L’ORÉAL LABELLING INITIATIVE Building trust through transparency

TO PROVIDE COMPLETE TRANSPARENCY and further strengthen their relationship with the consumer, L’Oréal has launched a new labelling initiative that is getting a lot of attention. The initiative, known as L’Oréal’s Product Impact Labelling system, will provide consumers with science-based, transparent information about a product’s environmental and social impact.

Maya Colombani, Chief Sustainability Officer calls herself a globetrotter and after having the opportunity to speak with her, I would absolutely agree that she is. But beyond that, Maya is warm, caring, passionate and determined to make a difference – and in her role at L’Oréal Canada as Chief Sustainability Officer, she has the power to do that. “This new labelling initiative will give consumers the power to make sustainable choices and do their part for the environment, which 80% of Canadians have expressed a desire to do according to a survey conducted by Leger in February 2023.”

Maya grew up in France and has lived in India and Brazil before making her way to Canada. Her screen backdrop on virtual calls is a helicopter shot of a river in the middle of a forest in Canada with L’Oréal branding on one side and the outline of a maple leaf on the other. She believes that her passion for nature and people, as well as her love of diversity, makes Canada the perfect place for her.

L’Oréal’s Product Impact Labelling System provides a product’s “Environmental Score”, ranked on a scale of A to E, which is the cumulative score of 14 planetary impact factors measured at every stage of a product’s life cycle, from ingredient production all the way to end-of-life packaging disposal.

The initiative covers the end to end life cycle of a product’s environmental and social impact.

“We want to develop a new relationship with the customer based on transparency adds Maya. We feel strongly that they will make the right choice when they have all the right information.”

The labelling will also display key information regarding a product’s social impact, including compliance with the fundamental principles of the United Nations on labor standards and the number of suppliers committed to social inclusion and having contributed to the product.

L’Oréal Canada brands Garnier, La Roche-Posay and Biotherm are the first to launch the Product Impact Labelling System, which has been available on their websites starting in April 2023, and gradually displayed on products through a QR code. The Product Impact Labelling System will roll-out progressively across L’Oréal Canada’s brands.

Maya goes on to say that “L’Oréal is a leader in the beauty industry and with leadership comes responsibility."

The scoring from A to E determines where the product lies - whether it is best in class or needs work. Maya is honest to say that “Where we believe we can do better, we continue to work on it, to never stop evolving and perfecting. The result will increase trust and love for our brands."