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Start to Scale: Cleaning up cosmetics

Did you know that all the innovation we need to get to net zero already exists? The challenge is overcoming the blockers and scaling those great ideas. And that’s where business has a key role to play.

‘Start to Scale’ is an educational series where we explore a key area in sustainability where change is needed – and fast. We look at how to get started, how to find momentum and how others are doing it already.

In this feature, we explore a topic individuals, businesses and innovators can all do something about – cleaning up cosmetics.

From brushing our teeth to cleaning and moisturising our face, we all use multiple cosmetic products every day. But do we ever stop to think where those products have come from or what their impact on the environment is?

Every cosmetic product you use has the potential to harm or heal the environment.

For example, take the sunscreen we’re encouraged to slather on before heading to the beach. These creams often contain chemicals which are harmful to coral reefs that play many important roles including helping to protect coastlines from storms – keeping those who live by the sea safe. These chemicals can also cause defects in the seafood we eat.

The rapidly growing cosmetics industry, valued at almost $400 billion in 2023 and projected to reach over $750 billion by 2032, significantly impacts the environment (source).

In this article, we’re placing a focus on the inputs that go into these cosmetics. We examine the ever-contentious palm oil, dive into seaweed innovations, and get to grips with a technology that leverages biology which could further clean up the industry. 

Let’s dig in.

Fortunately, there are plenty of inspiring initiatives helping us tackle how we clean up cosmetics across the value chain – from sourcing natural, sustainable ingredients that are good for our skin and the planet to turning to modern day technology.

With a little help from palm oil

Did you know that approximately 70% (source) of beauty products contain palm oil? While palm oil carries multiple benefits such as hydrating and softening the skin, it’s an ingredient which is often condemned for exacerbating climate change through deforestation and the rapid loss of natural habitats for endangered species (source).

However, it’s not as simple as saying cosmetics should not use palm oil. It’s one of the highest yielding oil crops, requiring far less land to be converted into farms than other oil-producing crops, like rapeseed, sunflower or soy (source). So, the question is, how do we certify and prove that the palm oil used in our products is sourced through sustainable practices?

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) addresses this by establishing best practices for the procurement and production process to minimise deforestation of primary forests, certifying farms that comply with their high standards.

Many of the largest cosmetics companies have committed to sourcing 100% of their palm oil from RSPO certified farms but only 20% of the palm oil produced each year is RSPO certified.

So, what can we do about this as consumers? And how we can reduce our environmental impact?

There are several actions we can take – but a great first step is simply being inquisitive. For example, what ingredients are in there? Are those ingredients sustainably sourced? And what impact are they having on the planet?

These questions aren’t always easily answered but there are innovative companies providing transparency on what goes into our cosmetics.

One of those companies is Provenance, who have developed pioneering Proof Point technology that enables businesses to provide a statement of impact. This means that instead of just looking at a logo, consumers can scan a QR code on the product to show the digital proof that the company has met the certification they claim to have met. They also provide a directory of trustworthy brands.

Our next big hope grows in the ocean: seaweed

Seaweed has been used in cosmetics for years. Many toothpastes contain seaweed extract which acts as a natural thickener and stabiliser. But it’s not just our pearly whites that are reaping the benefits of this miracle compound.

Seaweed is an ancient algae (not a plant) that is biodegradable with naturally occurring vitamins, minerals, anti-aging and antioxidant properties that make it a prime replacement for synthetic chemicals, artificial thickeners, and plastic microbeads. It can be used in a range of products including exfoliators, moisturises and hair care.

Why is growing seaweed a super solution from a sustainability perspective? Well, it doesn’t use precious freshwater. It also requires no fertiliser as it gets all the nutrients it needs from the sea.

It grows quickly, sequesters carbon, improves water quality, and provides new habitats for marine life. And unlike land, there is plenty of space for it to grow in the ocean.

Major cosmetics players are investing heavily into seaweed. Estée Lauder invested in Haeckels, a UK skincare company that built its name using local and nature-based ingredients such as wild-harvested seaweed and other sustainable resources, inspired by and from the ocean (source). As the company scaled, however, Haeckels had to rethink their sourcing of seaweed to prevent negatively impacting their local ecosystem.

They needed to find a new solution. Enter the world of biotech beauty.

Betting on biotech

Every natural ingredient that is farmed on land takes up space, draws on water resources and has a carbon footprint as it travels to the consumer.

To address this, Haeckels is exploring create lab-cultivated ingredients to be included in their products as a lower impact alternative. These are less dependent on natural resources, use less energy compared to extracting the compounds from natural materials, can be created with fewer resources, and can be grown anywhere reducing transport emissions.

Haeckels is taking this one step further and using in-store bioreactors to give consumers a visual connection to understanding where their skincare comes from. The consistency and purity of lab-grown ingredients is an added bonus.

Cosmetic ingredient sourcing is complicated, and things aren’t always as they seem. Palm oil is not as bad for the environment as perceived if farmed sustainably, natural products are not always sustainable, and biotech is an exciting frontier that holds potential solutions for many of the industry's challenges.

As consumers, it is essential to educate ourselves on these nuances to make environmentally conscious choices, as we influence the market with our spending.

To summarise, lets recap on some of the ways we can clean up cosmetics:

  • For consumers, demand more information. Educate yourself about the impact your desired product has on the environment and when the information isn’t clear, think twice about the companies you’re buying from.
  • For businesses, be proactive and get scientific. Research shows consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious. Don’t wait until you start to lose customers to ensure the ingredients used in your product are good to the planet.
  • Stay up to date with developing technologies like biotech that might just have a solution for your new product lines.

Learning from and working with nature to create more sustainable practices, we can move the cosmetics industry towards a more ecologically balanced future.

While the solutions described are still nascent and need to scale, they provide us with a vignette of how we can shift our perspective and implement changes across the cosmetics value chain – something to remember next time you choose your sunscreen (hint, use zinc).

This article was written by Greg Minter-Brown with contribution from Ashleigh Arton in our Sustainability and Climate Market Innovation team.

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