The market for clean and green cosmetics is growing each year with consumers increasingly swapping traditional beauty formulas for healthier and more sustainable alternatives. 

It’s time for your beauty brand to level up and adopt a cleaner and more sustainable approach! 

We recognize that making the switch to cleaner and greener products is not easy on your own. That’s why we’ve created this guide outlining 5 essential steps to creating safer and more sustainable cosmetics that your target market will love. 

If you want to learn more about sourcing green and clean cosmetics, along with legal changes surrounding sustainability in the beauty market, and tips to level up your packaging in a more eco-friendly way, just keep reading! 

1. Understand The Difference Between ‘Clean’ And ‘Green’ Beauty 

First it’s important to get clear on the meanings of ‘clean’ and ‘green’ beauty and how these terms differ from each other. 

Clean beauty refers to products formulated without toxic or harmful ingredients and with human health in mind. 

On the other hand, green beauty emphasizes eco-friendly production processes. This often includes organic or natural ingredients and more sustainable packaging choices - prioritizing renewable resources, minimizing pollution, and focusing on animal welfare from the beginning of the product creation process right to the end.

Why Clean And Green Beauty Matters More Than Ever in 2023

Provenance’s 2022 ‘Skin Deep’ report revealed just how important these ethical concerns are for the beauty market - especially Gen Z. 90% of respondents stated that they consider sustainability when purchasing cosmetics, however, 79% also said that they don’t completely trust beauty brands’ claims around sustainability. 

There was a clear generational divide - 44% of those in their late teens and early 20s claimed ethics are ‘very important’ when choosing between cosmetic products, while only half as many people aged 55+ prioritized ethics at that same level.

Choosing the green and clean route can also impact your pricing strategy.  A study from 2022 found that beauty consumers are willing to pay a premium for green beauty and will repeatedly purchase green beauty products as long as they trust in the brand. 

In addition to green beauty, clean beauty is also important to the modern beauty consumer. Research by NPD found that 68% of skincare consumers prioritize brands that use clean ingredients.

We can see this reflected in real consumer data - NielsenIQ’s 2021 report showed that the segment for paraben-free beauty and personal care products is growing at a faster rate per year than the overall beauty and personal care market. 

Learn more about 5 of the most common clean skin care ingredients in our full blog post.

2. Keep Up To Date With Evolving Legal Regulations Around Sustainability 

It’s important to focus on the sustainability of your brand from the get-go. Not only will a strong ethical stand impress your customer base, but acting fast is an opportunity to get ahead of the curve and make your products eco-friendly before the government requires all beauty brands to do so. 

Certain countries, including the US, have already implemented a ban on microplastics used by the beauty industry to protect marine animals and wastewater treatment plants.

The Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 specifically targeted exfoliating and cleansing scrubs. Manufacturers had 2 years to stop the manufacture of beauty products that contained any microbeads.

The EU Commission adopted a similar measure to restrict microbeads within the EU in 2023, claiming that this new ban would prevent up to half a million tons of microplastics from being released into the environment. 

3. Finding A Lab That Formulates Clean & Green Beauty Effectively 

There’s real market demand for clean and green beauty, but creating an effective skincare or makeup line that lives up to customers’ ethical and performance expectations is no easy task.

Every step in the production process needs to be carefully evaluated from a green and clean perspective. 

Sourcing ethical ingredients can be difficult as many common synthetic ingredients are unsuitable for clean and green products. This is important to remember if you decide to buy preformulated cosmetics on a bulk or private label basis.

You need to carefully evaluate each and every ingredient in a formula to ensure that it complies with your brand’s ethical values.

Even if you choose to custom formulate your cosmetics range from scratch, keep in mind that setting a 100% clean and green standard can complicate your manufacturer selection process. Only certain beauty labs formulate with these health and eco-friendly ethics in mind. 

Not only is it more difficult to formulate your products, but shelf life can be an issue as many conventional preservatives are out of the question. As noted in a 2022 study, parabens are a cost-effective preservative for cosmetic products - yet parabens have also been linked to health issues including breast cancer. 

Partnering with a beauty lab that already prioritizes clean and green beauty is the best way to avoid any headaches during the production process. Manufacturers in the clean and green field already have the right ingredient supplier connections and are accustomed to swapping out cheaper, potentially toxic ingredients like petroleum for safer natural alternatives like jojoba oil or shea butter. 

At Genie Supply, clean, vegan, cruelty-free, and sustainable beauty is at the heart of our manufacturing business. Choose from our range of clean and green private label products, or custom formulate to the highest ethical standards from scratch.

Have an existing cosmetics range but you’re not happy with its clean and green standards? We can also turn “dirty” products clean! Learn more about our clean and green ingredients standards in our full breakdown. 

4. Build Consumer Trust With 3rd Party Certifications 

You’ve partnered with a professional clean and green lab, formulated quality products or selected from a preformulated range, and now your cosmetics are heading for the production line. What’s the next step?

After putting in effort to create ethically sourced products, it’s time to communicate those benefits to your target market. Educating your customers about green and clean beauty through social media can help, but to truly make your mark as an ethics-first brand, you should apply for 3rd party certification.

Beauty consumers trust these certification bodies - Provenance’s 2022 Skin Deep report found that 85% of people named independent verifiers as the most important source of information about sustainable beauty. 

There are many clean, cruelty-free, vegan, and sustainable certifications to choose from, each with its own standards. These include EWG, Leaping Bunny, USDA Organic, and The Green Business Bureau.

Many retailers, including WholeFoods, Credo, Ulta, and Sephora also set strict clean or green standards if you want to feature on their shelves.

At Genie Supply, we can formulate products to comply with most 3rd part certification and retailer requirements. Look for the logos on our preformulated range for cosmetics that already meet a retailer’s standards. Learn more about 3rd party certification here.  

5. Implement An Eco-Friendly Packaging Strategy

More sustainable packaging is increasingly becoming a norm in the cosmetics industry. Credo now requires brand partners to follow their Sustainable Packaging Guidelines which includes eliminating single-use and non-recyclable packaging materials and reducing the use of virgin plastic.

The competition is already adopting new sustainable and eco-friendly approaches to their packaging.

In 2020, Estee Lauder Companies, which owns 25 different skincare and makeup brands, announced plans to increase their PCR packaging materials by 50% before the year 2025, and committed to adopting newer innovative eco-friendly packaging strategies - starting with new recycled resin packaging tubes across its Origins brand. 

As noted by National Geographic, Garnier is moving toward 100% sustainably when it comes to their plant-based ingredients and is also shifting toward cardboard packaging instead of plastic. 

Simple changes like swapping traditional polystyrene packing peanuts to biodegradable packing peanuts that dissolve in water can make a difference. Making the move to refillable containers and selling eco-friendly refills, or offering rewards to customers for returning empties can also contribute to a more eco-friendly packaging strategy. 

At Genie Supply, we offer eco-friendly 50% PCR (post consumer resin) across 4 of our base packaging SKUs. Learn more about our packaging options in our full catalog. 

In some, the most important elements to creating a green and beauty range include:

• Understanding the definitions of ‘clean’ and ‘green’ beauty 

• Recognising consumer demand and evolving legal standards around clean and green beauty

• Formulating cosmetics to these ethical standards with a suitable beauty lab 

• Building consumer trust with 3rd party certifications 

• Sourcing eco-friendly packaging 

Ready to create your own range of green and clean cosmetics? Genie Supply would love to work with your brand. Get in touch via email: customerservice@geniesupply.com or call: (812) 329-1105.