Since its inception 85 years ago, Lancôme has been committed to care and transmission as its core values. Today, Lancôme is dedicated to building a happier and more sustainable future for all.
Lancôme is launching its sustainability program globally, “Caring Together for a Happier Tomorrow.” This program also includes the goal of social inclusion, aiming to ensure a happier future for new generations. Lancôme wants to commit to sustainability, and in this article, we’ll see how.
Françoise Lehmann, Lancôme’s Global President, states:
Now more than ever, the world needs attention.
Lancôme is accelerating its global transformation to help address today’s most urgent issues. Protecting diversity, supporting vulnerable women worldwide, and offering customers the opportunity to make more sustainable consumption decisions are elements that make Lancôme a responsible brand, aware that the planet urgently needs change.
To drive these changes, Lancôme has initiated three proposals:
Bring the World to Bloom: Protecting Biodiversity
This initiative aims to protect the planet’s resources so that future generations can also benefit from them.
A bag full of roses from the Lancôme production.
Continuous innovation to reduce the environmental impact of formulas:
The brand’s goal in the coming years is to be able to use all parts of the rose, from the flower to the stem, to develop new active ingredients and achieve “zero waste” in all production processes.
Thanks to biotechnology, Lancôme continues to integrate more sustainable raw materials. Thus, it creates many ingredients derived from nature, contributing to limiting the use of plant raw materials and reducing its impact with the improvement and innovation of its formulas.
Detailed plan of the Lancôme formulas.
Sustainable supply for all main raw materials:
From 2030 onwards, all the main raw materials used by Lancôme will be sourced responsibly and sustainably. To date, ingredients such as Isparta rose, aloe vera, shea butter, centella, and argan oil are already part of its solidarity programs.
Lancôme also aims to enhance agricultural practices and working conditions. It does so by incorporating the Isparta Rose Petal (Turkey) into the Idôle fragrance, ensuring “fair trade” and “Fair for Life” certification.
Idôle de Lancôme fragrance.
Regenerative agricultural practices: Letting the world flourish
Another initiative Lancôme has taken to commit to sustainability is cultivating Centifolia roses for its fragrances in Grasse, the world capital of perfumery. This ensures that it is an organic and sustainable practice. The location in the South of France allows flowers to grow and flourish with the highest possible quality thanks to its geographical and climatic environment.
Entrance to the Lancôme rose field.
Lancôme’s Rose Ecosystem:
A parte de sus campos en Grasse, la marca también posee un fuerte anclaje en Valensole. Estas rosas son únicas y patentadas por la marca, y se utilizan únicamente para el cuidado de la piel. Lancôme ha creado un terreno envuelto en la rosa, creando su propio ecosistema y sellándolo como característica de la marca. Actualmente el 99% de las rosas son orgánicas y esperan que en 2025 ya lo sean el 100%.
In addition to its fields in Grasse, the brand also has a strong presence in Valensole. These roses are unique and patented by the brand, and they are used exclusively for skincare. Lancôme has created a land enveloped in the rose, creating its own ecosystem and sealing it as a brand feature. Currently, 99% of the roses are organic, and they aim for 100% by 2025.
Field of white roses in Valensole by Lancôme.
Sustainable containers to limit the environmental footprint of products:
Lancôme’s containers are beginning to be made from recyclable materials, thus creating sustainable containers with the least amount of virgin materials possible.
Lancôme absolute cream, reusable pot.
National Museum of Natural History and commitment to biodiversity:
Lancôme also supports a project funded by the National Museum of Natural History and implemented by the National Botanical Conservatory of the Parisian region. This project aims to reintroduce endangered plants, advocating for the conservation of these plants and strengthening the management of the habitats in which they thrive.
The French Rose is one of the plants that Lancôme wants to preserve with this project. Lancôme’s emblem is the rose, and therefore, it wants to help contribute to and protect this variety.
Field of Roses in Valensole de Lancôme.
Live Responsibly: Sustainable Consumption
This initiative begins with responsible consumption in mind. Lancôme now produces refillable, rechargeable, and recyclable products so that consumers have the opportunity to make more sustainable consumption decisions.
Pot of cream from the Absolue range, model “créme fondante soft creme” by Lancôme
Reduce the footprint with the three Rs, refillable, rechargeable, and recyclable products:
By 2025, if you purchase Lancôme products, all of them will be 100% recyclable. But today, the luxury skincare range, Absolue, offers the possibility to refill its products through a refill capsule system. Since 2018, only with the Absolue line, they have avoided the use of 250 tons of glass, equivalent to two Louvre pyramids.
The Idôle fragrance is no exception, and it can also be refilled through a specialized source, which is available at Lancôme points of sale.
Offering consumers the possibility to recycle:
Lancôme has partnered with local companies to promote recycling. This initiative allows it to offset its impacts and minimize its footprint on the planet. Its consumers can already recycle in its establishments since it has installed recycling points in points of sale worldwide.
Recycling initiative at various Lancôme points of sale.
Ecological design in Lancôme stores:
Another Lancôme initiative to commit to sustainability has been to manufacture counters, shelves, and trays with an ecological conscience. All of the brand’s design assets are made with less plastic or 100% recycled plastic.
Lancôme’s Flagship store in Paris is created with an eco-conception to meet LEED requirements and is in the process of acquiring LEED Gold certification.
Counter created from sustainable Lancôme products.
Write Her Future: Empowering Women
Lancôme’s third initiative to commit to sustainability aims to give voice to women. It wants to achieve this by providing access to literacy, counseling, and entrepreneurship. With these projects, Lancôme aims to protect the happiness and destiny of all women, ensuring that each one sets the paths that suit her best.
Images from Lancôme’s “Caring Together for a Happier Tomorrow” project.
Power through literacy, counseling, and entrepreneurship:
Of the 774 million illiterate people in the world, two-thirds are women, a figure that has not changed in the last 20 years. For this problem to change, Lancôme has been collaborating with the international NGO Care since 2017. Launching its cause “Write Her Future.”
Through the “Write Her Future” program, more than 23,000 women from 13 countries have benefited from classes and sessions. Lancôme’s goal is to reach 50,000 beneficiaries next year.
With its “Caring Together for a Happier Tomorrow” program and its three pillars: making the world bloom, living responsibly, and Write Her Future, Lancôme aspires and sows the seed for all of us to create a more sustainable world for everyone.
All images have been provided by the brand.
