According to YSL Beauty, almost 75% of the world's wild spaces have been degraded, and more than one million species are on the brink of extinction. The brand stresses that if immediate action is not taken and this corruption of the wild continues, 50% of what remains is expected to disappear in the next decade.

In 2017, YSL Beauty committed to tackling the problem, launching the Rewild Our Earth Program with a goal to protect and restore 100,000 hectares (247,105 acres) of wilderness by 2030. The initiative collaborates with global NGO Re:Wild and has worked to conserve land in Morocco, Haiti, Madagascar, Indonesia, and Canada, where several YSL product ingredients are sourced. Since the program began, Rewild Our Earth has protected and revitalized 47,351 hectares (117,006 acres) worldwide, aiding endangered ecosystems and supporting local partners to plant over 422,000 trees, creating stronger environmental resilience in these at-risk areas.

To celebrate International Rewilding Day 2024, YSL Beauty is expanding Rewild Our Earth, introducing two new programs in the Bahamas and Colombia. These efforts will engage the brand in protecting and rewilding natural ecosystems essential for healthy biodiversity including forests, grasslands, deserts, and wetlands. The new projects align with YSL Beauty's sustainability strategy, "Change the rules, Change the future," built on three key pillars: Reduce Our Impact, Rewild Our Earth, and Abuse is Not Love.

"At the source of all YSL Beauty creations, there is nature. Alongside our own in-depth transformation process to reduce our impact on natural resources, it is essential to protect and restore the wild where biodiversity and ecosystems are at threat, in places, ecosystems that inspires us," says Caroline Negre, International Sustainability and Scientific Director at YSL Beauty.

In the Bahamas, Rewild Our Earth will work to protect White Cay iguanas, one of the most endangered lizards on earth, with only 150 of the species remaining. The program will work with local communities to restore the White Cay Wetlands by developing species conservation action plans and restoration methods tailored to local context and capacity. These methods will be consistently monitored and evaluated, and successful strategies will then be shared with other islands working to conserve iguanas.

In Colombia, the program will help to restore 3,579 hectares (8,843 acres) of buffer areas (neutral zones that live in between two areas of land) within the Colombian Chiribiquete and La Paya National Natural Parks in the center of the Amazon. The efforts will educate local communities on how to protect their areas of biodiversity and support an array of endemic plants and wildlife.

"The health of our planet and our well-being depend on the wild; we are all connected to the natural world. Through this long-term collaboration with YSL Beauty, we will advance our efforts to protect and restore the earth's most irreplaceable areas for diversity," comments Re:Wild Executive VP Penny Langhammer.

The expansion of Rewild Our Earth is a testament to YSL Beauty's sustainability efforts, which are sure to inspire the wider beauty community. With other players in the industry working towards greater knowledge of rewilding, including LVMH and Dove, beauty is beginning to look beyond the surface of sustainability, taking responsibility for the resources it uses, and heightening the chances of a biodiverse future for the planet.