Sustainability in beauty: top future predictions from industry expert

We hear in this exclusive interview from Amarjit Sahota, President and Founder, Ecovia Intelligence.

Find his top four key trends defining the current state of sustainability in the industry here​.

Ecovia Intelligence will be covering these developments and more at its upcoming editions of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit​ (Paris, 5-7 November, and Hong Kong 12-13 November).

What are the latest innovations that have been seen in this space?​

AS: Most innovation is in terms of formulations, whereby companies are using green / novel ingredients. As stated before, the products are marketed as natural / clean / free-from.

A wide range of green ingredients are available for preservatives, surfactants, emulsifiers, etc. We are also novel ingredients like Amazonian plants, ayurvedic herbs, African oils, and mountain flowers being used in formulations.

We are also seeing innovation in packaging. Companies are under pressure to reduce their packaging impacts.

Some like Bulldog (UK) and Surya Brasil are using green polyethylene plastic which is made from sugar cane.

Others have adopted airless tubes, which enables them to use less preservative in their formulations. A small number of companies are using ocean plastic (as stated before).

Can you speak about how sustainability is set to impact on the beauty and personal care market in the coming five years?​

AS: Some of the major developments we are seeing are…

• Proliferation in standards, labels and charters for sustainability. Apart from eco-labels, we are seeing more sustainability / green charters and schemes. Apart from labels / standards, these include RSPO and Responsible Mica Initiative.

• Traceability of raw materials. Cosmetic and ingredient firms are under pressure to show that their raw materials are ethically sourced. Palm oil is a good example of this, however expect more raw materials to be scrutinised.

• Consumer behaviour. The ubiquitous use of mobile devices is making consumers more information savvy; they are asking greater questions about cosmetic products and raw materials. The clean beauty trend is a manifestation of this development.

• Mobile apps. More apps like the GoodGuide (USA) and Que Choisir (France) will be used to screen and rate cosmetic products, based on ethical / green criteria.

We shall be covering these developments at upcoming editions of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit​ (Paris, 5-7 November, and Hong Kong 12-13 November)