Paris (AFP)
Solid "zero waste" shampoos, recyclable packaging, natural ingredients from sustainable sectors: the cosmetics industry is increasingly looking for growth in the areas of the environment or health.
The talk of sustainability is no longer just coming from small, traditional brands.
L'Oréal has just recalled its objective of "95% bio-sourced ingredients, derived from abundant minerals or circular processes" by 2030. The French juggernaut, whose sales were around 28 billion euros l 'last year, two years ago also launched a site to answer questions from the public on the ingredients used.
The American giant Coty also incorporates environmental and societal criteria in the development of its new products.
Latest announcement, a partnership with LanzaTech, specializing in the production of ethanol from recycled waste gases.
The Swiss Givaudan, world number one in perfumes and aromas, launched on Monday a tool for perfumers to assess ingredients and formulas from the point of view of biodegradability or renewable nature.
The smallest Breton brand specializing in Briochin cleaning products (35 million euros in annual turnover), in 2016, launched a range of 100% organic labeled cosmetics.
Solid shampoos, multipurpose toiletry "bars", it offers "simple formulas for several uses, with fewer products but which are intended for the whole family", underlines Caroline Cantin, deputy general manager.
- "Key factor" for some consumers -
Certified organic and natural products still represent a tiny share of cosmetics sales in France: only 6.4%, or 970 million euros in 2020 in a market estimated at nearly 16 billion euros, according to the Xerfi firm.
But at a time when demand for beauty products in mature markets is stagnating, "organic is one of the segments that generates the most growth in absolute terms", says Benoît Samarcq, in charge of economic studies at Xerfi, evoking 8% last year.
The beauty forums are full of testimonials from consumers like Nina, who tells on Beauté Test that she "came across a report (...) which spoke about the harmful ingredients present in cosmetics. It made me think, being in test baby I myself say maybe now is the time to be more careful ".
Popular consumer apps like Yuka are also keen to scan cosmetic ingredient lists for potentially harmful products, and help change habits.
"Even before the pandemic, we saw health concerns increase," observes Hervé Navellou, CEO of L'Oréal France.
"Consumers, in particular generation Z and + millennials +, already consider sustainability as a key factor in their purchasing decisions", also explains, in an email to AFP, Thierry Molière, head of research at Coty .
- What commitment?
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Faced with this "real underlying trend", the industry is forced to adapt, according to Mathilde Lion, beauty expert for NPD Group: "10 years ago, it was the brands that spread their message. Now, consumers have taken power, have these expectations. It is up to brands to respond to them. "
At the very least, the big players "must have initiatives in favor of the environment or in favor of more transparency", agrees Benoît Samarcq.
It remains to be seen what the real commitment is behind the marketing rhetoric.
"Just because a company buys an organic brand or uses bio-based plastic does not mean that this is enough", warns Romain Ruth, president of the Cosmébio association, an organic cosmetics label that brings together more than 450 companies in the sector. in France.
"We must look for the label, whether it is a legal and scientific commitment."
This can also make it possible to see more clearly in the multitude of labels extolling naturalness: labels such as for example Cosmébio, Natrue or Ecocert go "further than the ISO 16128 standard relating to organic cosmetics, published in 2017", remark Benoît Samarcq.
According to this standard, accused by its detractors of promoting "greenwashing", an ingredient is considered as a natural derivative as soon as it contains more than 50% of natural materials.
The rest can then come from the petrochemical industry.
"This is obviously not the case for labels and can be confusing to consumers", recognizes Mr. Samarcq.
© 2021 AFP