The concept behind Pigment(o) is to repurpose unused or expired makeup into paint products for both amateur and professional artists. While some initiatives already transform powdered makeup into watercolor or acrylic paint, this area remains largely untapped, with few brands exploring its full potential.

Calculations show that if 74% of adult women in Rotterdam returned their unused makeup, the collected materials could produce around 10,640 kilograms of usable paint — enough for nearly 89,000 individual packages. This demonstrates the strong potential for upcycling cosmetics into creative, sustainable products.

Pigment(o) distributes its paint through three main channels: workshops hosted by partner brands, where participants can purchase the paint after using it; a pop-up store in Rotterdam’s city center (Koopgoot); and an online shop available on the brand’s website.

Pigment(o) offers a circular service engaging both individuals and businesses in sustainable practices. For consumers, makeup collection boxes in stores make it easy to donate unused cosmetics and receive discounts on recycled pigments, sold later through pop-ups.

On the B2B side, Pigment(o) partners with beauty retailers, shopping centers, and art institutions—handling collection logistics, providing materials for workshops, and promoting eco-conscious creativity across multiple touchpoints.

The stakeholder ecosystem of Pigment(o) is built around collaboration: the CEO coordinates internal teams, while partners like Douglas and Etos act as donors and collection points.

Distributors such as workshops connect the final products with customers, and recycling companies like Dar and Greencycle manage leftover materials. Local artists, schools, and workshop participants form the end-users, together creating a circular network that turns waste into value through cross-sector cooperation.

The project was presented at the "Disrupting orders" exhibition at the STECCA 3.0 space in Milan in January 2025.