Key Takeaways:

• Thirteen startups and SMEs were chosen out of 1,000 applicants spanning 101 countries.
• L’AcceleratOR supports the development of scalable solutions to sustainability concerns across a five-year program.
• The four categories of sustainability include: next-generation packaging & materials, nature-sourced ingredients, circular solutions, and data intelligence.

Last week, L’Oréal announced the first 13 startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) selected for L’AcceleratOR, the conglomerate’s sustainable innovation program. Endowed with €100 million over five years, it is designed to promote scalable solutions for climate, nature, and circularity across the beauty value chain.

Chosen from nearly 1,000 applications across 101 countries, the cohort reflects both the global demand and growing competition to develop next-generation technologies and solutions that can reduce environmental impact. Categories range from packaging and ingredients to circular production systems and data intelligence.

Run in partnership with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), the five-year program helps pilot and scale technologies for sustainable solutions with the help of L'Oréal's global resources.

“To accelerate sustainable solutions to market, we are being even more intentional and inclusive in our pursuit of partnerships through L’AcceleratOR,” said Ezgi Barcenas, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer at L’Oréal, in a press release. “We are really energized to be co-designing the future of beauty with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, and these 13 change makers."

The program begins with a support phase led by the CISL innovation team. By focusing on pilot readiness, the 13 partners can then create six-to-nine-month pilot projects. These solutions will have the opportunity to be rolled out across L’Oréal’s global operations. 

“By identifying the most promising scalable solutions benefitting people, nature and climate, and elevating them to world stage, we are making a sustainable future not just a goal, but a reality,” said James Cole, Chief Innovation Officer at CISL, in a press release.

By focusing on areas from data collection and technology to ingredients sourced from nature, the accelerator aligns with L’Oréal’s broader sustainable goals for 2030. These include a commitment that 95% of ingredients used in formulas will be biobased, derived from abundant minerals, or sourced through circular processes, while 100% of the biobased ingredients in formulas and packaging materials will come from sustainable sources. 

From seaweed and plant-based packaging to fungi-powered waste conversion technologies and emissions tracking systems, here are the first cohort of change makers: 

Next-Generation Packaging & Materials:

• Kelpi (UK): Seaweed-based recyclable and low-carbon packaging
• Bioworks (Japan): Plant-based bioplastics
• Blue Ocean Closures (Sweden): Fiber-based caps and lids
• Pulpex (UK): Recyclable paper bottles
• PulPac (Sweden): Low-carbon paper-based packaging processes
• RAIKU (Estonia): Wood-based, shock-absorbing protective packaging

Nature-Sourced Ingredients:

• Biosynthis (France): Renewable, biodegradable raw materials
• P2 Science (USA): Green chemistry and bio-sourced ingredients
• Oberon Fuels (USA): Renewable ingredients for spraying formulas from wood and pulp waste

Circular Solutions:

• Novobiom (Belgium): Fungi-based waste conversion into high-value products
• REPLACE (France): single-step transformation of complex and multilayer waste
• Gás Verde (Brazil): biomethane for industrial and transportation use

Data Intelligence:

• Neutreeno (UK): digital emissions calculation and reduction system