Aptar’s Nomad Refill reimagines fragrance for the era of travel-size beauty

Long relegated to the role of a gift after purchase or, conversely, an ultra-luxury niche accessory, the travel size is now experiencing a real boom, driven by consumers’ enthusiasm for smaller formats. More luxurious while remaining cool, it is now establishing itself as a product in its own right, in line with new ways of consuming fragrance.

A utilitarian object that has become desirable

“Travel sizes are evolving into standalone products within ranges, no longer merely gifts with purchase. Perfectly aligned with on-the-go lifestyles, they are also becoming increasingly sophisticated,” explains Savéria Guelfucci, EMEA Marketing Manager at Aptar Beauty.

In this context, the refill ritual takes center stage. “To be appealing, refilling must no longer be perceived as tedious or cumbersome. It must become a seamless, intuitive, and even enjoyable experience,” she continues. “This requirement now permeates all packaging segments, from mass market to luxury.”

With Nomad Refill, Aptar delivers a tangible response to these evolving expectations, while creating more moments for fragrance use and consumption. Designed for fast, easy refilling, the product is compatible with all bottles featuring the SNI 15 screw neck, a format increasingly adopted in recent launches.

“Nomad Refill offers great ease of use, in line with the consumption habits of new generations,” emphasizes Savéria Guelfucci.

Nomad Refill also fits into a proactive regulatory anticipation strategy. In the long term, primary packaging — including small formats — will need to be reusable. Yet until now, no solution has offered a simple, fast, and industrially scalable way to refill travel-size bottles.

Multi-level differentiation

One of Nomad Refill’s key strengths lies in its balance between functional standardization and aesthetic differentiation. Aptar Beauty not only focused on designing a universal connector compatible with all SNI 15 bottles, but also carefully developed numerous customization options, allowing all brands to fully express their identity through this innovation.

“We’ve worked hard on giving brands the ability to fully personalize this product to express their identity. Customizable or bespoke caps are available, along with a broad range of decoration options — both in-house and through our partners. The experience can be further elevated with complementary elements, from dedicated cases to premium secondary packaging, allowing every component to become a true point of differentiation,” explains Savéria Guelfucci.

The result: a product capable of fitting seamlessly into both high-end, exclusive finishes and more accessible offerings.

To meet industrial realities and time-to-market constraints, Aptar Beauty has structured its offering around two levels of customization: a solution prioritizing short lead times and low minimum order quantities (MOQs), starting at around 10,000 pieces; and a more advanced customization option with premium materials, requiring specific development.

Thanks to its integrated expertise in metalworking, Aptar Beauty offers high-end finishes and decorations. Other avenues are also being explored through supplier partners – marble, ceramic, leather, wood, or innovative materials – further expanding the range of creative possibilities.

A scalable and international platform

Designed as a versatile platform, Nomad Refill is built to evolve. Upcoming developments will expand options for finishes, including varied fixture and case styles. Beyond the packaging itself, Aptar Beauty also provides filling, packing, and case-filling services, thus delivering a turnkey solution for brands that wish to outsource the entire process.

Major groups have already entrusted Aptar Beauty with this format, and the first launches are planned for summer 2026. They will highlight how much the customization work was able to align the product with the identity of each of the brands.

While it will initially launch in the EMEA region and in pilot markets such as the UK and Saudi Arabia, Nomad Refill aims to become available in all regions. Strong interest has already been identified in Latin America and Asia.

"With Nomad Refill, we’re not just responding to a trend: we are actively contributing to writing a new chapter in the history of perfume, laying the foundations for a new rechargeable, evolving, desirable ecosystem aligned with future environmental and regulatory challenges,” concludes Savéria Guelfucci.