Green claims are not enough as beauty consumers demand transparency across entire ecological lifecycle

Consumers no longer accept unsubstantiated sustainable cosmetic claims and demand transparency across their products’ entire lifecycle. Personal Care Insights speaks to Lignopure and Syensqo about the sustainable practices they implement across their supply chains to satisfy consumer demands.

“What started as natural, environmentally friendly and free from harmful chemicals is nowadays not enough. Consumers are better informed and more aware that ethical sourcing plays a pivotal role in real sustainability. This demand has driven manufacturers to seek sustainable alternatives for traditional ingredients,” Gabriela Meza Armenta, head of sales and marketing manager at Lignopure tells us.

Lignopure says the shift is evident in the growing number of certifications and standards companies are adopting to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability.

“The latest demand has been for traceability, which consumers are increasingly interested in because it is key to sustainability.”

Marie Arzel, global marketing manager, Home & Beauty Care at Syensqo adds: “For over a decade, the personal care industry has been steadily transitioning toward more sustainable supply solutions, driven by rising consumer awareness and requirements on environmental impact mitigation.”

“This translates into expectations of products considering planetary boundaries and, more specifically, the sustainable sourcing of more responsible ingredients. Such concern is fueled by the urgent need to address, as a society, the environmental crisis and its issues of climate change, pollution and resource limitations.”

Sustainable guar

Syensqo’s Sustainable Guar Initiative (SGI) is an integrated program that trains and supports local farmers to foster sustainable, non-food-competing guar production in Rajasthan’s desert district, Bikaner, a key guar hub in India. 

Marie Arzel, global marketing manager, Home & Beauty Care at Syensqo.“Syensqo wanted to connect more closely with and support the local communities driving our production source, offer more transparency on the guar supply chain, and provide ethical solutions, a key customer demand,” says Arzel.

Guar’s derivatives are “essential” in beauty care products for their thickening and conditioning properties, which enhance the texture and consistency of formulations such as shampoos, conditioners and lotions.

The ingredient delivers benefits such as softness, lightness and repair to the hair and skin.

“Guar is a renewable resource valued for its naturalness, making it an appealing ingredient in environmentally conscious beauty products to answer consumer demands. Our guar derivatives include a range of biodegradable ingredients, enabling our customers to design beauty products that leave a minimal environmental impact while being high-performing.”

SGI was launched in 2015 in collaboration with the NGO Technoserve, the guar gum manufacturer and joint venture Hichem, and in partnership with L’Oréal. Since then, other beauty care leaders, such as Henkel and Procter & Gamble, have joined the program. 

The project began in response to a major guar supply crisis between 2012 and 2013. Concurrently, there was a growing trend toward bio-sourced products, emphasizing transparency, origin and responsible purchasing within the industry.

“The main objective was not to generate profits from the program but to ensure a reliable, sustainable, and inclusive supply chain of guar in India,” Arzel continues.

“With the implementation of the SGI program, we’ve created a market standard, and after almost ten years, we see some competitors trying to catch up, which, in the spirit of social and environmental production improvements, we welcome!”

Cultural challenges

Arzel says Syensqo is working on improving women’s participation in program-related activities but is facing societal challenges due to cultural norms in the region. 

“Low literacy levels also limit the adoption of new-age digital and financial tools, and a lack of smartphone access among women has created a gender digital divide, which we are working to address.”

Other challenges associated with sustainable sourcing include climate change, which has caused rainfall conditions to become increasingly erratic. Also, increased instances of heat waves lead to high year-on-year variation in the production of guar.Swatches of LingoBase in the warm shades.

“SGI aims to benefit the entire community holistically through its program interventions. To do so, it engages with farmers on aspects of their overall well-being, such as family nutrition through increased access to healthy vegetables from setting up kitchen gardens and awareness on health and hygiene,” explains Arzel.

Syensqo also has its One Planet roadmap, which focuses on three key pillars: climate and nature, sustainable growth and a better life.

“Syensqo’s One Planet is deeply linked to sustainable innovation. We aim to develop solutions that protect the planet and help our customers simultaneously advance their performance and environmental goals. A major focus for Syensqo is meeting the increasing demand for natural, biobased, and circular solutions, supporting customers’ responsible sourcing ambitions.”

Upcycling waste into cosmetics

Lignopure develops upcycled lignin-based cosmetic ingredients. Lignin is a naturally occurring polymer found in plant cell walls, and it is typically discarded as a byproduct of the ethanol and pulp and paper industry.

“By upcycling lignin [into LignoBase], we at Lignopure are diverting waste from landfills and creating a sustainable source of ingredients for the cosmetic industry for a more circular cosmetic industry,” highlights Armenta.

“We are working to produce even more innovative lignin-based ingredients for the new green future of cosmetics. As research and development continue, we are discovering new possibilities and benefits of this versatile material. With this said, we also expect to see more brands using lignin to sustainably enhance their personal care formulations from skin- to sun and hair care and beyond.”

Armenta says creating sustainable and effective lignin-based cosmetic ingredients presented several challenges.

“One of the main challenges has been the need to develop new processing techniques to refine lignin but keep its highly active molecular structure to make it suitable and active for cosmetic applications.”

Mindful legislation

Armenta explains she supports implementing legislation for supply chains but says that it must avoid unintended consequences.

Consumers are becoming more skeptical when it comes to companies’ sustainability claims.“I believe that implementing strong legislation surrounding sustainable supply chains in the personal care industry is essential for driving positive change. Such legislation can help to level the playing field, encourage innovation and ensure that all companies are held accountable for their environmental and social impacts.”

“For example, overly burdensome regulations could make it difficult for small and medium-sized businesses to compete. It is also important to ensure that the legislation is aligned with the latest scientific evidence, industry best practices, and specific regional needs and optimizations.”

Ethical supply chains

A recent investigation into perfume production for some of the world’s most famous brands exposed widespread child labor in supply chains. The BBC’s World Service Documentaries on “Child labor behind global brands’ best-selling perfumes” took viewers to Egypt to show “dark secrets” behind the jasmine trade, naming Lancôme and Aerin Beauty’s involvement.

Fragrance manufacturer Givaudan told Personal Care Insights, “We care deeply about improving people’s lives in communities where we source and operate. We do not practice or tolerate any form of child labor, and we work closely with our partners and suppliers to help ensure they meet the same standards.”

“Jasmine production raises concerns about child labor, and we work hard with our suppliers to address these challenges. However, the concerns raised in the BBC report are deeply alarming.”