The Future Of Sustainable Beauty

Are lab-grown ingredients the answer to beauty’s sustainability problem? We explore how biotechnology is redefining what “natural” beauty means

- Kimberly Ong

Sustainability is no longer a buzzword in beauty. If anything, it has become an imperative. And with beauty being the massive industry that it is, it only makes sense that it has turned its attention to sustainability practices, thanks to the rise of conscious consumerism and the wider environmental crisis.

What makes beauty products? Natural active ingredients play a part in their production – think animal byproducts and oils, including palm oil – and they require plenty of farming spaces and crops. This need for space can contribute to rapid rates of deforestation, where Borneo’s wildlife has already faced critical endangerment due to 39 per cent of forest loss in the last two decades.

Furthermore, though natural, plant-based active ingredients are seen as safer and environmentally conscious, they are not always as “green” as they make themselves out to be, requiring significant amounts of land, water and energy to produce, leaving behind a far greater carbon footprint as a result.

Enter biotechnology. For an industry so reliant on pioneering formulations, biotechnology makes for a no brainer. It involves the use of living systems and organisms to develop or make products, which can range from food to cosmetic active ingredients.