The 13 Innovators Backed by CISL & L’Oréal’s L’AcceleratOR

L’Oréal’s new L’AcceleratOR programme positions the beauty giant as a powerful convener of climate, nature and circularity innovators, backing 13 startups and SMEs with funding, expertise and global scale. 

Designed as a five‑year initiative, it reinforces L’Oréal’s wider L’Oréal for the Future roadmap and underscores how strategic collaboration can unlock the next generation of sustainable beauty solutions.

“To accelerate sustainable solutions to market, we are being even more intentional and inclusive in our pursuit of partnerships through “L’AcceleratOR”," says Ezgi Barcenas, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer, L’Oréal.

“We are really energized to be co-designing the future of beauty with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, and these 13 change makers."

Inside the L’AcceleratOR programme

L’AcceleratOR is a €100m (US$116.4m) sustainable innovation programme, developed with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), to fast‑track “scalable sustainable solutions of the future.” The scheme focuses explicitly on the most pressing challenges facing the beauty value chain: decarbonisation, protection of nature and biodiversity, and circular use of resources.

Over five years, cohorts of startups and SMEs will move through a 6–9 month “pilot readiness” phase, gaining access to L’Oréal’s R&D, operational and market expertise alongside CISL’s sustainability leadership capabilities. Selected solutions can then be piloted in real‑world conditions across L’Oréal’s global operations, with the potential to scale internationally if they deliver measurable environmental and business impact.

​“At CISL, we are proud to partner with L'Oréal, a group with a long track record of delivering disruptive innovation at scale,” says James Cole, Chief Innovation Officer at CISL.  “By identifying the most promising scalable solutions benefitting people, nature and climate, and elevating them to world stage, we are making a sustainable future not just a goal, but a reality.”

The first 13 startups and SMEs

The inaugural cohort was selected from nearly 1,000 applications spanning 101 countries, reflecting the rapid global growth of climate and circularity‑focused innovation in beauty and beyond. The 13 ventures span next‑generation packaging, biobased and upcycled ingredients, circular treatment of waste and digital tools that track and reduce environmental footprints.

Next-Generation Packaging & Materials:

• Kelpi (UK): Harnessing seaweed to create recyclable, low-carbon packaging.
• Bioworks (Japan): Producing novel bioplastics derived from sugarcane and other plant-based materials.
• Blue Ocean Closures (Sweden): Creating fiber-based caps and lids as an alternative to plastic packaging tops.
• Pulpex (UK): Developing the next generation of recyclable paper bottles.
• PULPAC (Sweden): An innovation company in low-carbon, paper-based packaging processes.
• RAIKU (Estonia): Turning natural wood into high-end, shock-absorbing protective packaging.

Nature-Sourced Ingredients:

• Biosynthis (France): Crafting renewable and biodegradable raw materials.
• P2 Science (USA): Bringing green chemistry and bio-sourced materials to the market
• Oberon Fuels (USA): Converting wood and pulp waste into renewable ingredients for spraying formulas.

Circular Solutions:

• Novobiom (Belgium): Using the natural power of fungi to turn complex waste into high-value products.
• REPLACE (France): A single-step technology that transforms complex and multi-layer waste into durable new items.
• Gàs Verde (Brazil): Producing biomethane to replace fossil fuels in industrial processes and transportation.

Data Intelligence:

• Neutreeno (UK): A digital system to help companies calculate and cut emissions in their supply chains.

Sustainability at L’Oréal

L’AcceleratOR builds on “L’Oréal for the Future,” the group’s sustainability transformation programme structured around reducing impacts on climate, water, biodiversity and resources, empowering the wider ecosystem, and contributing to global environmental and social solutions. The company has set an ambitious decarbonisation trajectory and invests heavily in nature‑based climate solutions, including a Fund for Nature Regeneration that has channelled more than €25m (US$29.1m) into restoration projects such as mangrove, forest and marine ecosystem rehabilitation.

Water stewardship is another strategic pillar: in 2024, 53% of the water used in L’Oréal’s industrial processes came from reused and recycled sources, supported by on‑site recycling systems prioritised in water‑stressed regions. 

Eco‑designed formulas and technologies, such as no‑rinse products and water‑saving salon devices, further reduce consumption across product use phases while supporting communities’ resilience to water stress.

All sustainability, net zero and sustainable supply chain leaders should attend:

• Sustainability LIVE: The Net Zero Summit - QEII Centre, London, March 4-5
• Sustainability LIVE: The US Summit - Navy Pier, Chicago, April 21-22

Co-located with Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE, these events brings together CSOs, ESG leaders and senior decision-makers at a moment when sustainability, supply chains and commercial performance are increasingly interconnected.

Tickets can be booked online today for The Net Zero Summit and The US Summit. Group discounts available.

Why this accelerator matters for beauty

By aligning startup selection with its 2030 sustainability goals, L’Oréal is using its scale to de‑risk and industrialise breakthrough solutions that individual early‑stage companies could struggle to commercialise alone. 

The partnership with CISL also signals a deliberate effort to embed robust science‑based approaches and systems thinking into how these pilots are designed, evaluated and scaled.

For the wider beauty industry, L’AcceleratOR offers a testbed for new materials, business models and digital tools that could rapidly become sector norms if proven at L’Oréal scale. 

As regulatory pressure on climate, nature and circularity intensifies, the programme illustrates how incumbents can move beyond incremental eco‑design towards a more collaborative, innovation‑led reimagining of how beauty is sourced, formulated, packaged and experienced.