Q&A: The MD of EcoBeautyScore on Making Beauty Sustainable
Please introduce yourself, your role and your role with the EcoBeautyScore system.
I’m Jean-Baptiste Massignon, Managing Director of the EcoBeautyScore Association, the first global, science-based environmental scoring system for beauty and personal care products. My role is to ensure the system meets the highest standards of transparency and rigor, and that it serves as a tool for positive change across the industry.
I have been involved with EcoBeautyScore since 2022 when we first defined the technical framework and EcoBeautyScore Consortium governance. Since then, it has been a pleasure to see the organisation grow from a Consortium to an Association with over 70 cosmetics brands and associations participating along the way, including L'Oréal, Beiersdorf, Henkel and Kenvue.
Having started my career as a civil servant, I was fortunate to bring to the initiative my passion for sustainability combined with my experience of large and multi-stakeholder organisations and a background in finance and technology.
What is the EcoBeautyScore system, and why was it created?
EcoBeautyScore is an environmental scoring system that rates cosmetic and personal care products from A to E, based on their planetary impact across the full product lifecycle. An ‘A’ score represents a product amongst the lowest impact on the environment, and an ‘E’ score amongst the highest environmental impact compared to other products within that category.
It was created to address the growing need for clear, science-backed sustainability information in beauty. Consumers want trustworthy, comparable data and brands need a credible, harmonised way to assess and communicate their products’ environmental footprint, and EcoBeautyScore delivers both.
What impact does the EcoBeautyScore system hope to have?
While sustainability has become a major focus in the beauty industry, the lack of a standardized, science-based system for measuring and communicating environmental impact remains a key challenge. Today’s landscape is filled with various eco-labels and claims—many well-intentioned, but not always consistent or comparable. This creates confusion for consumers and opens the door to greenwashing, where environmental messaging may be more about marketing than measurable impact.
That’s precisely what the EcoBeautyScore initiative aims to change. By developing a harmonized, transparent, and science-backed methodology for assessing the environmental footprint of beauty products, the EcoBeautyScore provides a credible foundation for both brands and consumers.
Importantly, it is designed to be inclusive, encouraging participation from across the industry to drive collective improvement. The ultimate goal is to empower consumers with reliable information and help steer the entire beauty sector toward more sustainable practices.
How did you ensure transparency and scientific rigor throughout the development of the methodology, especially in collaboration with over 70 brands and associations?
From the start, we prioritised scientific rigor, basing the system on the EU’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology, which is recognised as the most scientifically advanced and comprehensive method for measuring the environmental impact of products.
We have worked closely with over 70 industry stakeholders - cosmetics and personal care product manufacturers, trade associations, and environmental experts - and engaged third-party reviewers such as consultants from E&H, part of the certification body EcoCert Group, and environmental sustainability consultancy Quantis. Every component, from data to score design, was tested, peer-reviewed and refined through real-world trials and consumer testing to ensure credibility.
When it comes to usage of the system, brands who choose to communicate their EcoBeautyScores to consumers are regularly audited by a third party control and certification system, further reinforcing the system’s credibility and scientific integrity.
By joining EcoBeautyScore, we have committed to continually improve our products and enhance transparency for our consumers
What role did the EU’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology play in shaping the EcoBeautyScore, and how was it adapted for cosmetics?
The EU’s PEF methodology provided the backbone of our approach. It measures environmental impact across 16 planetary indicators, such as climate change, biodiversity and water use, through the full lifecycle of a product, making it the most scientifically advanced and holistic measurement of a product impact.
However, the PEF framework covered only approx 30% of the ingredients used in the cosmetics industry. EcoBeautyScore therefore worked to complement the existing EF 3.1 PEF database to develop two types of data:
- Characterisation / emission factors (to be able to measure the impact of an ingredient across the 16 impact categories for the full product lifecycle)
- Activity data (such as use dose, amount of water used, product leftover rate, etc.)
These two types of data were developed for the most impacting ingredients - whether due to high concentrations found in cosmetics formulations or because the production of those ingredients can have a high impact.
In addition, EcoBeautScore worked on refining the approach for how to measure the impact of ingredients at the end of life of a product in terms of impact on freshwater ecotoxicity.
The result is a robust yet relevant system specifically designed for the beauty and personal care sector.
Can you share any insights or lessons learned during the three-year collaboration and development phase that were critical to the system’s success?
One key lesson is that collaboration across competitors is possible, and powerful, when driven by a shared goal. The success of EcoBeautyScore stems from the openness and engagement of all our members. Another insight is that scientific accuracy and consumer clarity can coexist. By rigorously testing how consumers interpret and use the A–E label, we were able to make a highly technical system both credible and intuitive. Research by Ipsos of 9,000 consumers across four markets studied found more than two-thirds of consumers say the EcoBeautyScore label builds trust and that they intend to consider EcoBeautyScore when purchasing products.
But we realise that the process of developing a scoring system such as this should be one of continuous improvement. We will continue learning and refining the methodology, database and communications, applying new insights and aligning with the latest scientific progress to strengthen the system over time.
What impact do you hope to see - from both the industry and consumers - in the next few years as EcoBeautyScore becomes more widely adopted across Europe and globally?
From the industry, we hope to see EcoBeautyScore become embedded in how products are designed and evaluated, serving as a compass for continuous environmental improvement. As more brands adopt the system, it will enable a level playing field for sustainability communication and accelerate eco-innovation across the sector. We also expect to see more product categories and geographies coming on board, bringing broader alignment around environmental performance.
For consumers, we hope the A–E score becomes a trusted, familiar reference point that supports more sustainable choices. Research shows that the label already builds trust, and we’re confident that with wider visibility, it can shift everyday decisions toward lower-impact products. Ultimately, we envision EcoBeautyScore helping to create a more transparent, accountable, and sustainable beauty industry - globally.
