Sustainable materials leader Geno announced that L’Oréal has become the third global Company and final founding investor to its venture to develop, produce and commercialize biotechnology-based alternatives to critical ingredients in the formulations of everyday cosmetics, personal care and cleaning products.
With additional founding members Unilever and Kao Corporation, the Geno-led venture is committed to meet growing demand for sustainable ingredients using biotechnology to improve the environmental profile of popular products and meet consumer demand for more traceable supply chains.
Geno will deploy its proven biotechnology platform, using proprietary engineered microorganisms to ferment plant sugars that produce ingredients to make sustainable surfactants. These new ingredients will be used in a range of L’Oréal’s products, marking an essential step towards L’Oréal’s goals of 100% eco-designed formulas that respect the diversity of aquatic ecosystems and 95% of ingredients from renewable plant-based sources or abundant minerals by 2030.
As part of its sustainability program, L’Oréal for the Future, the beauty leader has placed an increased focus on partnering with biotechnology innovators with a proven track record, like Geno, to explore, develop and manufacture more sustainable ingredients for the everyday products the world relies on.
Christophe Schilling, CEO of Geno said: “Welcoming L’Oréal to this incredible team of global brand heavyweights signifies just how important and urgent the need is for traceable, resilient and sustainable materials, at scale. L’Oréal’s commitment further validates Geno’s ability to deliver at scale and accelerates our journey toward reducing global carbon emissions by over 100 million tons in the upcoming years by targeting large-scale material markets. We’re energized to help L’Oréal achieve its bold 2030 goals of incorporating 95% bio-based ingredients for formulas and using packaging materials that are traceable and from sustainable sources. This partnership will further catapult our venture’s mission to the global scale required to meet strong market demand for sustainable products.”
“This move not only aligns with our objective of delivering responsible and innovative beauty solutions to consumers but also strengthens our innovation ecosystem in North America. It’s a clear signal of our willingness to collaborate with partners who share our commitment to sustainability and reducing our environmental impact to create beauty that transforms the world,” said Sanford Browne, President of Research and Innovation for North America for L’Oréal.
