French cosmetics industry: a leading actor in biodiversity protection

June 17th 2024
The cosmetics sector relies heavily on biodiversity as the main source of ingredients for its products. However, the sector faces significant challenges in terms of habitat degradation and overexploitation of resources, both in France and abroad. The goal of the sector is now to transform its practices in order to contribute to the regeneration of ecosystems and biodiversity.
For several years, the sector has undertaken a profound transformation by integrating the issues related to biodiversity at the heart of their strategies. They have set up sustainable supply chains that combine the preservation of territories, the rational management of resources and the support of local communities. They rely on tools to measure the footprint on biodiversity and programs to reduce the environmental impact, based on numerous recognized labels, standards and certifications.
The companies also implement conservation and restoration programs for natural areas. Finally, their actions to raise awareness and train their stakeholders on the preservation of species make them full-fledged actors of biodiversity.
Facing the magnitude of the challenge, the pooling of resources and efforts, the mutualization of investments and the definition of common objectives are major levers to strengthen the collective commitment of the sector and accelerate its transformation.
Good practices guide of the cosmetics sector
The FEBEA (French Federation of Beauty Companies) took the initiative in 2021 to compile the good practices of cosmetics companies and publish them in a first comprehensive guide that covers all aspects of the industry related to the preservation of biodiversity. This "Biodiversity" guide allows companies of all sizes to have concrete examples, transferable, capable of inspiring new actions and thus accelerating the ecological transition of the entire sector. In 2022, the FEBEA collaborated with its German counterpart, IKW, to enrich and complete this work with the experiences of German cosmetics companies. This second edition maintains the ambition of the first guide to foster the action of small, medium and large companies, this time at the European level.
Roquelaure Enterprises & Biodiversity
As a leading actor in the ecological transformation of the cosmetics sector, the FEBEA participated in the work of the "Roquelaure Enterprises & Biodiversity" launched at the end of 2023 by the MTECT (Ministry of Ecological Transition and Climate) to invite companies to develop sectoral commitment plans in favor of biodiversity. The Cosmetics Working Group identified 10 levers of action and formulated as many recommendations for collective actions. The mobilization of economic actors to put biodiversity at the heart of their strategies will place French companies at the forefront of the preservation and restoration of Nature. The FEBEA has already started working on the implementation of these recommendations, which will be presented by the MTECT at the "Enterprises and Biodiversity" Forum in November 2024.
The approaches of cosmetics companies
Sourcing responsibly and regenerating resources on site
The Graine de Pastel Laboratory has created an ethical and ecological sector around pastel, an ancestral medicinal plant, native to the Toulouse region. The company has set up an integrated and sovereign agricultural sector, which guarantees a reasoned culture and a fair price for its farmers. Protected for several centuries at the National Conservatory of Medicinal Plants, the pastel seed was reintroduced into culture 25 years ago. Since 2003, the laboratory has been studying the natural dermatological properties of pastel. Clinical studies and in vitro tests have highlighted the effectiveness of its plant-based active ingredients. To date, 4 patents have been filed.
Kadalys has chosen to use the entire banana (pulp and skin) to create its bioactives with its innovative upcycling approach. In the cosmetics industry, upcycling consists of using raw materials from renewable and sustainable sources, such as fruits, which would otherwise be considered as waste or unusable by-products. Every year in Martinique, 40,000 tons of "ugly and single bananas", or 20% of the production, are discarded and thrown away. This is why Kadalys has adopted a zero-waste approach that allows to recover these agro-wastes and give them a second chance. The results of its research reveal that the green banana bioactive is 10 times more antioxidant than argan oil.
Preserving resources and reducing the environmental impact of products
70% of Pierre Fabre's turnover depends directly on products integrating ingredients of natural origin (plants or thermal water). The group has therefore set up a biodiversity management system that allows to trace the origin of plants and plant-based active ingredients, to carry out annual CSR risk analyses of its supply chains and suppliers, and to define improvement objectives. 100% of its portfolio of plant-based active ingredients is thus analyzed and the results are shared with an external committee of stakeholders in order to challenge its actions. Thus, 80% of its new developments of plant-based active ingredients from 2021 are made from organic or pesticide-free plants.
Acting for and promoting the preservation of ecosystems
In partnership with the Conservatoire du Littoral and the International Center for Cooperation in Agronomic Research for Development (CIRAD), the Sisley-d'Ornano Foundation inaugurated in 2017, on the Cayenne peninsula in French Guiana, a botanical garden dedicated to the study and preservation of Lauraceae. This garden is representative of what the Guyanese essences can provide: coffee, cocoa beans for the agri-food industry, essential oils for aromatherapy and cosmetics. The Sisley Garden of Lauraceae raises public awareness of the challenges of preserving endangered species.