The beauty industry is transforming its supply chain practices toward sustainability and transparency. With growing consumer awareness and concern for environmental and ethical issues, beauty brands recognize the importance of adopting responsible sourcing, production, and distribution methods.
The Clarins group is the most recent business to announce plans to improve its supply chain transparency, revealing that it has acquired 284 acres of land in Domaine Sainte Colombe, France. The land includes 123 acres of farmland, which will be used to grow and harvest plants to be utilized as ingredients in Clarins group products.
"I am proud of this strategic advance towards an integrated, more vertical, ethical, and sustainable supply," said Virginie Courtin, Managing Director at Clarins. "For 70 years, Clarins has harnessed the science of plants to develop ever more effective and innovative cosmetic formulas. The acquisition of the Domaine sites illustrates this approach of continued progress towards more excellence, safety, and traceability for all our clients."
The business plans to begin its first organic plant matter cultivation using regenerative practices this fall, with harvest planned for 2025/2026. In the long term, Clarins will harvest 50 different species of trees and plants from the land, including almond, apricot, lavender, and nopal. By 2030, the Domaine Sainte Colombe site is predicted to produce one-third of the plants used in the company's products.
The new cultivation site follows the Clarins group's acquisition of Le Domaine de Serraval in Haute-Savoie, France, in 2016. To date, the site has provided the company's laboratories with over 2.5 tons of plant materials.
"These Domaines with their specific microclimates—mountains and garrigue—and exceptional soils, provide the Clarins group with a unique supply source, enabling it to combine the quest for the highest quality ingredients with a constant desire to be more transparent and sustainable," read an announcement statement from Clarins.
Clarins commitment to supply chain sustainability is also exemplified by its participation in TRASCE, a recently founded consortium of 15 industry leaders working to make a change in the beauty market. Together, the consortium's founding members map their supply chains entirely—from ingredients and components used (and their origins) to supplier names, operations, and transformation sites contained within Transparency-One, an ISN company digital platform.
By embracing sustainability and transparency initiatives, brands such as Clarins are not only contributing to global efforts for a greener future but also cultivating trust and loyalty among increasingly conscientious consumers. This commitment to ethical and eco-conscious practices marks a significant stride towards a more sustainable and transparent future for the beauty industry.
