THE WHAT? In the absence of a consensus on environmental impact labeling, L’Oréal USA is going it alone. The French beauty giant’s US arm has announced that it is following in the footsteps of its French counterpart and ushering in a ranking on product labels, which will score products on a scale from A to E based on their planetary impact.

THE DETAILS The scoring system will help consumers evaluate each product relative to other L’Oréal products in the same category. The scale takes into account factors such as greenhouse emissions, water scarcity, ocean acidification and biodiversity, measured at every stage of a product’s life cycle.

Alongside the announcement, L’Oreal unveiled the findings of a new study conducted in partnership with Morning Consult, which surveyed 2,000 American adults and found that more than half expect to find information about sustainability on company websites, and nearly 60 percent believe they have become more sustainable in the last 12 months.  

THE WHY? Marissa Pagnani McGowan, Chief Sustainability Officer for North America, comments, “L’Oréal’s Product Impact Labeling system is a core component of the L’Oréal for the Future program, which outlines our sustainability commitments for 2030. Its rollout in the United States has the power to help change consumer behavior and, therefore, accelerate the beauty industry’s progress toward greater sustainability. This comes at a time when sustainability is increasingly becoming a focus for more American consumers. Using principles of environmental science, this tool will empower consumers, support more informed purchasing decisions and foster a culture of greater brand transparency.”