Lancôme's sustainability program “Caring Together for a Happier Tomorrow”

In the context of growing environmental and social challenges, Lancôme is launching its global sustainability program “Caring Together for a Happier Tomorrow” which lays down the brand’s set of ambitions in matters of sustainability and social inclusion.

“Today and more than ever, the world needs care. Since its creation over 85 years ago, Lancôme has championed care and transmission as part of its core values. As one of the leading luxury beauty brands, we have a responsibility to help tackle the crucial planetary and societal challenges to further build a happier and more sustainable future for all. At Lancôme we are accelerating our global transformation by tackling today’s most pressing issues by protecting biodiversity, by supporting vulnerable women around the world, and by empowering our customers to make more sustainable consumption choices and become actors of change.” – Françoise Lehmann, Lancôme Global Brand President.

Recognizing that this next decade represents a critical moment for the planet, Lancôme is accelerating its global transformation through three complementary pillars:

1.            Bring the World to Bloom, aiming at protecting various forms of biodiversity, by reducing Lancôme’s impact thanks to formula and packaging innovations, implementing regenerative agricultural practices, and developing partnerships with leading institutions to help preserve biodiversity.

2.            Live Responsibly, aiming at empowering consumers to make sustainable consumption choices thanks to products that are refillable, rechargeable and recyclable.

3.            Write Her Future, the philanthropic brand cause, aiming at empowering women by providing them with access to education, mentoring and entrepreneurship.

1.            Bring the World to Bloom 

Protecting, preserving and restoring biodiversity are at the heart of Lancôme’s strategy. It begins by limiting the brand’s agricultural footprint thanks to the sustainable and fair-trade cultivation and sourcing of ingredients, as well as harnessing green chemistry and biotechnology to limit the use of natural resources. The brand is also using more recyclable materials when it comes to product packaging. Finally, Lancôme will sponsor leading institutions and carry out biodiversity conservation projects.

a.            Implementing regenerative agricultural practices with a positive impact: In Grasse, the world’s perfume capital, where Lancôme has acquired an estate comprised of 10 acres of rose fields, the brand is cultivating Centifolia roses for its fragrances in a sustainable and organic way. The brand is also reintroducing endogenous, wild and ancestral plant species with the objective of becoming a shelter of biodiversity. To date, 99% of roses used in Lancôme skincare and makeup are organic. By 2025, 100% of roses will be organic and 60% will be of French origin, limiting the transport impact to production sites.

b.            Reducing the environmental impact of products thanks to formula innovation - Plants at Lancôme are used wisely, using only what is needed for optimum efficacy without wasting any precious parts: from seed, to root, stem, bark or flower, the entire plant is analyzed for cosmetic activity. In addition, the brand is researching new extraction methods through green chemistry to create high performance ingredients. And thanks to biotechnology, Lancôme creates nature-derived ingredients contributing to limit the use of vegetal raw materials.

c.             Limiting the environmental footprint thanks to packaging innovation – Lancôme commits to manufacturing products with sustainable packaging by using less virgin materials and more recyclable materials like glass and post-consumer recycled plastic. Our use of recycled glass rate is reaching 10% of total volumes. Since 2019, we have increased our use of recycled plastics by 57%. By 2030, 100% of the plastic used will be issued from recycled or biobased sources.

d.            Sustainable sourcing for all major raw materials - All major raw materials used by Lancôme will be sourced in a socially responsible and sustainable way by 2030: to date, ingredients like the Isparta rose, aloe vera, shea butter, centella and argan oil are already part of our solidarity programs.

e.            Contributing to protecting biodiversity by partnering with leading institutions - As part of a global partnership with France’s National Museum of Natural History, Lancôme will sponsor a project aiming at protecting 24 endangered plant species. Supported by the Museum and implemented by the National Botanical Conservatory of the Paris Basin, the project will enable to reinforce or reintroduce these plant species into the natural environment, thanks to seeds collected and placed in seedbanks, but also thanks to the multiplication of plants in experimental gardens. The project will also manage and restore habitats that welcome these plant species.

As a brand whose emblem is the rose since its creation 85 years ago, it was only natural to contribute to protecting the Gallica Rose, precious and subtle flower of a unique variety and exceptional scent. A wealth of other endangered plant species are also included in this conservation project.

2.            Live Responsibly

Lancôme is empowering its consumers to make more sustainable beauty consumption choices by offering products that are refillable, rechargeable or recyclable.

By 2025, 100% of Lancôme’s best-selling fragrances and skincare products will be refillable and rechargeable. Since 2019, Idôle is refillable thanks to a refilling fountain available in selected points of sale and Premium Absolue is rechargeable via a capsule reload system. Thanks to Absolue, Lancôme has since 2018 eliminated 250 tons of glass - the equivalent in glass of more than two Louvre pyramids.

Moreover, Lancôme has also worked with local recycling partners to install dedicated recycling bins in points of sale around the world, for customers to come recycle their empty products. For example, in China, over 2 million units of products have been collected and recycled in 2020, in partnership with Terracycle.

Lastly, 100% of Lancôme’s retail design assets in its points of sale are eco-conceived. These include displays, grids, glorifiers and trays. All are made of either less plastic or 100% recycled plastic. Lancôme's flagship store in Paris, was developed with eco conception at the heart and is in the process of acquiring LEED gold level certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

3.            Write Her Future

Of the world’s 774 million illiterate adults, 2/3 are women. The share of illiterate women has not changed for the past 20 years. And among the world’s 123 million illiterate youth, 76 million are female . Since 2017, Lancôme has partnered with the global NGO Care to fight against illiteracy among women, by launching its international philanthropic cause Write Her Future. To date, the program has already helped over 23,000 women across 13 countries. The aim is to reach 50 000 beneficiaries by 2022.