While sustainability appears one of the hottest trends in the global beauty market, a lot of progress is still required from brands and suppliers to reach more credible. In this context, the most recent edition of the Sustainable Beauty Awards - organised by Ecovia Intelligence - provides good insights of the main innovation avenues in the sector.
The winners and runner-ups were announced last month in Paris at a dedicated awards reception attended by about 200 senior executives from the beauty industry at the Paris Marriott Hotel Champs-Elysées:
– New Sustainable Product: Keracol Dr. Craft (UK) got top prize for its hair care products made using blackcurrant pulp. Launched in June 2018, the sustainable hair care range is made from leftovers from the production of blackcurrant drinks. EcoTan (Australia) is runner-up with its Hand and Nail Cream. Other finalists were Hair O’right Hinoki Scalp Exfoliating Gel, Olivia Care Shampoo Bar, and Rhodes Skincare Products.
– Sustainable Ingredient: Ashland (USA) is the winner with Cb2 skin biofunctional. Launched in April, the material is a patchouli-derived skin cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) activator. The patchouli has been sourced from sustainable farms in Colombia. Rahn AG’s Cellactive (Germany) is runner-up. The carbon-neutral cell booster is used in skin care and hair care products. IFF Lucas Meyer Cosmetics SKINectura, Intiki Myro PE, Pierre Fabre Green Native Expression of Aquatic Mint, and Sensient Cosmetic Technologies Natpure Xtra Longevity were the other finalists.
– Sustainable Packaging: The winner is Henkel (Germany) with its social plastic initiative. It has partnered with Plastic Bank to collect plastic waste from waterways to use in the packaging of its personal care & home care products. PharmMatt (France) is the runner-up. In June 2019, the company introduced recycled and compostable materials for its Frescoryl toothpaste tablets. Aveda, Bioaroma Crete, and Maiiro were the other finalists.
– Sustainability Pioneer: AAK Personal Care (Sweden) received top prize for shea nut sustainable sourcing. Its Kolo Nafaso programme is having a positive impact on over 230,000 women shea collectors in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Ivory Coast. Boticario Group (Brazil) got second prize for its packaging collection programme, the largest of its kind in Latin America. Hair O’right International, Naturamus, and Seppic (SERDEX) were the other finalists.
– Sustainability Leadership: Hair O’right International (Taiwan) is the winner. The company has undertaken a number of green initiatives, such as carbon-neutral production, sustainable packaging, using food byproducts as raw materials, and developing certified hair care products. Clariant (Germany) is the runner-up; it is working with partners to reduce the impacts of its ingredients. Other finalists were Heinz-Glas, REN Clean Skincare, and TCI Co.
According to Ecovia Intelligence, about 100 international entries were received for the 2019 Sustainable Beauty Awards. The winners and runner-ups were selected by a jury comprising an ingredient firm, retailer, formulator, media agency, natural cosmetics industry organisation, and research firm.
