Scientific communications platform The Eco Well’s recent Sustainable Beauty E-Summit brought together industry experts from various disciplines and areas of expertise to discuss key sustainability challenges and opportunities for cosmetics and personal care product manufacturers and suppliers.
CosmeticsDesign joined the one-day E-Summit for discussions that provided valuable insights for industry stakeholders, from evolving regulatory landscapes to greenwashing pitfalls and supply chain transparency.
Here are our key takeaways.
Navigating a complex regulatory landscape
One of the summit’s key themes was the increasing regulatory movement surrounding sustainability in cosmetics. From post-consumer recycled (PCR) packaging requirements to extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws and chemical bans, speakers iterated that beauty companies must stay informed to avoid significant fines and reminded attendees that trade associations play a vital role in helping companies navigate these changes while also advocating for effective legislation.
“While we may not be able to achieve sustainability, we can certainly strive to do better. To do this, education and collaboration is paramount,” conference moderator Jen Novakovich told CosmeticsDesign. “More clarity on the word ‘sustainability’ is key to help guide behavior that can lead to improved sustainability outcomes,” she added, “both from an individual company level as well as from the cosmetics sector at large.”
Regulatory compliance is now more than ever a pressing concern for brands. “I think brands years ago did not really focus very much on regulatory compliance, and now it is coming so fast and furious that I think that’s a consideration brands have to think about a lot earlier,” said speaker Akemi Ooka, Ph.D. of the Independent Beauty Association.
“Avail yourself of all of the people in your value chain,” Dr. Ooka recommended, including “everyone you talk to, because everybody has information that’s part of the puzzle that you need to put together.”
As detailed during the E-Summit, the beauty industry is also grappling with environmental impact anxiety. “It’s so easy sometimes to get environmental impact anxiety because it seems like no matter what you do, it’s never enough,” said speaker Mike Fevola, PhD, Vice President, R&D, Consumer Solutions at Vantage Specialty Chemicals.
“As long as we try to minimize our net impact, then we’re moving in the right direction,” he advised, adding that “by engaging with the supply chain and looking for transparent and open suppliers, brands can take meaningful steps toward sustainability.”
Combating greenwashing through transparency
A significant challenge discussed at the E-Summit was greenwashing—making misleading sustainability claims. As detailed in the discussions, to maintain consumer trust and regulatory compliance, companies should avoid broad, unsubstantiated claims such as “sustainable” or “eco-friendly.” Instead, they should focus on specific, evidence-backed assertions.
During the E-Summit, Dr. Wren Montgomery, an associate professor of management and sustainability and J.J. Wettlaufer Faculty Fellow at the Ivey Business School at Western University, Canada, as well as a faculty affiliate at the University of Michigan’s Erb Institute for Sustainable Enterprise, presented “An Update on Greenwashing”.
In her discussion, she outlined key characteristics of greenwashing, including vague claims, selective disclosure, contradictory lobbying efforts, “future-washing” (promising sustainability without concrete plans), and misleading symbols. The most significant takeaway from her presentation is that beauty brands must ensure their sustainability claims align with actual product attributes and regional regulations.
Innovations in ingredient and packaging sustainability
Sustainability efforts in the cosmetics sector extend beyond ingredient composition to include manufacturing processes and life cycle impacts. “Anytime we create a product we are doing something that is inherently unsustainable,” said speaker Maggie Spicer, an attorney and the founder of Source Beauty, a DC-based law firm specializing in sustainability and social impact in the beauty industry.
“However,” she clarified, “there are many ways to be more or less sustainable, and that’s where the opportunity is.”
The Ingredient Sustainability panel discussion, which included speakers Mike Fevola, PhD, Oihana Elizalde, PhD and Nick Ouzounov, PhD, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Geltor, highlighted the importance of transparency across the supply chain.
They noted that brands should verify sustainability credentials and life cycle assessments (LCAs) from suppliers, and trends such as upcycled ingredients, biotech advancements, and seaweed-based ingredients require careful scrutiny, as perceived sustainability benefits may not always be backed by data.
In packaging, the shift toward mono-materials and component reduction was emphasized. “The global sustainability agenda, and the issues of PFAS and plastic pollution, are changing the way we look at chemicals in the environment,” said speaker Chris Hughes, environmental scientist and regulatory expert.
“The biodegradability and environmental persistence of products,” explained, “is becoming a crucial issue that chemical manufacturers, formulators, and brands need to address.”
With a new government administration in place, brands are also facing new regulatory requirements. “Packaging EPR is becoming reality in three states just this year,” said Michael Washburn, Ph.D., Principal & Owner at Washburn Consulting: Sustainability and Public Affairs.
“Setting yourself up right at the beginning is super important,” he shared, adding that beauty brands don’t need to “feel like you need to do it yourself—we are here to support you.”
Adapting to regulatory shifts
A key point of discussion during the E-Summit was that industry companies must proactively adapt to sustainability regulations evolving at state, federal, and international levels.
Key regulatory changes discussed at the summit included:
- EPR packaging regulations in Oregon, Colorado, and California with compliance deadlines approaching.
- New PCR packaging content requirements in Washington State.
- The EU’s potential PFAS ban and its implications for ingredient sourcing.
- The Washington Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act, which imposes stricter lead limits than federal regulations.
- The FTC Green Guides’ ongoing review, which could impact sustainability marketing claims.
Speakers advised that companies must integrate sustainability considerations into product development rather than reacting to regulations after implementation and recommended that staying informed, engaging with trade associations, and building cross-functional sustainability teams are essential steps for compliance and innovation.
Overall, one of the greatest takeaways from the Sustainable Beauty E-Summit was the role of accessible education in promoting sustainability innovation. “Sustainability is incredibly challenging for brands to navigate,” Novakovich noted. “By making this conference freely accessible,” she concluded, “even the smallest brands can access critical information.”
