A quick guide to sustainability in the cosmetic Industry
Learn about Ethical and sustainable products push in the cosmetic Industry - Two green islands in the deep waters of the beauty industry.
Personal care cosmetics is a $71 billion a year industry in the United States alone. It commands attention in the fields of advertising, packaging, distribution, and production. The American cosmetics industry has been under the same FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) regulations since 1938 when the only Federal law was passed to regulate cosmetics production. Under that law, 11 chemicals were banned. In the ensuing years, tens of thousands of new chemicals have been developed to be used in personal care cosmetics. In 2017, the FDA banned the use of an additional 18 chemicals; however, efforts to introduce legislation on the national level have been unsuccessful. The Personal Care Products Safety Act was introduced in 2015 by Senators Feinstein (CA) and Collins (ME) but was not acted upon. The act was reintroduced in 2017 and again in 2019 with no success. It remains in the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. The California Toxic Free Cosmetics Act, Assembly Bill 2762, passed out of the State Assembly in June 2020. This bill will ban 12 highly toxic chemicals from being used in California. It must be acted upon by the California State Senate by the end of August 2020.
However, there is an ever-growing grass-roots movement across the country for stricter oversight in the cosmetics industry. Consumers want "green" products, strong ethical responsibility from the manufacturers, and binding legislation to ensure consumer product safety.
On average, women use 12 personal care products a day; men use an average of 6 products. Some read the labels to check ingredients or ethical business practices, but many do not. Consumers over the age of 50, on average, do not read labels as much as those in the 30-50-year-old range. This is the generation that grew up with the internet, smartphones, instant connectivity, and YouTube. While the influence of these media cannot be accurately measured, the plethora of beauty bloggers on the internet or the growth of smartphone apps that can read labels and scan their ingredients cannot be ignored.
The rapid growth of "down-home" beauty companies indicates that the movement is alive and well, and easily accessible. Public awareness of the planet's fragility through the growing problems surrounding global warming, finite water supply, and the ever-present need to recycle has touched the conscientious consumer. It is leading to their demands for more information about how the products they use daily affect the world they live in. They want better and greener choices.
A sustainability report by the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) released in 2019 entitled "Consumer Insights" recorded the recent trends that have impacted the beauty and personal care industry. The results are based on their opinion research surveys and by other academic and non-governmental organizations. Their findings reflect the "green" trend and the major concerns of personal product consumers. They found that beauty-related content generated more than 169 billion views on YouTube in 2018. The expectation for greater transparency and disclosure around the products being produced were major concerns. Where are the ingredients being sourced? Where is the product being made? What is the overall ethical behavior of a particular company? Seventy-three percent of consumers say transparency is important to them, and a majority indicated that they would be likely to pay extra for products from more transparent companies.
Gallant’s wholesale cosmetic bags are perfect for clean beauty brands
A newer field of concern is the growing potential for impact on marine environments from the disposal of personal care items. "Water-Smart" new products now implement water efficiency, water use function, and have ongoing research into waterless products. Many companies have a commitment to sustainability by pledging to have all plastic packaging be recyclable, reusable, compostable, and/or refillable. The FDA's Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program (VCRP) reporting program has three requirements:
registering manufacturing and/or packaging sites;
submitting complete product ingredient statements;
amending the registration to changes in, or discontinuations of, product formations.
Such steps indicate a good beginning.
Several companies have pledged to commit to sustainability, fair trade, and environmental impact reduction. Since its formation, Aveda, whose parent company is Estee Lauder, has been involved in the protection of the environment and has invested in environmental causes. It was the first company to use post-consumer PET packaging, the first company to use certified wind power, and the first company to sign the CERES Principles (Coalition for Environmentally Economics). In 2009 it received the C2C (Cradle to Cradle) certification, pledging its commitment to eliminate waste; to use renewable energy; to support biodiversity. Their working partnership with Hope for Women led to the largest Fair Trade purchase of sustainably harvested tagua trees, a species found in the Colombian rain forest. Accordingly, the collectors, producers, and artisans are paid a fair wage and are ensured safe working conditions.
L'Oreal has made significant strides in sustainable packaging. The company's packaging credo is based on three principles:
Respect for nature and biodiversity
Reduce packaging weight and volume
Replace renewable resources and materials
Sephora uses a CLEAN seal on its range of products. They do not use parabens, sulfates, SLS and PSLS, phthalates, mineral oils, formaldehyde, formaldehyde-releasing agents, retinyl palmitate, oxybenzone, coal tar, hydroquinone, triclosan tudocarbon, plus others. They use less than 1% synthetic fragrance. They also have their supply train transparency.
Burt's Bees, whose parent company is Clorox Company, has the motto "True to Nature" and claims to have been playing by Nature's rules since 1984. They were one of the earliest companies to promote an all-natural product made from beeswax. Their admirable record of no animal testing has earned them Leaping Bunny certification. By tracing and monitoring all of their raw materials, they demonstrate responsible sourcing. They invest globally by safeguarding access to clean water and encourage the empowerment of women and children. Their packaging is recyclable at curbside or at TerraCycle. A Carbon Neutral Certification from National Capital Partners reflects its commitment to air quality. Burt's Bees are the bee's knees.
Garnier was the first brand to pledge to reduce 15% of its products' weight and minimalize its environmental impact. Fructis reduced the amount of plastic used in shampoo bottles. Companies are placing GSCM, or Green Supply Chain Management into their marketing philosophies. The sense of commitment to all of the principles of sustainable and ethical beauty products is a rising swell within the market.
Credit: BOOM!
When BOOM! By Cindy Joseph launched 10 years ago, they intentionally designed their skincare and cosmetics for the eco-conscious woman. From the beginning, BOOM! has created each product with no parabens, no phthalates, and no animal testing whatsoever. Over the last decade, BOOM! has used all-natural, sustainably sourced ingredients whenever possible for their skincare. For example, BOOM! uses sustainably sourced honey and beeswax to create their moisturizers. They work closely with holistic beekeepers in Hawaii to ensure these bee produced ingredients are supporting thriving bee populations. In addition, BOOM! uses many organic or wildcrafted ingredients that support ecological agriculture and the overall health of the planet. More recently, BOOM! has introduced new sustainability efforts to their packaging as well. For instance, they just switched from using organza bags for their “Boom Bags” to a more ethically produced organic cotton bag sourced from a Fair Trade certified factory. BOOM! is also beginning to redesign their packaging to be more eco-friendly. For example, two of their products now come in sugarcane plastic tubes that rely on regenerative agriculture of sugarcane rather than fossil fuels for production.
Tata Harper's 1200-acre Vermont farm is the botanical garden for developing her eponymous skincare line. Each one of her green boxes containing the distinctive green bottle has a High-Performance Ingredient label. Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask earned the Eco Beauty Award for Skincare in 2019 for Best Brightening Mask.
As progress is being made within the beauty industry, consumer watchdog groups have been organized to perform checks and balances to disseminate information to an interested marketplace. Environmental Working Group (EWG), founded in 1992, has Skin Deep Data Base that rates approximately 79,000 products on a scale of 1 to 10 based on the toxicity of ingredients found in the products. Their mission is described as one "to empower people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment" by using breakthrough research and education. By conducting a search of a product name or a specific ingredient, consumers can see a toxicity rating and a brief discussion of the chemicals used, with mention of any side effects that may present themselves. EWG is a good place to start a search for consumer information. It has been suggested that other sources could also be used to get more scientific data.
Other sources may be:
Cosmetics Info (http://cosmetics info.org) provides the opportunity to search for products by name to get unbiased, science-based reviews about the safety of a particular product.
The Beauty Brains (http://thebeautybrains.com) is a blog written by two cosmetic chemists who answer questions regarding cosmetic products.
CosDNA (http://cosdna.com) is a database that allows you to search by product name or ingredient. It details the ingredient's name and function, gives a safety rating, and scores the ingredient's chances of causing acne or skin irritations.
A word of caution: the use of the word "organic" in a product's advertising or packaging does not necessarily mean the product is sustainable. There are no regulations about the use of the word. The term "greenwashing" has been coined to represent a misleading use of the word "organic" to increase customer purchases without scientific evidence to substantiate that there are any organic materials used. The phrase, " a good consumer is an educated consumer" applies to all cosmetics industry aspects.
The perfume industry began in Grasse, France, in the 1700's. The flowers and herbs grown in that region were the basis for a natural product until 1921 when Chanel #5 incorporated a synthetic fragrance ingredient to add another dimension to the scent. Following that breakthrough, perfume makers used synthesis to create new products to meet the mass market demands. Today the common practice is to combine synthetic scent molecules with traditional oils derived from flowers, fruits, roots, woods, and moss. The global income from fragrance topped $39 billion with an annual growth rate of 3.9%, reflecting the younger generation's larger disposable income margin. Even though new fragrance molecules are derived from nature or diluted natural compounds, the environment's threat is restricting production. The impact from harvesting sandalwood, vanilla, and patchouli are examples of threatening the land on which they are grown. The export of some natural ingredients has been curtailed. The reconstruction of the natural odors synthetically is the answer. This is in response to the proliferation of perfume blogs that extol the virtues of natural perfumes. The industry will try to satisfy the consumer.
EWG, the cosmetic industry watchdog, determined that most scents in perfumes are synthesized from the fragrance industry's 1300 stock chemical ingredients or derived from petroleum. These ingredients can be irritating to the skin or be detrimental to long-term health. Natural perfumes are typically cruelty-free, contain no synthetic chemicals, and are gluten-free. Their top 10 natural perfume recommendations are Skylar, Lurk, Maison Louis Marie, Phlur, Pour le Monde, IME Natural Perfumes, LaVanila, By Rosie Jane, One Seed, and Providence Perfume.
In 2019, Michelle Pfeiffer's Henry Rose fragrance line was the first to be given the EWG Verified mark indicating that the product is free from EWG's chemicals of concern and meets the strictest standards for health. (www.ewg.org/ewgverified). Henry Rose discloses 100 percent of the ingredients used in production. Other fragrance brands that are EWG Verified are Just the Goods, Sally B's, Skin Yummies, Qet Botanicals, Healthy nest, and Paul Penders. EWG's ratings run from Verified to 10; 10 being the poorest rating. Verified products meet EWG's strictest criteria. In response to rising consumer demand among the 30-50 age range, small local fragrance companies are starting to produce safe fragrances for their region.
Every cosmetic company should take for granted that sustainability has to be part of their production process. Response to the customers' preferences has led to the development of chemical-free products; removal of harmful synthetics will play a role in the shift to an eco-friendly and ethical dimension. Cosmetic companies will be moving toward innovative formulations, eco-friendly packaging, emissions reduction, research into alternative materials, becoming invested in social and ethical solutions that will protect the lives of the farmers, producers, and workers and also preserving and rebuilding natural resources. Cosmetics products companies have the capacity to affect the consumer and the environment either positively or negatively. Which will your favorite company choose? Let your voice be heard.
If you are a beauty products company and looking to purchase 100% organic and fair trade wholesale cosmetic bags, please contact Gallant International Inc. at gallant@gallantintl.com. Gallant International Inc. offers products that are organically grown and ethically made.
Source
www.ewg.org/newsandanalysis (Little, Susan "EWG Evaluates 2020 California Toxic Free Act" 6/10/20)
www.allure.com (Kinonan, Sarah "Millennial Women Want More Green Beauty Products" 11/24/16)
Personal Care Safety Council 2019 Sustainability Report
Girotto, Giorgio ( "Sustainability and Green Strategies in the Cosmetics Industry" 2011-2012 Thesis Paper University of Venice)
burtsbees.com
Siegal, Emily ("Queen of the Green Skin Movement" Forbes 7/1/15)
Environmental Workings Group (ewg.org)
https//:www.beenaturals.com
Rating the Safety of Cosmetic Ingredients: EWG A Reliable Resource
https://www.the goodtrade.com ("Freshen Up With These 10 Eco-Friendly and All-Natural Perfumes")
https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/browse/category/Fragrance-for-women
