Guerlain refillable products in a natural environment

Eco-formulation at hte heart of our priorities

Being the result of long-term research and development efforts, the composition of our formulas is one of our foremost priorities.

A demanding
formulation

Our mission is to develop products containing the most virtuous ingredients possible to guarantee the safety, effectiveness, and sensory appeal that make our creations outstanding.

While our R&D teams have always been rigorous about scrupulously selecting the raw materials that go into our creations, we have chosen to increasingly and continually reinforce the stringency of our charter, going far beyond regulatory expectations to make it one of the strictest in the luxury industry.

La naturalité
des filières

Inspirée par la Nature depuis près de 200 ans, la Maison Guerlain privilégie, lorsque cela est possible, des matières premières naturelles en substitution des ingrédients de synthèse. Faire le choix de la naturalité nous oblige néanmoins à une gestion très rigoureuse et durable des matières premières.

Pour ce faire, nous nous sommes entourés des meilleurs spécialistes pour définir une stratégie de sourcing durable permettant de concilier nos ambitions de développement et la protection de la biodiversité

La transparence
et la traçabilité

En 2019, nous entamions une démarche pionnière en matière de transparence dans le monde du luxe avec le lancement de la plateforme Bee Respect, qui permet de connaître la provenance des éléments de nos produits.

Sur nos matières premières naturelles, plus précisément, nous travaillons avec des tiers de confiance, comme l’UEBT, qui nous permettent d’avoir une traçabilité jusqu'au pays de récolte notamment.

90% natural formulas:
a quantified objective rather than a frantic race

We are closest to this objective of 90% naturally derived ingredients in skincare. In makeup, the objective is more challenging to achieve, particularly for certain formulas such as eyeshadows, where colour performance is more difficult to reconcile with high levels of natural origin.

As early as 2019, we rose to this challenge with our foundation and lip products, achieving high levels of natural origin in certain formulas.

A methodical
process

Reinventing the iconic Terracotta – and later its ‘Light’ version – with a formula composed of 96% ingredients of natural origin required several years of research to identify natural powders capable of delivering the same makeup performance.

In fragrance, aim for 90% ingredients of natural origin is not always the most relevant choice. It can restrict our perfumers’ creative palette, increase allergy risks, or compromise the sustainability of certain formulas. In such cases, we turn to synthetic molecules – a practice deeply rooted in our heritage –, especially when recreating ‘mute’ flowers (those that cannot be extracted naturally) or enhancing specific natural notes.

Nonetheless, true to our inspiration drawn from nature, we have reformulated the Aqua Allegoria collection – our Allegories of Nature – with a natural-origin content between 90% and 95%, without compromising on olfactory quality or lasting power.

The IFE Index:
measuring to enable transformation and progress

Our eco-formulation approach is based on a measurement tool called the IFE (Index Formulation Eco-conceived), based on six criteria: natural ingredients, traceability, environmental impact through biodegradability and ecotoxicity, sustainability, the substitution of controversial ingredients, and the quantification of the number of ingredients required.

The Eco-Formulation Committee,
guardian of formulation excellence

As the custodian of our formulas, the Eco-Formulation Committee brings together the House’s key cross-functional teams every six months: R&D, Marketing, Regulatory Affairs, Sustainable Development, and others. Its purpose: to decide upon the major formulation principles, to take stock of progress already made or that needs to be made, and to call on the R&D team’s scientific precision and continual pursuit of innovation, particularly in terms of biotechnology and green chemistry. The Committee’s task is an ambitious one: to offer rare, precious, natural, sustainable beauty in keeping with the House’s historical distinctiveness.