French dermocosmetics brand Lierac has launched its Lift Integral Firming Day Cream in a 50 ml refillable square glass jar, pairing a custom double-wall container from packaging supplier Gerresheimer with Medicos Group's patented Re-CliCK refill platform.
The primary container is a custom square 50-mL jar in double-walled glass containing 40% post-consumer recycled content. Decoration includes a frosted-glass finish with label, an embossed Lierac logo on a black polypropylene (PP) cap, and a silk-screened logo on the refill cup seal. Inside the jar's neck, integrated notches engage with a PP refill cup via the Re-CliCK rotation-based locking system.
The jar and cap are retained across multiple refill cycles, according to MEDICOS. The spent PP cup and its seal are recycled through standard household streams. A refill ships with the initial purchase, helping seed the behavior the format depends on.
Lierac’s objective was to combine premium aesthetics, sustainability and an intuitive refill gesture within a single solution, according to Cédric Marmonier, founder and CEO at Medicos Group.
The central technical problem with refillable glass jars is dimensional variation in the glass itself. This is a tolerance issue that has historically tripped up snap-in and screw-in refill systems.
“Other snap-on or screw-on systems rely on glass tolerances, which often make the refill too tight or, conversely, not tight enough,” Marmonier says. “The Re-CliCK system is positioned within a controllable thickness range, eliminating the need to account for variations in jar thickness. The motion is therefore always the same and repeatable for the consumer.”
The locking mechanism sits at the jar's round neck which allowed Medicos to extend the platform from round to square formats without redesigning the engagement. Two 180-deg tabs cue the consumer's finger placement and the turn-to-release motion.
“The system was engineered and tested, both internally and at our customers’ sites, to deliver a smooth, intuitive rotation-based gesture aligned with consumer expectations,” Marmonier says.
Medicos offers automated in-house assembly of the refill into the glass jar, or brands can opt to assemble manually downstream. Quality control draws on data-driven and AI-supported systems to ensure repeatability in production, according to the supplier.
Material choices and lightweighting
Stakeholders selected PP for the refill cup for compatibility with the Re-CliCK platform and broad recyclability in household streams. Combined with a PET cap and Gerresheimer's 40% PCR glass jar, all components are recyclable through standard channels, the companies say. The cup and lid are small components, but Medicos says their size doesn't prevent recovery in standard household PP and PET streams.
The most quantifiable weight reduction came from the closure. Medicos designed the capsule as a single-piece unit, eliminating the insert.
The component accounts for approximately 35% of the total weight of a two-piece capsule typically used for a product of this quality, according to Medicos. Additionally, work on neck and wall thicknesses has cut weight and shipping volume without reducing capacity, contributing to improved logistical and economic performance.
Meidcos conducted a lifecycle assessment on the format. After two refills, the packaging has a lower environmental impact than a single-use, non-refillable jar, according to the supplier.
Whether the math works in practice depends on consumer follow-through. The jar and cap are designed to be retained over multiple refill cycles, Marmonier says, but actual lifespan ultimately depends on consumer behavior and on how effectively brands support both product durability and the refill process.
That positions consumer education alongside the packaging itself. MEDICOS supports brands in designing intuitive gestures and clear product readability, and the visible Re-CliCK notches were designed as a recognizable cue. Beyond that, Marmonier says, consumer education remains primarily the responsibility of the brand.
