in-cosmetics Formulation Summit: Planet-friendly, clean ingredients at the core of consumer demands

22 Nov 2019 --- Natural and sustainable ingredients are the central consumer demand that will drive innovation in cosmetic formulations. Reporting from the in-cosmetics Formulation Summit 2019 in London, UK, NutritionInsight speaks to an array of cosmetic industry experts. On a day that revolved around sustainability and cosmetics, the experts highlighted how the use of chemical and unsustainable ingredients could lead to a variety of issues for both the environment and consumer health. As consumer demand for sustainability increases, industry must respond with a planet-friendly approach in formulations.

Sustainability is an overarching theme that reaches most industries. From the food industry to the packaging and cosmetic spaces, it is no surprise that consumers are demanding more environmentally friendly products, forcing companies to adapt. Within the cosmetic space, issues to consider include aquatic toxicity and harmful compounds and microplastics even entering the supply chain and reaching consumers’ forks, say the experts.

Clean beauty
The clean beauty trend is prevalent among consumers who navigate towards the natural and organic. Aloe vera, shea butter and herbal ingredients that naturally offer cosmetic benefits are spotlighted as beneficial without the added burden of chemical intervention.

“Green, sustainable and organic – there are many claims that are going around relating to naturality. Consumers are looking for some truth in their cosmetics. They want to know what is in a product and how that is going to affect their skin. They are looking for simple but quality ingredients that also offer efficacy,” notes Daniel Robustillo Miro, Business Manager at Vytrus Biotech.

Amit Tewari, Group Leader, Phytochemical Ingredient Science at L’Oréal Research and Innovation also underscored that the biggest consumer trend to anticipate in skincare is a further move toward the natural, with a back-to-basics approach.

As consumer demand for sustainability increases, industry must respond with a planet-friendly approach in formulations.“Consumers today – predominantly millennials and Generation X-ers – are more aware of what is inside a product, what are the raw materials and their benefits and how can they contribute to beauty. There is also consumer awareness on how ingredients are sourced and their effect on the environment. Maybe an ingredient has a natural origin, but how is that affecting the environment it is sourced from?” he notes.

Is sustainability achievable?
The cosmetic industry is also seeing the rise of the “conscious consumer.” It used to be all about money and cost of a product, but nowadays it is all about sustainability and whether the products we are using are planet friendly. This is according to Pat Thomas, Environmental Author, Journalist and Consultant.

Thomas says that this is a good thing, but the problem with it is that a lot of consumers are also not very well informed about how complex sustainability really is. She outlines that sustainability is not just about counting carbon credits – it also encompasses social values and ethical values, which are not always considered by companies in the industry.

“We are living in a climate-changing world and the way we make and produce products has to change. There are parts of the industry that are truly green but when you start to get into economies of scale, it is harder to be green because you are trying to balance what is called the triple bottom line: People, Profit and Planet,” she says.

Profit tends to take priority over the other two. There are smaller companies all over the world that are doing really interesting work, whether because they produce on a smaller scale which makes them inherently more sustainable or because they are concentrating on what is appropriate for them locally, from their own regions, Thomas supports.

“The way to go about sustainability is for companies to ask themselves what is the problem they are trying to solve with their products. What often happens is that a new company will be inspired by what the big players are producing and follow suit. My advice is simple: ‘consider cutting back. Produce less so that we have a society that consumes less.’ At the moment, the cosmetics industry is a very crowded field. There are a lot of companies and a lot of products. That is never a recipe for sustainability,” she concludes.

Sustainable, natural and organic seem to make the cut and inspire more planet-friendly formulations. However, there is still much to be explored in the space, as the ingredients are one aspect and packaging and sourcing also come into play to weave an intricate web of production.

In a nod toward sustainability, the cosmetics industry has been turning towards biodegradable ingredients to cater to the demand. However, there is still much to be done toward more sustainable formulations.

Holistic biodegradability
“Biodegradability is not enough and is only one piece of the jigsaw. We also need to consider aquatic toxicity, which means the impact of that substance on aquatic life and bioaccumulation, what happens then to these substances, do they get absorbed by aquatic life and do they end up in our supply chain?” says Dr. Barbara Olioso, Founder and Managing Director at The Green Chemist.

Olioso presented at the summit on whether biodegradable also means environmentally safe, while noting that materials may even end up in the food we consume. This largely depends on the journey of the cosmetic product. As such, consumers may be exposed to these substances without even knowing it.

“We need to think about holistic biodegradability and see how long it takes and where for something to biodegrade. We need to invest in more research,” she adds. “There is a constant growth of organic certified products and the COSMOS certification (standing for COSMetic Organic and Natural Standard) is one that can help navigate which products are organic and natural.”

By Kristiana Lalou

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