Ethical sourcing of natural ingredients is becoming the norm in the cosmetics industry, according to London-based market research outfit Ecovia Intelligence.
The growing use of natural ingredients is making cosmetic companies and raw material suppliers invest in ethical sourcing programmes, while adoption rates of sustainability schemes are also increasing, it said.
Large cosmetic firms, including Unilever and L’Oreal, have committed to source only sustainable palm oil.
Over 20 operators have joined the Action for Sustainable Derivatives, an industry-led collaboration that encourages responsible production and sourcing of palm oil derivatives.
The number of sustainability charters and certification schemes for vegetable oils is increasing. The Sustainable Coconut & Coconut Oil Roundtable introduced its first charter in 2020.
A similar scheme for sustainable castor been oil has been in place since 2016. Croda recently adopted the ISCC Plus certification to show transparency and traceability in its vegetable oil supply chains.
Ecovia also cited the growing popularity of organic ingredients, a move it says is partly driven by the success of leading certification schemes COSMOS and Natrue.
Almost 40,000 cosmetic products are now certified according to these standards. Initially launched in Europe, the certification schemes have expanded to the Asia-Pacific and the Americas.
Ecovia expects the number of sustainability schemes and standards to continue to grow.
“The increasing use of natural raw materials puts pressure on cosmetic & ingredient firms to ethically source and take the certification route,” a spokeswoman said.
“Some operators will opt for organic, fair trade, or sustainability schemes like RSPO to prove they meet high environmental/social standards. Others will focus on traceability to show their raw materials are deforestation-free, GM-free, vegan, and/or halal,” she added.
“Whichever direction they take, ethical sourcing is becoming a permanent fixture in the cosmetics industry.”
