The assignment was to redesign bathroom refills (hand soap, shampoo and conditioner) with a focus on sustainability. My starting point was a simple observation: loose refill packaging gets thrown away without much thought, but if something is mounted on your wall, you actually have to make a deliberate decision to remove it. That friction changes behaviour. The Vessel uses that insight as its foundation, a wall-mounted pod system that makes the sustainable choice (refilling), the easiest one.
Research
We started with a group analysis of existing refill systems, looking at material use, CO₂ footprint and user experience. One number stood out: 19% of users find refill systems too complicated. That became the core challenge, not just making refills more sustainable, but making them simpler and genuinely satisfying to use. I was also convinced that refilling should feel like something, not just a chore. Nespresso and Ariel have already proven that people enjoy the pod mechanic. It just hadn't been applied to cosmetics yet and that felt like a real opportunity
Multiple directions were explored through sketching, CAD in SolidWorks and physical prototyping. The final design uses two injection-moulded PP parts connected with a click mechanism. A dosing cap sits at the centre of the holder and only releases product when the pod is squeezed, keeping it clean and intuitive for one-handed use in the shower.
To fit different bathroom setups, I designed three mounting options: a wall mount, a fitting for the shower pipe, and a suction cup. The same system works wherever you need it.
The pods are made from HDPE, a material that becomes extremely thin when empty, keeping disposal impact low. The result produces three times less CO₂ than a traditional refill.
The pod format also creates an opportunity beyond sustainability: different scents, formulas or seasonal versions can all work within the same system, but the same satisfying click.
