Le Labo's grievance: Travelers bid adieu to tiny shampoo bottles in hotels

Think of this as the summer of cutting back on soap.

Earlier this year, Equinox members practically revolted, storming the shampoo supply after the luxury gym dropped its 13-year partnership with Kiehl's for one with Grown Alchemist. TikTok was flooded with unhappy members posting videos and threatening to cancel their memberships over the product change — reminiscing about the good old days of transferring Kiehl's Creme de Corps into smaller containers for future use. (At TPG, we don’t endorse this behavior, but remember, Grown Alchemist is as much a premium skincare and bath line as Kiehl's.)

As the uproar settled in Equinox locker rooms, New York introduced its own quirky toiletry regulations this week. Starting next year, hotels with 50 or more rooms will be prohibited from providing mini bottles of soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion, as per the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation. Smaller establishments with fewer than 50 rooms have until early 2026 to adapt to this new law.

This means that depending on your accommodation, you can anticipate seeing more wall-mounted dispensers for soap, shampoo, and conditioner — or at least some stylishly designed bottles for toiletries.

This also signals the end of the era for sneaking items from an unattended housekeeping cart or hoping for an upgrade to a suite with two full bathrooms at the Hyatt Regency JFK Airport just to enjoy multiple sets of Le Labo Hinoki products. I'm speaking hypothetically, of course. Who would actually do that?!

Absolutely, the travel industry fully recognizes that this is a necessary step for sustainability and waste reduction. Moreover, the New York law isn’t introducing anything novel for travelers: Many hotel chains are already transitioning to refillable bottles that remain in the hotel room instead of mini bottles that often end up in guests' bags.

IHG Hotels & Resorts collaborates with Unilever, the parent company of Dove, to provide larger amenities in its mainstream brands like Holiday Inn Express and Candlewood Suites. However, IHG's ultra-luxury Six Senses brand is at the forefront of this movement in high-end hotels, opting for larger dispensers over mini bottles. It’s becoming less common to find mini bottles these days among major hotel chains.

"From a waste management perspective, this is the right choice," stated Nicolas Graf, associate dean and clinical professor at New York University's Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality. "We need to inform travelers about what constitutes sensible sustainable practices in hotels. While the shampoo bottle is one issue, the next important topic may relate to buffets and food waste."

Graf is correct: The travel sector has ample opportunities to enhance its sustainability efforts, and it's evidently heading in the right direction.

However, as I researched the new law earlier this week, I couldn’t shake a slight selfish sadness for my future guests. Your days of enjoying an assortment of mini bottles from Aesop and Diptyque in luxury hotels worldwide are numbered! (Naturally, prioritizing the planet and curbing landfill waste is far more important than my weekend guests having access to Santal 33 shower gel in mini bottles.)

Sadly, I wasn't alone in feeling a tinge of nostalgia for mini Le Labo products this week.

I spoke anonymously with a few globe-trotters about the change, and — while everyone fully appreciated the sustainability initiative behind it — there was also a sentiment reminiscent of trying to snag one last martini at the final call in a beloved bar.

One source from a secret international location proudly claimed to already have 13 mini bottles of St. Regis bath products in his checked luggage and was aiming to boost that to 16 after turndown service on his last night before heading back to the U.S.

Several sources chuckled and pointed out that my guest room basket of hotel soaps and shampoos was a sign of inexperience: Many of them hadn't purchased shampoo and conditioner for their homes in years due to stockpiling from hotels. One person was particularly disillusioned about running low on Fairmont's Le Labo Rose 31 soap — a personal supply last replenished during a stay over a year ago.

I'm sure most hotel CFOs will be thrilled to learn that individuals like this will no longer pose a threat to shampoo budgets and the existence of unattended housekeeping carts.

However, there are more worries than just the aforementioned group of mini conditioner scavengers. Others expressed an "ick factor" regarding hygiene concerns linked to the concept of wall-mounted soap and shampoo dispensers. Although the idea is that only a housekeeper has the key to unlock the dispenser for refills, some people I spoke with voiced distrust in the system. Several mentioned they would simply bring their own soap for future hotel visits.

I've found on multiple occasions that housekeeping neglects to refill an opaque dispenser that isn’t visibly empty from the outside. This can lead to some awkward moments when needing to call for a refill of soap and shampoo mid-shower.

How hotels are adapting to the change

This isn't a one-size-fits-all approach in the movement toward sustainable hotel shampoo and soap solutions.

Some Hyatt brands, such as Hyatt Regency, have implemented wall-mounted dispensers in their showers and tubs, while other lifestyle brands, like Thompson Hotels, provide larger amenities on bathroom shelves or in shower alcoves.

Last year, all Hilton hotels were required to switch to full-size shampoo, conditioner, and soap amenities to eliminate single-use bottles across the company’s diverse brands.

"This shift has halved our single-use plastic footprint, enhanced efficiency across our hotels by minimizing requests for additional amenities, and allowed our brands to offer a wide range of products that cater to our guests' evolving preferences for premium, world-class brands," stated Anu Saxena, president and global head of Hilton Supply Management. "For instance, guests can now enjoy Byredo products at our Conrad hotels, Not Soap, Radio in our Tru by Hilton locations, or Aesop products at our Waldorf Astoria properties. The initial feedback has been overwhelmingly positive; guests are genuinely appreciating the quality of products available in our hotels."

Marriott International is currently transitioning to larger, pump-top bottles across its hotels. By the end of last year, the initiative achieved a 95% compliance rate at both managed and franchised hotels worldwide, according to a company spokesperson speaking to TPG.

"Once fully implemented, we estimate this switch will prevent approximately 500 million small bath amenity bottles from ending up in landfills each year," the Marriott spokesperson noted.

Attractive amenities in large-format dispensers can even spark a niche market. Marriott's Edition brand boasts a devoted following for its exclusive line of Le Labo bath products, which guests can purchase online.

In 2023, Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC in New York City transitioned from mini toiletries to larger containers from Grown Alchemist, the same brand that Equinox recently adopted for its gyms.

"The enticing scent of Damask Rose, Black Pepper, and Sage is hard to resist taking home," remarked Cesarina Collado, the hotel manager at Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC. "If a guest can’t part with these toiletries, they’re welcome to take a bottle home; however, there will be a charge for removing the amenities from the room."

Embracing shampoo sustainability

Naturally, not all travelers share the same perspective as hotel companies. Just as Equinox members justified their steep monthly fees with access to preferred Kiehl's products, many guests view the mini bottles of luxury bath and skincare items as a perk for paying high nightly rates at upscale hotels.

A well-off traveler I know has often boasted about an incident during a lengthy layover at Heathrow, where he filled an empty water bottle with wall-mounted Aesop lotion in an airport lounge — much to his husband’s dismay. In light of the hotel industry's shift toward sustainability, he mentions he might resort to that practice again if tempted by a similarly luxurious wall-mounted bath product during future hotel stays.

These are certainly extreme cases, and I’d wager that most travelers will adapt to using wall-mounted or large-format dispensers without any issues.

Much of the recent uproar in hotels and luxury gyms may stem from people's reluctance to adapt rather than genuine concerns about quality. After all, Equinox's new toiletry partner, Grown Alchemist, is also featured in Delta Air Lines' Sky Clubs — and I’d bet there’s a notable overlap between Equinox members and Sky Club patrons.

As for me, I'm down to my last three mini bottles of Le Labo Hinoki products from a suite upgrade at the Hyatt Regency JFK Airport. While part of me feels inclined to don a mourning veil and lament the dwindling supply of conditioner, I also realize that most great obsessions like this are temporary — and perhaps a bit unrealistic.

So instead of playing a melancholic Joni Mitchell song and weeping over an eco-unfriendly mini bottle of hair product, I finally relented and visited an actual Le Labo store this week to purchase refillable bottles.

After all, it’s all about protecting the planet, isn’t it?

Are you feeling a Le Labo lament of your own? Or do you support the move toward greater sustainability? Reach out to share your thoughts at [email protected].