with continued innovations, ideas, possibilities, and beauty.

    what else is sustainable about portia-ella products?

    It's no secret. We've always been proudly Canadian-made since the beginning. Why? In addition to the numerous benefits to society and economic development, it's also much more sustainable for the planet. Manufacturing product locally, even down to product boxes, means fewer emissions, a lower carbon footprint, and a more sustainable business model. Think about it this way: your product originates from Canada and only travels within the country to you, versus potentially numerous trips halfway across the globe by plane or ship when manufacturing takes place overseas. 

    what about sustainable ingredients?

    It's one of the first things we look at when partnering with new brands. Are their ingredients sustainably and responsibly sourced? We believe this should be the standard across the industry, but unfortunately, it's only something that conscious brands commit to doing. 

    Our brands don't stop there though. In addition to responsibly and sustainably sourcing all of their ingredients, they also try to use as many upcycled ingredients as they can (think blueberry seed oil extracted from by-products of the juicing industry). This means that your favourite products aren't nourishing your skin at the expense of the planet's wellbeing, the two are possible synergistically.

    Read more about upcycled ingredients here:

    Graydon | Three Ships | Étymologie

    Read more about sustainably sourced ingredients here:

    Graydon | Plume | Pure Anada

    intentional packaging

    Packaging is controversial to say the least. On the one hand, a package-free, low to no waste world would be fantastic where everyone only buys refills, and our main disposal system is composting. We’re working toward this goal but there is still much to do to get there. 

    At the end of the day though, nothing is truly zero-waste, even when it is refillable. From ingredient sourcing, to production, to transportation and distribution – there are lots of steps involved to make any given product. What we do at portia-ella is offer you an array of products, each sustainable, conscious, ethical, and intentional in their own way and offer you the possibilities to choose from. 

    Each of our brands approach their sustainability missions based on (no surprise) the products they make. A packaging strategy that's genius for deodorant won't necessarily work for lipstick. The packaging for a facial moisturizer, although fantastic, may not work for a foundation. 

    Instead, each brand is continuously testing, innovating, and receiving feedback from their customers to reach the best solution. What might be low waste and sustainable in theory may not be any more sustainable than single use plastic. How?! Because if no one can functionally use this product, if it's not an enjoyable experience, no one will choose to use it. So we aim for balance and the best possible options from all perspectives.

    Some of the ways our brands consciously package:

    • locally made, fully recyclable boxes made from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper
    • no boxes on some or all products to minimize waste
    • soy or vegetable ink used on boxes, which are less harmful to the environment
    • labels printed directly onto glass or plastic to avoid extraneous paper/plastic labels
    • package-free options (soaps, hair bars)
    • biodegradable solutions (compostable makeup wipes, eyemasks, sponges) shop low-waste
    • refillable makeup & skincare (body care coming soon) shop now
    • choosing dark glass bottles that help keep products fresh and protected for longer. 
    • packaging in PCR (Post Consumer Recyclable) plastic
    • repurpose-able glass packaging (come visit our boutique to see how we repurpose product packaging in store!)

    Pura Botanicals' Glass Upcycling Ideas | Routine's Ripple Effect | Bella Aura Sustainability | Gaia Smiles Sustainability | Kaia Naturals Sustainability | Om Organics Impact | Wonderblush Sustainability | Skin Essence Sustainability & Ingredients | Sḵwálwen | Wildcraft Eco-Commitment

    what else do you want to refill?

    Ready for even more options? Please reach out to us via email, direct message, or let us know in person which other products you'd love to see available in refills!