L’Oreal announces investment in sustainability platform

Global cosmetic company L’Oreal has been named as an investor in US-based biotech company Genomatica, which focuses on formulating plant-based alternatives to traditional cosmetic ingredients.

According to L’Oreal, this investment will eventually lead to the brand employing such formulations in its products, as part of its plans to be using 95% renewable ingredients by the end of the year.

Kyle Huston, product director at Genomatica, said, “The cosmetics and personal care consumer-base has been becoming increasingly educated on sustainability. While brands have been doing their best to keep up with consumer demands, recently it has been the ingredient supplier-base that is scrambling to develop new and innovative ways to offer more sustainable, more natural and more transparently-sourced ingredients. This venture unlocks a lot for the industry.”