Key takeaways
- The 2025 Sustainable Beauty Awards were announced at the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit in Paris.
- Biotechnology, AI, and fermentation are driving innovation in green cosmetics.
- Winners included Lucas Meyer, Ringana, CAHM Europe, and start-up C16 Biosciences.
- Awards recognised achievements in sustainable ingredients, packaging, and product innovation.
- Greenwashing remains a challenge, but the awards aim to spotlight genuine progress.
The European edition of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit took place in Paris on 22–23 October, where the 2025 winners of the Sustainable Beauty Awards were announced.
Ahead of the event, Amarjit Sahota, founder of parent company Ecovia Intelligence, told CosmeticsDesign-Europe that this year’s summit would spotlight new technologies, with AI, biotechnology and fermentation techniques all having a disruptive impact on the cosmetics industry.
“Biotechnology, including plant cell technology and precision fermentation, is enabling a new generation of green ingredients to be produced without the use of land,” said Sahota. “We are also focusing on green materials and packaging.”
Who won the Sustainable Beauty Awards 2025?
The Sustainable Beauty Awards celebrate cosmetics companies making significant strides in green innovation.
Sahota noted that greenwashing remains a persistent issue in the beauty industry. “There is a lot of pressure on operators to demonstrate their sustainability efforts,” he explained – highlighting the importance of these awards in driving genuine progress.
Sustainable Ingredient of the Year
Gold: Lucas Meyer Cosmetics by Clariant with PICKMULSE, a quinoa-based Pickering emulsifier made from organic quinoa seeds sourced from the Bolivian Altiplano. The company partnered with the PROINPA Foundation to train Bolivian farmers in sustainable agriculture.
Silver: BioTara with Tucuma Butter, ethically sourced from the Amazon region in Brazil. The company works with the Camtauá communities in Pará to help preserve 28,890 hectares of rainforest.
New Sustainable Product
Gold: Ringana with FRESH Volume Shampoo, a COSMOS-certified organic shampoo featuring a green formulation with mushroom extract complex, fermented rice water, and a sugar beet–derived copolymer.
Silver: Kheoni Wellness with Kokum Body Butter Moisturising Bar, a palm oil-free solid moisturiser made from kokum sourced from tribal communities in southern India.
Sustainable Packaging
Gold: CAHM Europe with QPearl, a protein-based biomaterial that replaces plastic packaging for personal care products. It dissolves in water and biodegrades.
Silver (joint winners) were Occeanne (USA), using ocean plastic in hand wash bottles and SMCG Glass (South Korea), producing cosmetic packaging with 60% post-consumer recycled glass.
Sustainability Pioneer
Gold: Laverana, a Hanover-based natural cosmetics company recognised for its holistic sustainability approach, including investments in R&D, reforestation, and sustainable packaging.
Silver: Croda Beauty, for expanding biodegradability data across its functional ingredient portfolio, now covering a minimum of 90%.
Sustainability Start-Up of the Year
This new category debuted in 2025.
Gold: C16 Biosciences, a US-based company which uses precision fermentation to create a palm oil alternative from renewable feedstock.
Silver: This went to Dutch company Bamboovement, which produces plastic-free oral care and shaving products, including a disposable razor made from upcycled wood waste and bio-based oils.