Lancôme Places Biodiversity Protection At The Heart Of Its Sustainability Program
Caring together for a happier tomorrow
From the cultivation and sourcing of raw materials to product formulation and packaging, Lancôme is committed to building a more sustainable future for the planet and its consumers. Preserving different forms of biodiversity figures among the key priorities of the brand’s sustainability program. Discover how roses and plants used in skincare products and fragrances are grown, and learn how green chemistry and biotechnology are being harnessed to reinvent formulas and create nature-derived ingredients and limit the use of natural resources.
The rose is not just a symbol of Lancôme – with its unique scent and hydrating and regenerating properties, it is also one of the brand’s favorite ingredients. The rose is present under various forms in Lancôme skincare products, fragrances, and makeup: it is used as an essential oil, hydrolate or even rosewood. 99% of the roses used in Lancôme skincare and makeup products are organic.
The brand incorporated many other nature-derived ingredients, such as the beech bud, iris, or aloe vera. Lancôme pays close attention to and takes special care of natural ingredients, in order to offer its consumers exceptional products: its rare fragrances capture the memorable scents of the Isparta rose, jasmine or vanilla, and powerful active ingredients are integrated in sensorial formulas to offer a unique skincare experience.
Lancôme’s eco-conscious approach
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.
Protecting and restoring biodiversity
For Lancôme, protecting biodiversity and its precious natural resources begins with implementing regenerative and responsible farming practices. This commitment starts at home, in the South of France, in Grasse, the world’s perfume capital, where the brand acquired an estate comprised of 10 acres of land in 2020. The brand is stepping up its initiatives, not just on the land that it cultivates in France, but also with its partners around the world.
Sustainable sourcing of raw materials
Lancôme is committed to growing and sourcing raw materials in a responsible and sustainable way. From the Isparta rose to aloe vera, shea butter to centella and argan oil - all of these natural raw materials used by Lancôme are part of our solidarity sourcing program. For example, by incorporating the Rose Petal of Isparta from Turkey in its Idôle fragrance, Lancôme supports the improvement of agricultural practices and work conditions in order to guarantee a "fair trade" "Fair for Life" certification. All major raw materials used by Lancôme will be sourced in a socially responsible and sustainable way by 2030.
Regenerative agricultural practices
In its newly acquired estate in Grasse named Le Domaine la Rose, the brand is growing plants in a sustainable and organic way, including: the famed Centifolia rose, which is prized in perfume-making for its delicate scent, together with other fragrance flowers and emblematic plants of the region (such as iris, jasmine, lavender, bitter orange, tuberose, and osmanthus), as well as ancient aromatic plants, in a spirit of biodiversity preservation and development. By cultivating these 5-century old fields, which yield a diversity of flowers and plants, the brand is creating ideal conditions to regenerate biodiversity, preserve iconic species, and expand traditional perfume-making savoir-faire. Lancôme’s commitment to biodiversity through this estate is evident thanks to the implementation of renewable agricultural practices, organic rose farming, an irrigation system designed to achieve nearly complete self-sufficiency in water, and the ultimate goal of reaching “zero waste” by using all parts of the rosebush in years to come.
A holistic rose ecosystem
Lancôme has also partnered with France’s National Museum of History to help protect 24 endangered plant species including the Rose of France (Rosa gallica), a precious and subtle flower of a unique variety and exceptional scent. The conservation 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.
To ensure that consumers benefit from the best that plants have to offer, Lancôme is cultivating and sourcing a variety of roses and fragrance plants in several unique areas in Grasse and on the Valensole plateau. The brand has a strong anchorage in the region, thanks to its own estate in Grasse, but also through the sourcing of unique and proprietary roses in the Valensole plateau, and the sourcing of Centifolia roses, jasmine, and lavender from another field in Grasse.
These three unique lands, amounting to a total of 25 acres, all benefit from a unique geographical location and climatic influences that allow flowers of exceptional quality to grown and flourish. Together they form a full ecosystem around the rose where the brand is cultivating, protecting, sourcing, innovating, and experimenting around rose science.
50%
of Lancôme products will be refillable or rechargeable by 2025
99%
of the roses used in Lancôme care and makeup products are organic
100%
of roses will be organic and 60% will be sourced in France by 2025
Producing responsibly
Lancôme’s commitment goes beyond the cultivation and sourcing of raw materials to cover the entire manufacturing process right through to consumer use. Thanks to more natural formulas, the use of sustainable raw materials, green chemistry, and biotechnology, the brand is reducing its environmental impact. Thanks to biotechnology, Lancôme creates many nature-derived ingredients thus contributing to limit the use of vegetal raw materials.
Discover more about our pillars of responsible innovation
Sustainable packaging for its products
To tie luxury with environmental responsibility, Lancôme has developed a range of innovative packaging solutions that help reduce the environmental impact of its products: by offering products that are rechargeable, refillable, or recyclable. For example, Absolue skincare products are rechargeable via a dedicated capsule reload system. Furthermore, the brand commits to manufacturing products with sustainable packaging by using less virgin materials and more recyclable materials like glass and post-consumer recycled plastic.
Discover more about our sustainability commitments
Lancôme’s sustainability program commitments
All of Lancôme’s commitments are grouped together under its sustainability program, “Caring Together for a Happier Tomorrow”. In addition to its goals of protecting biodiversity and the planet’s resources, the brand promotes sustainable consumption by offering refillable, rechargeable and recyclable products. And with its philanthropic cause Write Her Future, Lancôme is committed to empowering women since 2017 by providing access to education, mentoring, and entrepreneurship. Together, these initiatives are designed to contribute to building a happier and more sustainable future.