Beauty and the Beat

The underlying element most essential for skin health is collagen: the structural protein that keeps our skin firm and lifted. Its loss can account for the development of fine lines, sagging, and loss of volume. Roughly 33% of human body protein is collagen, and 15% of body weight is protein. It is estimated that humans lose about 1% collagen a year, so somewhere around 2 oz of collagen lost per adult: two very critical ounces.

Image: Collagen-based products

Replenishing that collagen in the form of beauty and healthcare products is one driver of the global $8.36B collagen and $564B global market for beauty products. That is a lot of products to be designed, sourced, manufactured, and recycled particularly for the coveted 2.3B people between the ages of 20-39 in the world.

Source: Grand View Research

For an established critical ingredient like collagen, the supply chain has been integrated and streamlined by global companies like JBS: one of the largest meat processing companies in the world. Fair to say that the 80/20 rule is in effect: 80% of the supply is provided by 20% of the suppliers.

For beauty products in general, the list of certifications for a myriad of new ingredients is getting longer. In addition to third party government and trade groups, retailer requirements are becoming more mandatory for brands. Consumer packaged products are awash with green labeling.

Image: Ingredient, retailer, and other sustainability certifications

Certification and tracking of ingredients that go into packaged products is becoming a must-have for beauty product consumers: some of the most public voters with their wallets of products made with sustainable ingredients and packaging. The key question in my mind is the validation system needed to complement existing retail merchandising systems and ensure sustainability certifications are met.

The Go-Go's iconic 1981 album ‘Beauty and the Beat’ was groundbreaking in so many ways. Our lips cannot be sealed on insisting on sustainability.