Smart science to improve lives™
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Zero Waste

Zero is the new beautiful™
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Designing out waste. Powering beauty.

To create a future where waste in beauty is reduced to zero, we need to start by designing out waste from the very beginning.. 

Reusing, repurposing, or refusing to use resources, creates unlimited possibilities for “zero”. That can mean zero processing waste to 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 using smart science in the form of innovative closed-loop and high-throughput technologies to continue reducing energy and process waste, for more efficient manufacturing and R&D innovation and upcycling by-products to use in our ingredients. 
When we collaborate with our partners to imagine ingredients and processes where every resource is valued, we support zero waste beauty.

* (which we define as >99% of process waste diverted from landfill)

We are making progress

Achieving zero waste will require the beauty industry to move beyond waste management and look to design the waste out from the start. This includes embedding circular principles into ingredient and formulation design—prioritising resource efficiency, multifunctionality, biodegradable materials that can safely return to the environment, and the increased use of upcycled raw materials. Robust measurement and transparency will ensure progress is tracked holistically across sourcing, manufacturing and product use.

Watch our video, People Behind the Progress: Zero Waste, to hear how Croda Beauty’s focus on biodegradable ingredients is helping brands progress towards zero waste.
 
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Powering beauty brands

Our science‑led approach to zero waste helps brands unlock greater value from every material.

Ingredient efficiency & formulation optimisation

Lower inclusion levels without compromising performance, reducing material use across formulations.

Circular & biodegradable design

Biodegradable ingredients and upcycled raw materials support circularity and reduce reliance on virgin feedstocks.

Resource efficiency & resilience

Reduced process waste and smarter material consumption help strengthen supply chains and support scalable waste reduction.

 

CRODA BEAUTY'S AREAS OF FOCUS

 
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Optimising formulation for waste reduction

We offer multi-functional ingredients that enable low dose formulations, alongside technologies such as SPF boosters that achieve target results at reduced concentrations. This helps reduce overall material use without compromising efficacy; whilst selector tools aid with right first-time ingredient selection — essential for sustainable cosmetic formulation.
 
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Biodegradeability and circularity

Our portfolio has been assessed against recognised biodegradability standards, offering clear signals of impact to our partners on the impact of our ingredients in their formulation at end of life.
 
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The science behind zero waste

While plastic pollution remains a visible symbol of the linear (take-make-waste) economy, companies are responding to waste challenges from multiple fronts. The rising costs of raw materials, waste disposal, and regulatory compliance suggest a circular approach, where waste is designed out of systems, benefits both the planet as well as business bottom lines.

The shift towards circular design, where waste is considered from product conception, materials are designed to remain in use for longer, and natural systems are regenerated, is accelerating. Guided by frameworks such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Design for the Circular Economy and the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry (Anastas and Warner), this puts elimination of waste into the initial design phase of innovation.

Additionally, Extended Producer Responsibility regulations, first introduced in Germany in the early 1990s are now expanding globally, intensifying attention on product and packaging end-of-life, particularly for the high-volume beauty industry. For ingredient suppliers, the implications are clear: ingredient design increasingly needs to support formulation efficiency, packaging compatibility and circular product strategies. 

Croda Beauty uses a science led approach, considering circular design, biodegradability, and ingredient optimisation (for efficiency as well as performance). More than 95% of our functional ingredient portfolio has been assessed for biodegradability (2025), following OECD methodologies, and we have developed an internal accelerated biodegradability screening method to guide innovation at early stages. 

Our right-first-time performance and zero process waste to landfill strengthen resource efficiency, while the use  upcycled by-products as feedstocks demonstrates how circular raw materials can create high-value cosmetic ingredients. 

Considering waste reduction from early design stages, and across the beauty value chain, can lead to a future without waste.

 

READY TO OPTIMISE RESOURCES IN YOUR NEXT BEAUTY INNOVATION?

Discover how biodegradability data, upcycled by-products, and highly-efficient and multifunctional ingredients can help your brand make more informed formulation decisions and support progress towards zero waste.

Talk to our experts about building lower-waste beauty products.

 

 

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

zero waste Description

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. 

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. 

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