Cosmetics encompass all beauty and hygiene products. Millions of people use them every day. However, access to reliable information on the composition of our shampoos, soaps, creams, or deodorants and their effects remains limited. This situation highlights the urgent need to improve our understanding of the cosmetic industry's impact on our health and environment.
Dangerous ingredients still present in cosmetics
In 2023, cosmetics still contain numerous controversial ingredients. After several health scandals (parabens and phthalates in particular), one might think that cosmetic formulas have improved. However, many components are still derived from heavy chemistry. They include irritating or allergenic elements, endocrine disruptors, and toxic active ingredients. In France, where women use an average of 6 to 7 hygiene and beauty products every day, it is difficult to guarantee the innocuousness of the 60 to 140 substances that compose them.
Many ingredients also have harmful environmental repercussions. Some are described as eternal pollutants, having irreversibly contaminated the water cycle. When it's not the components themselves that are dangerous, it's certain manufacturing techniques used for them that are harmful.
The report on the ecological transition of the perfume and cosmetics industry, presented in February 2022, highlights the need for this industry to rethink its practices. "The cosmetic sector must continue and intensify the profound transition in which it is engaged: it must no longer only contribute to the beauty and well-being of its consumers without deteriorating their health; it must now also limit its environmental impacts to the maximum in all its aspects."
Lack of knowledge about the impact of the cosmetic industry
This report highlights the lack of information on cosmetic products and their repercussions on health and the environment. "... the most essential investment must concern the development of knowledge about the environmental impact of cosmetic products: general knowledge on the impacts of the many ingredients used, but also knowledge of each company on each product."
Scientific research in this area is still insufficient. Too few studies have been conducted on environmental repercussions, such as the ecotoxicity of the constituents of our hygiene and beauty products.
Essential information is not always known by some industry stakeholders. It is sometimes deliberately ignored for commercial reasons. Scientific studies, as well as the modification of formulas and packaging, represent a significant cost for brands. This impacts their profitability. However, understanding the effects of cosmetics is essential to objectively measure their impact on organisms and ecosystems.
Solutions lacking commitment
Faced with this opacity, the concept of "Clean Beauty" emerged driven by consumers demanding cleaner cosmetics. Many brands are trying to adapt by modifying their ingredients, rethinking their packaging, or promoting transparency. But while some companies make genuine efforts, many merely greenwash their image without true self-reflection.
Clean beauty thus rides high on the success of greenwashing. Slogans such as "100% natural," "plant-based," and "respectful of nature" are often used deceptively to improve public perception of brands. Some manufacturers go even further by putting "organic" on products that are not truly organic.
It is difficult for the buyer to distinguish truth from falsehood, without being influenced by marketing that emphasizes "natural" products. Labels exist to help consumers. However, it should not be forgotten that they are funded by the cosmetic industry itself. While organic certified products have reduced the number of risky ingredients, some of them still contain controversial, sensitizing, or irritating substances. Today, the cosmetic sector does not provide its customers with reliable and transparent information. It is still up to consumers to educate themselves to access reliable data.
A need for evolution in the cosmetic industry
It is therefore imperative that the cosmetic industry undergoes a significant ecological transition. This requires an improvement in our knowledge and the dissemination of transparent and reliable information. This is how the sector will be able to manufacture health and hygiene products that are truly healthy for us and for biodiversity.
It is in this context that Margerie was born. By becoming the first non-profit French cosmetic company, integrated into the social and solidarity economy, we affirm our sincere and selfless commitment to Nature and against greenwashing. By pursuing a goal other than sharing profits with shareholders, we guarantee respect for these values. We strive to improve our knowledge of the impact on health and the environment of each of our ingredients, from their production to their decomposition in nature. Our information sources are reliable, based on independent studies or those from the associative world. Research, transmission, and transparency are at the heart of our brand's missions.
By improving knowledge about the impact of the cosmetic industry, it is possible to contribute to the ecological transition of this sector. Margerie actively participates in this approach by sharing reliable and transparent information. We aim not only to offer high-quality products but also to initiate real change: "to take care of ourselves while preserving our health and our environment."
Sources :
Report on the ecological transition of the perfume and cosmetics industry
What is the social and solidarity economy
