With so many consumers actively seeking sustainable cosmetic products, how can brands make sure their cosmetic formulas really are as sustainable as they claim to be? And how can a cosmetic formula be made more sustainable, to meet this ongoing demand? Read on to find out…


How natural or sustainable are your current cosmetic formulas?
Before we get started with tips on how to create truly sustainable cosmetic formulas, you need to make sure your brand has not been guilty of greenwashing: making your current cosmetic products sound more natural, or more sustainable, than you hold evidence for.


Be careful – do you think your cosmetic formula is sustainable just because it contains natural ingredients? Watch this video to see how natural ingredients are not necessarily sustainable, when you consider the impact of their carbon footprint.


Protect your cosmetic brand from making false and misleading ‘green’ claims; make sure you read this blog with 4 key rules to avoid greenwashing in the cosmetics industry before taking the next steps.

How to make existing cosmetic formulas more sustainable
Review your existing cosmetic formulas and see if they can be made more sustainable. For example, could you lower the carbon footprint of existing cosmetic formulas by sourcing local cosmetic raw materials or packaging components? Could low carbon footprint esters be used in place of regular sources?


Do you already have potentially sustainable cosmetic formulas you haven’t maximised your green claims on? Calculate the water content, natural ingredient content, or upcycled ingredient content and promote this on your label. Learn how to calculate the sustainability content of a cosmetic formula here.

Switch to more natural cosmetic ingredients for your functional material choices where possible; you could find that boosting your natural content not only makes a greener cosmetic formula, it will usually boost the nutritive properties of your cosmetic formula too. 
You may be surprised to find that some of your existing cosmetic formulas have (or could have) a high natural or sustainable content that you haven’t been promoting… so do the calculations and make the claims!


How to make truly sustainable cosmetic formulas
Truly sustainable cosmetic formulas can be easy to prove, when they’ve been formulated with sustainability in mind. Here are tips on how to create truly sustainable cosmetic formulas and collect the evidence you need to support green claims properly:


  • Create concentrated cosmetic formulas by halving the normal water content: just about every type of cleansing and moisturising formula contains at least 70% water. In many cases, you could create concentrated versions of these formulas that get dispensed and mixed with water just prior to application; and by doing so, hold formulation evidence that your formula ‘uses 50% less water’ than its regular version. In some cases, you may be able to claim even greater water savings! Watch an example of how to create a sustainable concentrated body wash here.
  • Use upcycled cosmetic ingredients: upcycled cosmetic ingredients are those created from what would normally be discarded waste products. Speak with your suppliers to find upcycled oils, esters, emulsifiers and exfoliant materials that you can include in new cosmetic formulas, and replace less sustainable materials in the future. 
  • Sustainable packaging is essential: there is not much point in having a sustainable cosmetic formula if you are going to market it in non-recyclable, carbon loaded packaging. Read about the latest sustainable cosmetic packaging options here, and be sure to use recycled or sustainable packaging for your next cosmetic developments.
  • Waterless cosmetic formulas an ongoing trend: waterless cosmetic formulas were one of the first formulation approaches used to achieve more sustainable formulas. Their popularity has continued, and waterless cosmetic products are an ongoing trend that make sustainable cosmetic formulation easily recognisable to consumers, as well as convenient for travel purposes.

Hold evidence to support your sustainability claims

With so many cosmetic brands making generalised natural and sustainable claims, it is easy to see how consumers are not only misled, but also confused about what is a truly sustainable cosmetic formula. If your cosmetic formula is low on water (or waterless), uses upcycled or sustainably sourced ingredients, includes low carbon footprint ingredients, and of course uses sustainable cosmetic packaging components, then do the calculations and make the content claims in your marketing messages.

It is only by showing your consumer how your cosmetic formulas are truly sustainable that you’ll win consumer trust – and lead them to question brands that can’t provide this type of evidence-based claim. Now is a great time to show your sustainability transparency… and what better way to achieve that than with clever concept development and a % input claim you hold the evidence for.


Happy formulating!