Where do the ingredients in your personal care and beauty products come from? You don't know, and sometimes manufacturers don't either. Yet, the traceability of cosmetic raw materials is essential to guarantee product quality. But can we truly certify the origin of the components in our cosmetics? Discover the complexity and opacity of supply chains, as well as new avenues to develop for sourcing that respects people and nature.

Traceability of Cosmetic Raw Materials: Definition and Benchmarks

The traceability of a raw material can be defined as the ability to identify its origin and track its journey, from its raw form to its use in the manufacture of finished products. It is at the heart of environmental and human issues: illegal mining, material sustainability, unethical working conditions, child exploitation, conflict metals and minerals, counterfeiting, etc. Traceability is essential to guarantee the quality and conformity of a product. It allows for the elimination of unsuitable or counterfeit substances, chemical contamination, and so on.

The traceability and transparency of ingredients used in the manufacture of cosmetic products are of increasing interest to consumers. The conformity of raw materials is a key point of Cosmetics Regulation No. 1223/2009. It is up to manufacturers to guarantee this. To address consumers' growing concerns, the cosmetics industry has created a European database designed to inform and undoubtedly reassure the general public. However, the platform does not specify the sourcing conditions for these raw materials. Furthermore, its impartiality is not guaranteed.

Tracking Cosmetic Ingredients: Multiple Steps from Origin to Use

Cultivation and Extraction of Raw Materials

Like all raw materials, the active ingredients used by the cosmetics industry come from plant cultivation and mineral extraction (clays, petroleum derivatives, zinc, etc.).

A study by the United Nations Environment Programme reveals that all extractive mining and agricultural industries are responsible for half of global carbon emissions and the loss of over 80% of biodiversity. They also pose problems regarding working conditions and remuneration for employees in these sectors. Sourcing is at the heart of many issues such as child exploitation and worker protection. The NGO World Vision estimates that by 2025, 140 million children will be working worldwide, and 26% of them will be producing exported raw materials. Cosmetic raw materials are part of this problem, which involves all industrial sectors.

Processing and Transport of Cosmetic Ingredients

Once extracted, most ingredients undergo processing. These processes are also a source of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The resulting products, for their part, lose a more or less significant degree of biodegradability.

Traceability cannot be complete without taking into account the transport of goods, the consequences of which on global warming and pollution are well established.

It is therefore essential to trace the entire journey of a cosmetic raw material to gain a comprehensive understanding of its quality and impact.

Control of Cosmetic Raw Materials: Opaque Supply Chains

On average, a cosmetic ingredient passes through seven intermediaries before being incorporated into a personal care or beauty product. Producers, agricultural cooperatives, processors, transporters… all these actors make supply chain traceability complex. Many supply chains are not very transparent, even problematic, both humanly and environmentally. Moreover, although efforts are being made to harmonize them, differing legislations between countries further complicate tracking. It is therefore very difficult to confidently ensure the quality of cosmetic raw materials, their safety, and their impact. Safe and certified supply chains do exist. However, the additional cost incurred by their control and monitoring procedures is significant. This discourages cosmetics manufacturers from choosing these purchasing channels.

Transparency on Cosmetic Ingredients: New Sourcing Channels

Given this situation, some brands are trying to develop new sustainable, ethical, and transparent supply chains. They wish to guarantee the quality of their products, but also to limit their impact on humans and nature. Actions are possible at all stages of the journey of cosmetic raw materials:

• support local producers in implementing sustainable methods;

• select renewable raw materials;

• develop fair trade;

• prioritize upcyclable materials;

• use less polluting means of transport (cargo sailboat, train);

• support responsible transformation processes;

• verify certifications and controls;

• favor partnerships closer to production sites, short supply chains, etc.

Margerie chooses to support the production of ingredients by communities living near the conservation programs it backs (vanilla in Madagascar, avocado oil in Peru). It encourages environmentally and biodiversity-friendly agriculture and contributes to decent living conditions for producers and their families. It forges trusted partnerships and develops the use of sustainable transport methods. The brand thus demonstrates its commitment to sourcing with respect for nature and people, within a virtuous and supportive framework, while controlling the traceability of its raw materials to guarantee the quality of its products.

The traceability of cosmetic raw materials lacks transparency and control at all stages. The multiple intermediaries and divergent legislations make their tracking very difficult. But new supply channels are developing to guarantee the quality and impact of the ingredients in our personal care products. Margerie chooses supportive sourcing that respects people and the planet.