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Beauty of Zero™

A bold ambition for a future where beauty leaves no trace
beauty of zero abstract image of a molecule

Discover the Beauty of Zero™

Discover the Beauty of Zero™. At Croda Beauty, we're redefining beauty through chemistry to shape a future where beauty can speak volumes without leaving a trace. From the materials we source to the science used in our labs, our work is guided by data and measured in real impact, creating a pathway towards a zero-impact world. We partner with brands to translate our innovation into high-performing formulations; so, when they launch their products, they can do so with confidence. 
Beauty of Zero™ captures our ambition to achieve zero negative impact, developing sustainable ingredients, operations and value chains that enable smarter formulation and conscious design. It will be delivered through improved manufacturing and sourcing practices, rooted in our heritage and evolving for future needs.  Together, collaborating with and supporting our customers, we’re on a journey to create personal care solutions that perform brilliantly, while demonstrating they can exist without negative impact, from planet to particle.

At Croda Beauty, Zero is the new beautiful™.  

How we aspire to get there 

Admittedly, the pathway to Zero is complex, and we don’t yet have all the answers. But progress begins with intention - and we’re suggesting an ambitious pathway.   

The journey towards Zero has already shown progress, while the science needed to achieve Zero evolves. To focus our work - and inform our partners about areas where we believe Zero can be possible - we’ve identified six pillars that are already helping us to progress on this pathway. Across these pillars, we’ve collected more than 100 reasons to believe, from our own work, that reveal meaningful progress is possible. Guided by robust evidence, data, and rigorous planning, and strengthened by transparency and close collaboration with partners, we can all continue to advance on this journey together. 

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Introducing the Beauty of Zero pillars, progressing the pathway towards zero.

 
Beauty of Zero skin cream representing balance and innovation for net zero

Net Zero

To reach Net Zero, significantly reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, every partner in the value chain matters - from the suppliers of raw materials to how brands manufacture products and consumers use them. We work closely with our partners, both upstream and downstream, to understand and continually reduce GHG emissions at every stage. 

We’re committed to being Net Zero by 2050, with our target verified by the Science-Based Targets initiative and supported by operational decarbonisation and product portfolio-transforming Net Zero roadmaps. We provide product carbon footprint data - including total carbon content and biogenic carbon – already for most of our portfolio, and we’re developing ingredients that help formulators avoid in-use emissions.  

This combination of transparency, data, and lower‑carbon innovation empowers our customers to cut GHG emissions more effectively and accelerate their progress towards Net Zero. 
Beauty of Zero Orange peel indicating value of byproducts in science led circular design

Zero Waste

When it comes to waste, we’re already doing much less, while preparing for Zero. Through reusing, repurposing, or refusing to use resources, we see unlimited possibilities for “zero”. That means zero processing waste to landfill (defined as >99% of process waste diverted from landfill), biodegradable ingredients designed to return to the ecosystem, and multifunctional ingredients that perform beautifully at lower inclusion levels and can also boost other ingredient benefits in formulation. We’re collaborating with other industries to upcycle their by-products, supporting a world where every resource is valued. 

We’re using smart science and innovative closed-loop and high-throughput technologies to continue reducing energy and process waste, for more streamlined and efficient manufacturing and R&D innovation. 

As we transition towards Zero Waste, our customers reap the benefits, with support building exceptional minimalist formulations that embody circular principles  and where we can together create products that leave no trace. 
Beauty of Zero Aerial ocean and shoreline depicting zero water impact

Zero Water Use Impact

Fresh water is a finite resource and reducing water use impact requires action across the entire product lifecycle – from ingredient sourcing and manufacturing to formulation and consumer use. At Croda Beauty, we go beyond volume-based withdrawal measures to understand where our water use impacts lie. 

In 2025, we recommitted to our 2030 goal to reduce our operational water use impact by 50% by 2030 and focus action on prioritised sites located in areas with high water risks, supported by detailed water risk assessments and site-specific management plans. Our bespoke water impact methodologies, life cycle assessments, and progress towards using product water footprint tools improve transparency and decision‑making. 

Using biotechnology and water‑efficient formulation, we develop ingredients that can help reduce water use in manufacture and during consumer use – supporting water-saving innovation for our customers. 
Beauty of Zero Small holder farmer picking crops

Zero Exploitation

At Croda Beauty, we make it a priority to embed ethical practices throughout our operations; that means a robust supplier code of conduct, taking steps to tackle modern slavery which are publically available in our annual modern slavery statement, and Living Wage commitments for our employees, gaining certification from the Fair Wage Network in 2025.    

Across our value chain, we combine clear expectations with direct supplier engagement programmes, Sedex site audits, and the implementation of our Human Rights Due Diligence programme which we are starting to roll out globally this year, focusing initially on high-risk agricultural supply chains such as palm and soy. Through collaboration and industry partnerships, such as the work from our Croda Beauty Actives team at Le Perray with the Union for Ethical Biotrade (UEBT) and our engagement with EcoVadis for sustainability monitoring, we continuously raise standards and reduce risk. 

As we honour our ethical guardrails and work to ensure Zero Exploitation, our customers benefit from greater transparency, stronger ethical sourcing credentials, and confidence that their formulations are built on responsible, resilient supply chains. 
Beauty of Zero Aerial biodiverse tropical canopy and shoreline

Zero Biodiversity Loss

To ensure the future of beauty is a sustainable one, we must protect the nature we, and the entire beauty industry, rely on in our formulations and beyond. We set a 2030 target to remove all deforestation risks from our key bio-based supply chains, and we are committed to responsible resource use and using technologies that reduce pressure on our ecosystems. Our use of biotechnological innovation, such as plant cell culture, replicates the benefits of nature, honouring the Earth’s biodiversity and preserving its richness for the future. 

Across our sourcing and innovation activities, we use science, data, and traceability tools to monitor risk, improve transparency, and continuously reduce impact – from field to formulation. This helps us move beyond intent towards measurable, nature‑positive action. 

As we continue lessening our biodiversity impact, our customers benefit from more resilient supply chains and ingredients that respect nature’s complexity – enabling high‑performance formulations that don’t cost the earth. 
Beauty of Zero Precise cosmetic cream application demonstrating ingredient transparency

Zero Ambiguity

In a beauty industry crowded with claims, real progress depends on clarity. We engineer transparency into our ingredients from the very start – designing sustainability data to be understood, trusted, and used. Zero Ambiguity means moving beyond broad statements to information that stands up to scientific, regulatory, and commercial scrutiny. 

Across our portfolio, we apply recognised methodologies, pursue third‑party validation, and clearly disclose scope, assumptions, and limitations. Digital tools and consistent datasets ensure impact insight is accessible and actionable at ingredient level. 

Our practices allow customers to gain more than data; they gain confidence. Confidence to make faster formulation decisions, respond efficiently to ESG and regulatory requirements, and communicate sustainability claims that are credible, defensible, and built on proof - not promises. 

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Progress highlights

In the meantime, if you want to delve into any of our pillars further, you can find a taster of our progress in the highlights below – look out for further details coming soon!

Zero is an ambition. It’s a direction that challenges us to rethink what sustainability really means and raise expectations of what’s possible. We believe removing negative impacts can be actioned through design, innovation, and better data; although this is complex and some may take more time, collaboration, and scientific progress to address.  

What is key is setting a clear ambition, with benchmarks, and being transparent about progress, limitations, and trade‑offs. Beauty of Zero moves beyond incremental improvement, holding us accountable to measurable, science‑based pathways rather than vague promises.   

In some areas, zero may ultimately mean elimination of impact. In others, it may mean getting as close as possible through redesign, substitution, or systemic change, while being honest about what remains and why. That’s why transparency, data quality, and third‑party validation are central to this approach.   

So yes - zero is possible sooner in some areas, aspirational in others, and essential as a guiding goal across all. The point isn’t to claim we’ve arrived, but to keep moving forward with proof, partnership, and progress at the core. 

The pathway to zero is complex, and in many areas the science, systems, and infrastructure are still evolving, so we believe it’s important to take this one step at a time. 

Therefore, our priority today is delivering measurable progress toward zero, supported by robust data and evidence. As this progress continues, and where the science supports it, opportunities to move beyond zero can be evaluated and meaningfully explored in the future.  

By 2030, we will reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 42% and absolute Scope 3 Energy & Industry (E&I) GHG emissions by 25% (from 2022 baseline). We will also reduce our absolute Scope 3 Forest Land and Agriculture (FLAG) GHG by 30.3% across the same period.  These targets were verified by Science-Based Targets initiative in 2025, including our net-zero science-based target by 2050. 

Between 2022-2025, our Scope 1&2 emissions have fallen by 2.5%, while our Scope 3 E&I GHG emissions have increased by 5.6%. During this period, our Scope 3 FLAG GHG emissions have fallen by 23.1%, driven in part by our move to increasingly certified sustainable palm derivatives. 

We support lower‑carbon beauty formulations through science‑based decarbonisation targets within our operations and supply chains, which support customers in reducing their upstream Scope 3 emissions. We have near term validated science‑based targets (Science Based Targets initiative) covering Scope 1, 2 and Scope 3 emissions, alongside a verified net-zero target for 2050. 

For customers, we have translated this into practical tools and product-level carbon transparency, including over 1,550 product carbon footprints (PCFs) statements (2024), predictive carbon data for new launches, and ability to generate glidepath data showing expected carbon reductions through to 2030.  This enables informed ingredient selection that aligns climate ambition with formulation performance. 

We are continually reviewing and improving our manufacturing processes, such as process improvements for our acid chloride derivatives at Rawcliffe Bridge (UK) or through bio-ethoxylation at Atlas Point (USA). Our sites utilise renewable electricity where possible and have been forming smart partnerships with local businesses to generate power in a sustainable manner.  For example, our site in Chocques (France) works with a local company that incinerates waste to generate steam, in return for demineralised water. Another example is our site in Mevisa (Spain), which utilises a Flu-Ace unit to recover waste heat from industrial processes, repurposing it to reduce energy demand. By capturing and reusing heat, Flu-Ace boosts operational efficiency and produces hot water for the entire site.  These examples demonstrate the innovative thinking at sites to decarbonise our operations, improving efficiencies and maintaining quality and safe working conditions. 

Beauty of Zero supports a move towards circular beauty through offering biodegradable ingredients, waste‑reducing innovation, and transparent lifecycle data. We have reviewed more than 95% of our functional product portfolio for biodegradability (vs. 2024 volume), with approximately 75%of products being biodegradable. We also use upcycled and by‑product‑derived feedstocks in a growing number of ingredients, helping brands design formulations that reduce waste at end‑of‑life while maintaining high performance. 

Cradle‑to‑gate and cradle‑to‑grave life cycle assessments further support our ability to make evidence‑based decisions to consider future improvements across the full product lifecycle. 

As part of the wider Croda group, we aim to source 75% of our raw materials from renewable carbon (defined as biomass, carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) and recycling) by 2030. As of 2025, the group has already reached 58% organic raw materials bio-based. 

As we move towards a predominantly renewable portfolio, we want to understand and respect the pivotal role of nature and biodiversity. We do this through collaboration with respected groups such as Action for Sustainable Derivatives (with whom we are founder members) and the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil. We are also members of the Sustainable Castor Association.  We have also committed to being 100% deforestation free in our key bio-based supply chains by 2030. 

We offer a range of tools to support effective formulation that gets it right first time. From our Solaveil™ calculator for sunscreen formulations development to our Senstories™ selector tool for product sensory, we can help you to choose the right ingredients for your needs, minimising trial and error and, ultimately, reducing and eliminating formulation waste. 

By providing ingredients suitable for leave in/on or quick-rinse applications, we help brands develop products that save their customers water and energy in-use. 

Ingredients suitable for use in solid and concentrated formats also bring the advantage of reduced water usage to formulators and brands, which in turn will bring potential packaging and shipping efficiencies.  

Since 2019, Croda Le Perray (our Beauty Actives division) have had 15 field verifications performed by the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) within our botanicals supply chain. UEBT members, including Croda Le Perray which became a member in 2020, commit to ensuring that their sourcing practices gradually advance sustainable business growth, local development, and biodiversity conservation.

Using plant biotechnology, in particular ‘plant cell culture’, we are able to produce active cosmetic ingredients with substantiated efficacy and guaranteed reproducibility while significantly limiting our impact on biodiversity. A limited quantity of plant material is required to produce the active product, removing issues associated with conventional cultivation methods. 

Using our fermentation technology, we can develop highly specialised active and functional ingredients for skin and hair that offer strong performance benefits while reducing impacts on climate and nature. 

Croda has committed to being 100% deforestation and conversion free (DCF) in our key bio-based feedstocks by 2030. Development of this measure beyond just palm supply chains is underway, with the intention to report fully on % DCF in the future. This forms part of our SBTi FLAG commitment for 2030. We are approaching meeting this target through a data-led, supply chain-focused strategy rather than broad claims; this includes actively monitor deforestation risk in key agricultural supply chains using external tools, including satellite-based monitoring on an annual basis. 

A major part of our progress has come from transitioning to certified sustainable palm derivatives, increased attention to traceability to mill and plantation, and ongoing supplier engagement to drive improvement over time. Importantly, we’re transparent about progress and limitations - treating deforestation‑free sourcing as a measurable pathway, not a box‑ticking exercise.  

Our ingredients are trusted in formulations by beauty brands worldwide, offering efficacy as well as meeting rigorous sustainability criteria. Many of our ingredients follow internationally recognised standards or hold respected certifications, such as COSMOS, RSPO, and USDA Biopreferred. Discover more in our Product Finder.