Quantis HQ/Bologna, 20 February 2026 – The beauty industry has reached a turning point. Sustainability can no longer be treated as a standalone initiative or merely a long-term ambition. It is becoming a defining factor in how beauty companies operate, innovate and compete across the entire value chain.
This is the central finding of Make up the Future – Second Edition, a new report published by Quantis in 2026.
Since the first edition in 2020, the beauty market has continued to grow and consolidate. Expansion into new regions, growth in premium cosmetics, and mergers and acquisitions have reshaped competition across the sector. At the same time, climate disruption, pressure on natural resources, tighter regulation and changing consumer expectations have changed the operating context. Sustainability is now a condition to operate — and a lever for resilience when applied effectively.
The report examines this shift across industry, corporate and product levels. At the industry level, it shows how rising regulatory and transparency expectations are accelerating collaboration. Players along the entire value chain, ingredient and packaging suppliers, brand manufacturers, retailers and industry associations are engaged in shared initiatives such as the TRaceability Alliance for Sustainable CosmEtics (TRASCE), the EcoBeautyScore (EBS), and the Sustainable Packaging Initiative in CosmEtics (SPICE), signaling a move toward aligned data, traceability and common consumer communication frameworks.
At the corporate level, the report highlights why sustainability must be embedded across business functions. Around 95% of a beauty manufacturer’s climate impact typically lies outside its direct operations. This makes decisions in strategy, procurement, R&D, marketing and even finance critical to managing risk and exposure, and to demonstrating that sustainability creates business value.
At the product level, the report shows how impact is strongly shaped by everyday use. For some beauty products, up to 70% of environmental impact occurs during the use phase, driven by water and energy use in routines such as washing and rinsing. This puts product design in focus — from ingredients and formulation to packaging, use, and end-of-life — and highlights the role beauty manufacturers and retailers should play in influencing how products are used, not just how they are made and sold.
Emmanuel Hembert, Global Head of Cosmetics, Personal Care & Pharma at Quantis, says the shift now requires a different approach from beauty companies:
The beauty industry has moved past the era of commitments. The priority now is execution — turning sustainability into concrete decisions across functions, products and supply chains, and demonstrating that it strengthens business resilience and performance.
The full Make up the Future – Second Edition report is available to download here: https://quantis.com/reports/make-up-the-future-second-edition/
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About Quantis
Quantis, a BCG company, is a global sustainability consultancy pioneering approaches to solve critical environmental challenges. The group partners with leading organizations who are serious about reducing their environmental impacts to future-proof their businesses and prosper in a new planetary economy. Quantis’ unique approach combines deep environmental expertise, strategic business knowledge, and enterprise transformation skills to help organizations shape policies, practices and business models that align with the planet’s capacity while building resilience, unlocking innovation, and optimizing performance. With offices in the US, France, Switzerland, Germany and Italy and clients around the world, Quantis is a key partner in inspiring sustainable change on a global scale.
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