Sustainable Formulation: Best Practices to Ensure Environmental Responsibility
The concept of sustainability in the cosmetics industry involves designing products that respect the environment by minimizing their impact at every stage of the life cycle.
It is not simply about choosing “green” raw materials to follow a marketing trend; it is a structured approach that requires brands to rethink how they design and innovate.
In response to growing consumer demand for transparency, laboratories have every reason to integrate sustainability criteria as early as possible in the development phase, supported by the right tools.
Strong Expectations for More Sustainable Choices
Consumers are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of the products they use and tend to favor brands committed to eco-friendly practices.
According to a 2024 survey of 20,000 consumers conducted by PwC, a significant portion said they are willing to pay more for products sourced sustainably. Some are even prepared to pay considerably more, on average, for goods that are produced or purchased with sustainability in mind.
This trend is also influencing the cosmetics industry, pushing distributors to revise their offerings to include more responsible products. At the same time, initiatives such as the Plastic Act and Clean Beauty are gaining strong momentum.
A stronger regulatory framework and the need to adapt
Texts and regulations are evolving to encourage more sustainable practices. Some regulate manufacturing to guarantee product quality and consumer safety, while others, such as ISO 16128, are more concerned with environmental aspects and the naturalness of ingredients. While the latter supports voluntary companies, other standards are now mandatory.
New restrictions are regularly introduced to limit the use of substances with a significant environmental impact. This is the case, for example, with siloxanes D4, D5, and D6, which are widely used in cosmetics for their sensory properties. These compounds are now subject to restrictions due to their persistence in the environment. Another example: PFASs, also known as “eternal pollutants”, will be banned from cosmetic products in France from January 1st2026.
At the same time, European Directive 2024/825 aims to provide a framework for ecological claims, to prevent greenwashing and protect consumers from misleading claims that are not backed up by evidence.
On the other hand, government initiatives, such as the report on the ecological transition of the perfumes and cosmetics sector, highlight the urgent need for the cosmetics industry to reduce its carbon footprint. These include figures on the impact of the sector, which is estimated to be responsible for 0.5 to 1% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide. This underlines the importance of making the transition to more sustainable practices.
The pillars of sustainable formulation
Selection of raw materials
The sustainability of a product begins with the selection of its ingredients. The use of raw materials certified by labels such as COSMOS or Ecocert ensures compliance with sustainable development standards.
In addition, many formulators rely on tools that integrate raw material scoring systems to assess their impact. These tools include numerous criteria: natural or synthetic origin, CO2 emissions, water consumption, etc.
Another key criterion is biodegradability. A biodegradable ingredient breaks down easily without leaving toxic residues. This is particularly important for rinse-off products, which end their life directly in wastewater. Standards such as OECD 301 make it easy to assess the biodegradability of substances.
Digitizing the process plays a decisive role in following a sustainable and eco-responsible approach: it enables data to be centralized, controls to be automated, and the best choices to be made. Formulators can quickly access raw material data sheets and data, check, compare, and simulate the impact of a formula. And historical data can be used to retrace all previous choices.
This gain in visibility helps to integrate sustainability best practices simply, right from the earliest stages of a project.
Formulation optimization
Simplifying formulas and reducing the number of superfluous ingredients helps to limit the overall impact. Some laboratories opt for so-called “minimalist formulas. They favor ingredients capable of providing several benefits on their own. This approach is in line with a more reasoned consumption of resources and makes it easier to meet the growing demand for transparency.
Concentrated products offer an interesting alternative to this optimization approach. By reducing the quantity of water and volume, they generate savings in transport, packaging, and storage.
Another important factor is formula stability. The aim is to extend product life and avoid premature deterioration (change of texture, color, etc.).
Anticipation remains the key to avoiding the back-and-forth associated with non-conformities detected too late. Performing simulations, adjusting doses, and exploring equivalences are now an integral part of formulators’ work. Once again, reliable, structured data is at the heart of the process, enabling teams to have the right information from the outset (whatever their department), and to combine product efficacy with compliance with the criteria defined in the brief.
Structuring your approach with PLM tools
Designing more sustainable formulas requires greater control over a wide range of parameters: the origin and scoring of raw materials, calculation of carbon footprints, biodegradability, and so on. To manage this data efficiently, companies are increasingly relying on specialized solutions.
Coptis is a solution PLM designed specifically for cosmetics laboratories. It centralizes all key information related to product development and enables teams to :
- Assess the environmental impact, carbon footprint, biodegradability, and toxicity of ingredients
- Manage formulation projects according to standards such as COSMOS or ISO 16128
- Perform advanced searches according to sustainable development criteria
- Receive automated, customizable alerts
- Control regulated or blacklisted substances by brand
- And to document every decision!
By structuring data and supporting formulators, our solution combines innovation and sustainability.
Want to learn more? Find out how Coptis optimizes your processes and request a demo.
