Sustainable and powerful

COSSMA: Your company has been working according to sustainable principles for a long time, but development does not stand still for you either. What were the last tweaks you made?

Christian Eisen: Faber-Castell is globally known for its sustainable approach. The family has been managing its own forests in Brazil for many years which is already a huge asset in this context. Though cosmetics is part of this global approach we have however specific requirements in creating more sustainable products by reducing material in general and plastics especially. We have already managed to switch relevant components to PCR material in order to reduce virgin plastic. Moreover, we offer products with components from bio-based materials and we are moving forward in creating cleaner formulations by exchanging synthetic raw materials with natural ones.This is a lot of fundamental work in sometimes rather small steps. But we are very happy to say that we succeedin offering more sustainable versions of all of our bestselling products by now – and we won’t stop. We are especially proud that we are now able to offer one of our high performing, waterproof and longlasting liner formulas also in a wood pencil. This is a first in the cosmetics industry. Combined with a cap out of bio-based material the product is essentially made from renewable sources.

Trend researchers confirm that consumers have been relying more on sustainable products since the outbreak of the pandemic. To what extent is this also noticeable?

Sustainability has been an emerging mega trend for quite a while, but during the pandemic this trend has become even more important to consumers. This global development is greatly appreciated as it reflects the focus at Faber-Castell Cosmetics on sustainable product development. We are always working on ecologically optimising both plastics and textures. Our long-term commitment to corporate sustainability was recently awarded with the EcoVadis Gold Medal which confirms that we take our responsibility seriously. Our professional knowledge is appreciated by the customers. All our new projects have specific sustainability requirements. It feels like we are focusing on the really important topics right now. Maybe the pandemic is helping to sharpen the focus in some way. 

What are the sustainability challenges for colouring ingredients?

Colour combined with high performance is our main business. The demand for cosmetic colours is as individual as people are. Therefore, we have to deal with thousands of different recipes concerning colouring ingredients – and the number is growing daily. A limited choice as well as a performance risk are the main challenges regarding sustainability. First of all, we have a lot of “no-goes” and blacklist topics such as animal origin or general impurities in some pigments. With these restrictions the variety is limited and therefore also the possible colour options for customers. Secondly, we try to exchange synthetic raw materials with natural ingredients wherever possible. However, natural ingredients are less stable than synthetic ones. Guaranteeing a stable colour over the product lifetime is thus more difficult and also colour variations with different batches become a bigger problem.

But I have good news: the offers are getting broader which provides us with more and more options every day to extend our colour expertise into a sustainable offer as well.

How has the demand for make-up products changed since the introduction of the mask requirement?

Concerning the impact on the mask requirements we were honestly expecting way more impact from the consumer’s side. Considering the experience with makeup in cultures, where women cover parts of their face, there is a big tendency towards bright and colourful eye makeup as well as lip products. But these must meet certain requirements: long-lasting and smudge-proof. Such demands apply as well for mask proof products. For this reason, we have developed formulas that will stay put beneath a mask without fading, smudging, transferring, or staining the mask no matter what. However, the demand has shifted from classical lipstick to light wear products. For example, we experience an extremely increasing demand for our mask proof “Lipstain”, with a lightweight texture and moisturising effect. Social-distancing also has an effect on colour cosmetics: people are using video-calls for work and more and more for socialising. For this reason, people are spending more time looking at themselves on their screen. Facing computer cameras and at-home lighting they start to optimise their look. Therefore, we observe an increase in concealer as a pencil to limit finger application on the face, but also a rising increase in eyeliner, browliner and lipstick with care ingredients.

How does the demand for nail products look in comparison?

During the pandemic and lockdown, we experience a new wellbeingboom. Consumers are turning to beauty as a positive time-filler for relaxing, selfcare and comforting reasons. They look for at-home treatments like never before. This applies not only for skin and body treatment but also for nail care. The nail care market has grown during the past months and I’m sure this trend will continue for the next few years. Due to hygiene requirements, increased handwashing and the use of sanitisers, the focus is on nail moisturising products. We are observing a boom of nail nourishing products especially with aromas and active ingredients like grapeseed, CPD or tea-tree oil.

Which trends are already emerging for 2021? Will there be a surprise or two?

Personally, I think that the pandemic will have a long-term impact on consumer behaviour. People all over the world have become more conscious and mindful about global warming and environmental threats, but the crisis emphasises again the importance of sustainability. This trend leads to organic, vegan, clean and

sustainable cosmetics becoming more mainstream, as consumers perceive these products as safer for human health and the environment. Transparency will be key for people who are increasingly asking questions about the quality of ingredients and the material of packaging. On the other hand, consumers will be more concerned with the safety of the products and how long they can be

used safely. That’s why I’m not surprised to see a revival of the wood pencil since it combines everything we have mentioned so far: a naturally sourced

product with high performing ingredients and by sharpening a tip always hygienic – all in all the ideal product for demanding consumers.