EcoBeautyScore, the world's first scientific environmental rating system for cosmetics and skincare products, has been officially launched across Europe.
Pioneering beauty brands, including Eucerin, Garnier, L'Oréal Paris, Neutrogena, Nivea, Schauma and others, have begun publishing their scores in selected European markets, as well as in the UK.
Developed over three years by the non-profit EcoBeautyScore Association, in collaboration with over 70 companies and federations in the cosmetics and personal care sector, this rating system offers brands and distributors a clear, transparent and consistent tool for measuring and communicating the environmental footprint of their products.
Based on the European Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology, the EcoBeautyScore assigns products a grade from A to E, according to their impact on soil, water and air throughout their life cycle.
European consumer spending on beauty and personal care products is expected to exceed $150 billion by 2025, with growing demand for more sustainable alternatives. Yet one in two European consumers remains skeptical of brands' ecological claims, suspecting that they do not accurately reflect products' true environmental impact.
It's against this backdrop that the EcoBeautyScore offers a response that's both practical and timely: a scientific yet accessible rating system that simplifies a complex reality. The rigorous evaluation process takes into account the environmental impact of a product over its entire life cycle - from the origin of ingredients and packaging materials to use and disposal by the consumer.
The EcoBeautyScore methodology and platform have been reviewed and validated by independent experts. Brands using this system will be subject to regular audits, conducted by an independent third-party organization.
Consumer demand for such transparency is already strong: in a global survey of over 9,000 people in China, the USA, France and Brazil, more than two-thirds said the EcoBeautyScore label inspires confidence, and a majority plan to take the score into account when making their purchases.
"EcoBeautyScore offers the beauty industry the transparency tool it has long lacked. For the first time, brands can communicate their environmental impact in a way that is scientific, consistent and understandable to consumers. Thanks to an easy-to-use rating platform, companies have access to a wealth of data on the environmental critical points of their products, making it accessible to all brands, whatever their level of expertise in sustainable development, says Jean-Baptiste Massignon, Managing Director of the EcoBeautyScore Association. It's encouraging to see the first pioneering companies publish their scores. This marks an important step towards greater openness and collective responsibility in the sector. We know it won't happen overnight, but this is how progress begins: with a common framework, candid data and a commitment to fostering more informed choices for the planet."
After years of development and testing, the EcoBeautyScore system is now up and running, with an initial launch in four product categories: shampoos, conditioners, shower gels and face care products. The system is open to all manufacturers of cosmetics and skincare products, with brands already committed and more expected in the coming months.
It is free to try out, with integration support for brands of all sizes. Launched first in Europe, it will gradually be extended to the rest of the world, with the aim of covering all beauty products.
"Assessing the environmental impact of a beauty product is an inherently complex process, traditionally requiring extensive expertise. What we've done with EcoBeautyScore is to translate this complexity into a rating platform that is both scientifically rigorous and easy to access, comments Laurent Gilbert, Scientific Director of EcoBeautyScore. Based on a methodology recognized by the European Commission as the most effective for measuring environmental footprints, the rating assesses products on 16 dimensions, including carbon emissions, water consumption and resource depletion. This level of detail enables brands and retailers to better identify areas for improvement, while offering consumers a simple, transparent score to guide more responsible choices. It's both technically demanding and simple to understand - and it's precisely this combination that makes it a powerful lever for driving the cosmetics industry forward."
Brands interested in a more transparent and sustainable approach can test the system free of charge.
For more information: www.ecobeautyscore.com.
