Zero-Waste Beauty is Making Waves: Upcycled Ingredients, Biofermentation, High-Concentration Formulas and More

Sustainability is more than a buzz word or a nice claim to have; it is becoming a standard in the cosmetics industry. Product developers and brands are looking at every piece of their value chain to find ways to reduce emissions and waste. This is leading to  several innovations, including upcycled ingredients and high-concentration formulations. 

According to The Upcycled Beauty Company, raw material sourcing accounts for 30-50% of emissions in the beauty sector¹. Strategies such as upcycled ingredients can help keep materials in the economy and reduce waste. In fact, half of global consumers surveyed said they actively look for upcycled ingredients in their beauty and personal care products. 

Younger consumers are particularly interested in sustainable beauty, according to NielsenIQ, with Gen Z consumers 1.3 times more likely to want to try environmentally-friendly products². When asked about attributes of their beauty and personal care products, consumers listed the use of natural ingredients (40.2%), respect for the environment (17.6%) and recyclable packaging (15.8%) as most important. 

Cosmetics & Toiletries asked the following experts about their thoughts on zero-waste beauty and potential for more sustainable cosmetics. 

• Marty Boykin, Eastman
• Marine Capron, ROELMI HPC
• Julie Cortal, NoPalm Ingredients
• Annika Greupner, Cosphatec GmbH
• Kara Keene, dsm-firmenich
• Dr. Barbara Olioso, The Green Chemist
• Lynna Pili, Evonik Corporation

What are the current trends for zero-waste beauty and personal care products?

Marty Boykin [MB]: As EU microplastic regulations begin taking effect and consumer sentiment increasingly grows for brands to offer more sustainable, responsibly sourced products, the zero waste beauty trend is evolving toward a holistic lifecycle approach from ingredients to packaging. Brands are designing products with beginning and end of life in mind, accelerating the adoption of bio-based and biodegradable ingredient alternatives that can help reduce their environmental footprint and advance sustainability goals.

Marine Capron [MC]: One of the biggest emerging trends is about the waterless and solid formulations, moving to concentrated products that require little or no water, reducing both packaging and transportation emissions. Another key shift is represented by the circular economy, where food by-products are valorized to become high-value cosmetic ingredients. Biotechnological methods enter in this landscape as a perfect ally in powering bioavailability and efficacy of the compounds. Ingredient transparency and ethical sourcing are increasingly important. Consumers expect responsibly sourced ingredients.

Annika Greupner [AG]: Zero waste is increasingly understood as a systemicAccording to The Upcycled Beauty Company, raw material sourcing accounts for 30-50% of emissions in the beauty sector.photoguns at Adobe Stock concept, not merely packaging reduction. While refill models and mono-material packaging remain important, innovation is shifting toward formulation architecture and circular raw material sourcing. 

Waterless formats (like sticks, powders, or concentrates) reduce transport weight and emissions. At the same time, brands prioritize multifunctional, naturally-derived and upcycled ingredients that valorise secondary biomass streams. Suitable ingredients combine outstanding functionality with improved resource efficiency and biodegradability profiles, enabling smart formulation design for zero waste approaches.

Kara Keene [KK]: Zero-waste beauty is evolving into a structural shift within the industry, and sustained consumer demand and retailer sustainability benchmarks are accelerating adoption. As refillable systems and low-waste packaging expand their share, circular design is proving to me more than a sustainability initiative – it’s a measurable driver of competitive advantage and long-term category growth.

Dr. Barbara Olioso [BO]: The number of brands riding this wave is growing, especially in Europe. The trend started with scrubs using coffee grounds and other food industry waste, and has evolved into a much broader ingredient palette — upcycled emollients, emulsifiers, actives, antimicrobials, SPF boosters, antioxidants, surfactants and fragrance. This demonstrates that upcycled ingredients can now be used across most cosmetic applications and is no longer a small niche. 

What future directions might these trends take? Where is there potential?

Julie Cortal [JC]: Looking ahead, I believe zero waste beauty will increasingly depend on land-free lipid pathways. Peer reviewed research confirms fermentation as a lower impact, scalable route to oils and emollients, especially when sourced from upcycled side streams.

[AG]: The next phase of zero waste will be defined by cradle-to-cradle thinking and circular carbon utilization. Formulations will be designed for biodegradability, reduced ingredient complexity and maximal multifunctionality, lowering total raw material input. Upcycled bio-based actives and performance ingredients will replace fossil-derived benchmarks without compromising efficacy.

[KK]: Upcycled ingredients are becoming a natural extension of zero‑waste innovation, with brands increasingly turning waste‑stream materials into high‑value cosmetic actives as part of a broader shift toward circularity. At the same time, traceability is gaining importance, with industry experts anticipating that consumers will soon expect clear indicators of upcycled content and more transparent sourcing practices.

Lynna Pili [LP]: Future opportunities may lie with the improvement of both the environmental profile as well as performance of low-waste formats. This could include improved biodegradation profiles, efficient manufacturing, and greater sourcing transparency. Concentrated and alternate formats could help enable reduction in packaging while opening doors for new sensorial and functional concepts. There may be further progress to be made in lowering carbon emissions across production of materials – whether through biotechnology, optimized agricultural partnerships, or process efficiencies. The key will be how to deliver these improvements without compromising on consumer experience. 

Cosmetics companies are looking towards biodegradable formulations to meet zero-waste goals. chokniti at Adobe Stock

What technologies will enable these directions and how?

[MB]: Biodegradable cellulose ester butyrate is an innovative solution for brands seeking to transition away from synthetic polymer microparticles without compromising product performance. At Eastman, we’ve leveraged over a century of expertise to design Esmeri CC1N10 (INCI: Cellulose Acetate Butyrate), a readily biodegradable, non-nano micropowder for color cosmetics. Made from 63% sustainable wood pulp, Esmeri balances biodegradation with enhanced texture, coverage and optical performance to meet evolving regulations and consumer expectations.

[MC]: One groundbreaking solution lies in harnessing the power of fruit and vegetable remnants that would otherwise be discarded and powered by biotechnology. One example is represented by Vitis vinifera (grape) leaf extract with sodium benzoate: a patent-pending precision microbial biofermentation process used to develop specific, targeted ingredients rich in bioactive metabolites. It is produced through controlled biofermentation using proprietary bacterial strains that act as biological “micro-factories.” Microorganisms perform a programmed enzymatic “digestion” that releases bioactive molecules already present in Mediterranean extracts but often bound to complex plant structures. This increases the concentration of bioavailable active ingredients compared to traditional mechanical extraction.

[JC]: The technologies enabling this shift are becoming increasingly clear. Fermentation based lipid production is now widely recognized as a key sustainable pathway for cosmetics, offering high performance lipids without agricultural extraction and efficiently converting by products into valuable personal care ingredients. In parallel, by-product valorization continues to gain traction. 

Upcycled ingredients are forecast to grow steadily through 2030 as brands adopt materials with stronger sustainability performance and reduced reliance on agricultural crops. Peer reviewed research further confirms that upcycling-derived lipid materials are an essential component of future sustainability strategies within the industry.

[BO]: Classical extraction, ideally green chemistry-based, will always have a role. The Upcycled Beauty Company exemplifies this well, supplying a certified upcycled portfolio spanning oil and water-soluble actives for skin and hair care, plant powders for exfoliation and even make-up applications. 

However, biotech will take upcycled innovation to a new level — Symrise's Hydrolite 5 Green (INCI: Pentylene Glycol) is a good example: a multifunctional, biotech-derived material supporting green preservation systems. Citribel NV upcycled citric acid (INCI: Citric Acid) also comes with a lower energy and water footprint.

[LP]: Evonik’s ECOHANCE portfolio highlights ingredient approaches supporting low‑waste innovation: 

• ECOHANCE Soft Baobab (INCI: Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil) comes from seeds otherwise unused in food consumption, and delivers moisturization with a soft, caring sensorial profile.
• ECOHANCE Soft BOL (INCI: Butyl Oleate) is made from industrial residues and food waste streams via an enzymatic production process, providing a light, silky feel and clinically proven moisturization while remaining non‑comedogenic.

References

1. The Upcycled Beauty Company (Accessed March 2, 2026), Zero Waste Beauty Report, https://www.upcycledbeauty.com/zero-waste-beauty-report
2. NielsenIQ (Accessed March 2, 2026), 2030 Glow Up: The Future of Clean Beauty, https://nielseniq.com/global/en/insights/analysis/2021/2030-glow-up-the-future-of-clean-beauty/