In a world where global legislation emphasizes sustainability and regeneration, businesses across industries face mounting pressures to innovate and optimize practices. The beauty industry stands as a primary example, where the essence of regeneration involves restoring, preserving, and enhancing the environment, people, businesses, and society at large. While commonly associated with concepts like recycling and renewable energy, regeneration encompasses a broader spectrum of practices that go beyond surface-level considerations.

Let’s dive into the topic of regeneration and how it will and should impact beauty brands in 2024 and beyond. 

What is Regeneration?

Regeneration, in a broad sense, refers to the process of renewal, restoration, or growth that allows living organisms or systems to recover from damage or adapt to changes in their environment. 

Regeneration, when applied to brands, signifies a commitment to sustainable and restorative practices in various aspects of business. Brands embracing regenerative practices prioritize renewing and enhancing the well-being of ecosystems, communities, and supply chains. Similar to biological regeneration, these brands strive to go beyond traditional sustainability by actively restoring resources, supporting local economies, and minimizing environmental impact.

This approach involves a thoughtful integration of ethical sourcing, environmentally conscious production methods, and a dedication to social responsibility. By employing regenerative practices, forward-thinking brands aim to create a positive impact, contributing to the overall health and resilience of the planet, their customers and society.

Why Does Regeneration Matter?

Notably, the shift toward regeneration is not solely imposed by government and agencies; consumers also increasingly expect brands to embrace regenerative practices. According to Human8's 2024 What Matters report, 72% of U.S. consumers express concern about the state of the planet for future generations, and an overwhelming 78% believe brands should take responsibility to safeguard the Earth's future.

Understanding the reciprocal value of adopting a regenerative mindset is crucial for brands, as these changes not only align with consumer expectations but also present opportunities for business growth and the development of long-lasting customer loyalty.
Here are a few ways beauty brands can work the concept of regeneration into their business model:

• Establishing Regenerative Internal Systems: While prioritizing regeneration sounds nice in theory, to center future internal strategies around regenerative values, beauty brands must first cultivate and unite their employees around a central purpose. Fortunately, a 2021 survey on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues reveals that 86% of employees prefer to support or work for companies that align with their values. 

 
Investing in employee education on regenerative practices is key to building a committed workforce, recognizing that employees may be at different stages of understanding and passion regarding these efforts. Creating spaces for idea-sharing and collaboration, along with gaining internal buy-in, ensures that subsequent strategies are authentic and widely supported.

For example, skincare brand Furtuna Skin accomplishes this by building an employee base of people who believe in the mission of regenerative beauty. As part of a purpose-driven family of brands—they care about transforming the lives and land that they touch—boosting the local economy with job creation on the farms that source their skincare ingredients.  
 

• Rethinking Beauty Beyond Aesthetics: Consumers are eager for change, expecting brands to lead the way in driving positive transformations. Human8's research indicates that 70% of consumers seek visionary entities to take the lead in propelling change. For beauty brands, addressing sustainability concerns in packaging is crucial. 

 
The personal care and beauty industry produces over 120 billion units of packaging annually, a substantial portion of which is non-recyclable. Recognizing this, 74% of consumers advocate for maximizing existing resources creatively to create a better future. Furthermore, 44% believe in transitioning from ownership to shared goods, reducing waste and increasing access to high-quality products and services. 
 
Brands that innovate their products and packaging to align with these consumer preferences stand to gain a competitive edge—whether it’s using recyclable or biodegradable packaging or creating packaging that can be repurposed for other uses. UK skincare brand UpCircle uses mostly the by-products of the food and drinks industry to offset wastage in both the cosmetic industry and food industry and is committing to be ‘plastic negative’ with their packaging—even setting up a package return and refill program. 
 

• Giving More Than You Take from Society: Beauty brands can position themselves as agents of positive change by incorporating healthy and energy-giving practices into their brand narrative. Engaging with surrounding communities for mutual benefit becomes paramount, fostering successful community partnerships that contribute to broader social and environmental goals. 

 
One good example of this can be seen in hair care brand Amika’s  ‘Love All Your Hair Days’ campaign, which emphasizes individuality, self-expression and the power of great hair transforming the everyday. The campaign also featured bold videos with a range of diverse models to show the spectrum of relatable hair day scenarios. Amika is also driven by their planet-friendly mission towards sustainability, employed by its partnership with TerraCycle, the use of 90%+ post-consumer recycled materials in packaging and its commitment to sourcing only cruelty-free sustainable ingredients. 

The Road Ahead

As we move through 2024 and beyond, the beauty industry must heed the call to action for a holistic approach to beauty. Embracing regenerative practices involves recognizing the role of thought leaders in shaping the industry's future. Encouraging continuous innovation and adaptation in the pursuit of regenerative beauty will not only benefit individual brands but also contribute to a more sustainable and responsible industry as a whole.

About the Author:
Delphine Vantomme is Global Client Partner at Human8, and beauty sector head for the group. She holds a PhD in the field of system-1 measurement techniques and has brought human-centric thinking to branding, innovation and CX challenges for global clients.