Good On You launches into beauty as it spotlights sustainability issues within the industry

Sustainability ratings platform Good On You has launched into beauty, helping to champion greater transparency in the industry. 

Already covering fashion, the platform's expansion marks the first brand rating system for beauty that assesses key environmental, social, and animal welfare issues across the entire value chain.

Sandra Capponi, Co-founder of Good On You, said: "From the start, Good On You’s big ambition has been to use people power to create a more sustainable future—in fashion and beyond.

"And for nearly a decade, we’ve supported millions of consumers looking for trustworthy sustainability information. As we launch into beauty and expand our tools to help the industry do better, we see there's a clear opportunity for greater transparency across almost every major issue we have rated brands on."

The new beauty vertical builds on Good On You’s expertise and credibility in sustainability issues across brands’ supply chains.

Each beauty business will be rated on hundreds of publicly available data points, which include brands’ disclosed policies and initiatives, quality certification schemes, and independent reporting to incentivise them to be more transparent.

The new beauty methodology was developed by Good On You’s in-house sustainability experts, who spent one year consulting widely with advocacy organisations, industry bodies, and sustainability teams at several "leading" brands to ensure the new methodology reflected industry consensus on best practices.

The launch also sees Good On You scale up industry-focused solutions for retailers, tech platforms, and commercial real-estate landlords - offering a "comprehensive" suite of sustainability assessment tools to help them credibly engage consumers.

To mark the release of the initial 200-plus ratings, Good On You has launched a new Beauty Sustainability Scorecard, with insights on how the industry scores on timely sustainability issues.

Key insights revealed in the report include:

• 90% of beauty brands use fragrance ingredients, but 72% do not disclose the exact ingredients they use, raising concerns about potential health and environmental impacts.

• 84% of brands are taking no publicly disclosed action to ensure payment of living wages throughout their supply chains, highlighting a human rights issue in the industry.

• Despite "cruelty-free" being a buzzword, 78% of brands have no certification to show they’re not testing on animals.

• 80% of large beauty brands do not disclose their progress in meeting greenhouse gas emissions targets, mirroring a similar lack of transparency in the fashion industry.

• While 15% of brands offer refillable products for over a third of their range, only 2% track and report on repeat purchases, raising questions about the real-world impact of these initiatives.