Zenbird Editorial TeamMÅNGATA Corporation, a Tokyo-based startup specialising in cosmetic recycling, has announced an expansion of its resource circulation partnership with retail giant LUMINE Co., Ltd. It expands a participatory sorting model designed to tackle the growing issue of “cosmetic loss” to 13 locations from January 2026 onwards.
The expansion follows a successful pilot in July 2025, where approximately 20,000 discarded cosmetic items, weighing roughly 445 kilograms, were collected across six stores. While the volume of recovery was high, the pilot revealed a logistical challenge: intensive labour and cost were required to manually separate cosmetic ingredients from their packaging and sort them by colour.
To address this bottleneck, MÅNGATA developed the Cosmetic Scraping Workshop, which invites consumers to not only drop off their unused makeup but also participate in the extraction process. Participants help create a pre-sorted stream of raw materials by scraping the contents out of the containers themselves. Not only dies it reduce operational costs, but also turns it into an engaging, educational experience.
Research conducted by MÅNGATA involving over 5,400 users revealed that 86.3% of consumers fail to finish their colour cosmetics before disposal. More than half of these individuals reported feeling a sense of guilt when throwing products away. The workshop model also aims to alleviate this psychological burden.
The recovered cosmetic bulk is processed using MÅNGATA’s patented “magic water” technology. This process converts powders and creams into SminkArt, a versatile pigment used for paints, stationery, and industrial applications. The partnership achieves a circular loop by using these upcycled materials in LUMINE’s store interiors and promotional novelties.
MÅNGATA is integrating Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) metrics and Digital Product Passport (DPP) support into its operations. After the January rollout at the “Lumine/NEWoMan Ethicarnival,” MÅNGATA plans to seek further collaborations with commercial facilities nationwide to promote household resource circulation across Japan.
[Reference] PR Times (Japanese)
