6 picks · vetted plastic-free
The best refillable shampoo bottles
Liquid shampoo in aluminum bottles that go back to the maker to be washed and refilled. We name the pump and the refill format on every one.
Plaine Products ships shampoo in aluminum bottles. When you order a refill, you move the pump to the new bottle, rinse the empty, and send it back in the same box with a prepaid label, and Plaine washes and reuses it.
The pump is where plastic remains. Every aluminum shampoo we found uses a plastic pump, and you keep that one pump and move it from bottle to bottle. The picks are ranked by how much plastic the refill brings into your house, starting with closed loops of returned aluminum and ending with a single-use pouch.
Refills in a returnable bag
Fillaree refills its aluminum bottle from a half-gallon bag. Once you have five empty bags, you mail them back and Fillaree washes and reuses them. It doesn't say what the bag is made of, so count it as reusable plastic.
Refills in a pouch
Wonder Valley sells a refill pouch to top up its aluminum bottle. The pouch is used once and has no return program, so plastic still arrives with every refill.
Or skip the bottle
A shampoo bar needs no bottle, pump or refill at all. It lasts about as long as a medium bottle and travels in a tin.
Common questions
- How does Plaine Products' refill work?
- Your first order arrives in aluminum bottles, and you swap the cap for a pump. When you order a refill, Plaine adds a return label. You move the pump to the new bottle, rinse and cap the empty, and send it back in the refill box. Plaine covers the return shipping.
- Are aluminum shampoo bottles plastic free?
- The bottle is. The pump almost never is: A Drop in the Ocean names its pump as white plastic, and Fillaree's and Plaine's pumps are plastic too. Since you keep one pump for years and move it between bottles, the plastic stays in your bathroom and out of the bin.
- Do aluminum bottles have a plastic lining?
- Many aluminum drink and cosmetics bottles carry a thin inner coating to protect the metal. None of the shampoo makers here say what their bottle lining is, so we can't tell you either way.
- Is a refill pouch better than a new plastic bottle?
- It uses less plastic than a rigid bottle, but a single-use pouch is still plastic you throw away. A returnable aluminum bottle or a returnable bag keeps the packaging in use.