Sustainability in the cosmetic industry

COSSMA: Sustainability issues are in the public focus. What priority does the topic have for cosmetics manufacturers?

Birgit Huber: Sustainability has affected all areas of our daily lives today. The importance of sustainability issues for companies in the cosmetics industry is correspondingly high. We know from a survey (2021) among our association members from the beauty care sector that sustainability has been an integral part of the corporate culture for years and is firmly anchored in the corporate code of conduct of more than 60% of the cosmetics manufacturers. With almost 70% the majority of companies have at least one employee responsible for the topic of sustainability.

In which areas do cosmetics manufacturers focus when it comes to become more sustainable?

Cosmetics manufacturers already undertake countless sustainability activities on their own and pursue ecological, economic and social sustainability goals. 

More than half of the companies participating in the survey have systematically recorded the climate impact of their company in recent years, for example in the form of a carbon footprint. Measures to reduce the ecological footprint range from the use of renewable energies and the voluntary renunciation of certain ingredients to the increased use of plastic recyclates in packaging. 

The companies also assume responsibility towards their own employees. For example, more than 90% of the companies surveyed offer family-friendly working time arrangements. Cosmetics companies have established sustainability measures along the entire supply chain – from raw material sourcing to delivery of the finished product. Almost half of the companies participating in the survey stated that they have a long-term sustainable purchasing strategy and regularly audit their direct suppliers. The manufacturers want to continue on this path towards more sustainability and the Competence Partner Beauty Care in IKW supports them as a reliable partner. 

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How does IKW support the companies in their activities? Are there joint industry initiatives?

Yes, there are joint initiatives by European cosmetics manufacturers. In December 2022, Cosmetics Europe, the European association of cosmetics manufacturers, launched the initiative Commit for Our Planet. The aim of the initiative is to join forces in Europe to reduce the environmental footprint of the cosmetics industry. 

Whether a large corporation, medium-sized or small company – Commit for Our Planet is a sustainability initiative suitable for all companies in the cosmetics industry. To exploit synergies, Commit for Our Planet focuses on three important sustainability areas: climate, packaging and nature. Improvement in these areas promise the greatest possible impact when it comes to more resource-efficient production and environmentally friendly use of cosmetic products. Cosmetics Europe provides participating companies a range of analytical tools for this purpose. 

The Competence Partner Beauty Care in IKW motivates all companies to become involved as partners, too. 

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The topic of biodiversity is also gaining importance. Why is the protection of biodiversity important for the cosmetics industry in particular?

Biodiversity is becoming increasingly important for cosmetics manufacturers, as natural raw materials often play a significant role in the production of cosmetic products. Measures to improve the impact on biodiversity along their own supply chains are therefore becoming enormously important for cosmetics manufacturers. It is a fact that biodiversity continues to decline worldwide. 

Cosmetics companies are therefore already very active in protecting biodiversity. Together with FEBEA, the French Cosmetic Association, the Competence Partner Beauty Care in IKW has compiled a guide for the sustainable use of biodiversity in order to share experiences and inspire other companies with examples for imitation. 

The Beauty Care Competence Partner in IKW is also a partner of UEBT (Union for Ethical Biotrade), a non-profit organisation that promotes sustainable sourcing of raw materials. With this partnership, the association offers its member companies the opportunity to intensify their own activities in the field of sustainable use of biodiversity.

How important is the topic of sustainability to consumers?

From our current study “Kosmetik und Nachhaltigkeit – So ticken die Deutschen” (Cosmetics and Sustainability – How Germans tick), we know that sustainability has become significantly more relevant for consumers. 

For 84% of those surveyed, sustainability has become an important topic. This is partly due to the fact that the effects, such as rising temperatures or floods, are causing ever greater personal concern. However, the study results also showed us that many still find it difficult to formulate what sustainability actually means and what they associate with it. When asked directly about specific areas, the respondents are most likely to think of the topic of waste and how to avoid it. 83% consider avoiding waste to be central to the topic of sustainability. But respondents also find topics such as access to clean water, biodiversity, CO2 reduction and animal welfare relevant. They each achieve values of more than 70%.

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When is a cosmetic product sustainable for consumers? And what do consumers want from cosmetic products in the context of sustainability?

For German consumers, whether a cosmetic product is perceived as sustainable depends in particular on carefree handling of the product and good compatibility. 

71% of people consider a cosmetic product sustainable if they do not have to worry about themselves or the environment when using it. And 76% consider a cosmetic product sustainable if it is compatible for them and the environment. The factors “carefree use” and “compatibility” are accordingly the differentiating and relevant factors for sustainable cosmetics.

People would also like to see this carefree approach when buying products. 67% would like all cosmetic products to be sustainable and 59% do not want to have to find out whether cosmetic products are sustainable before buying them. Here, people simply want to be able to trust the cosmetic products. That is why 68% of people would like to see seals and labels. These serve as orientation and allow people to see at a glance to what extent a product is sustainable.

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How does the cosmetics industry ensure more transparency in purchasing decisions?

In order to make the environmental impacts of cosmetic products more transparent and comparable, cosmetic companies and associations have joined forces internationally in the EcoBeautyScore Consortium (EBS Consortium). Their goal is to develop an industry-wide standard for evaluation of the environmental impact of cosmetic products. This uniform rating system is intended to support consumers in their purchasing decisions of cosmetic products in the future. The Competence Partner Beauty Care in IKW is also a member of the EBS Consortium and uses its membership to inform its association members about further developments and to advise them on implementation. A first prototype of the uniform evaluation system is planned for the end of 2023.

When it comes to ingredient transparency, COSMILE Europe, a European ingredient database for cosmetic ingredients, has been available to European consumers since February 2023. It provides fast and comprehensive information on almost 30,000 cosmetic ingredients. The database is based on trustworthy sources that provide scientifically verified information.