A TR Sustainability Week panel exploring ‘Healthy Mind, Healthy Body’ has made the point that won’t compromise on efficacy or value for money when responding to environment-focused wellness claims.

Speaking in a live session (available to view on demand now), Anne-Laure Lecerf, General Manager, Dermatological Beauty & Professional Products at L’Oréal Travel Retail Worldwide, said there were a number of trends driving the need for value-focused, effective, and sustainable products. 

“Covid has put health and wellbeing back at the centre of all concerns,” she said. Consumers are used to hearing expert advice and now look for it in beauty, too.

Inflation is also a vital factor: “It has reinforced the need for a better value for money with efficient research products. This is typically what products that we sell at the pharmacists are about.” She added that everyone is aware of the state of the planet, so genuine green credentials are critical. 

“[Consumers] do not want to compromise on the efficacy price or the planet when it comes to treating themselves.”

She also positioned the question, what makes a product ‘ecological’? “It’s about eco-conscious packaging,” she gave her view, adding that some L’Oréal brands have reduced reliance on plastic by moving to paper-based packs. Refills are also playing a role, as are green ingredients. She said the business was a pioneer in this area. 

Inclusivity is another growing area of interest from consumers. Lecerf said L’Oréal provides “skin health solutions for all” – not just in terms of skin colour or type, but to meet medical needs, too. 

She cited La Roche Posay’s work both with skin cancer patients on the side effects of treatment, and in campaigns to prevent melanoma. Over 8,500 people received skin checks in 2022, including at an Oslo airport activation. 

“2.1 billion people suffer from skin issues – that’s huge,” she said. Add in the 620 million people that she cites from L’Oréal data are interested in aesthetic procedures and there’s an enormous market for sustainable skincare through a wellness lens. 

TR Sustainability Week: no compromise with OTC solutions

Laboratoire Puressentiel Export Director Christophe Fabre then shared his company’s vision for over-the-counter (OTC) solutions to wellness concerns. 

“From day one we’ve got one mission: to change habits and consumptions for OTC categories,” he said. That mission is “to bring a natural and sustainable solution for health and well being”.

Puressentiel products target, for example, coughs and colds, joint and muscle pain, stress reduction and sleep improvements. 

“In Europe we are quite far behind all the other [regions],” he said, detailing that consumers aren’t used to purchasing wellness products in an OTC capacity. “The most important for us was willingness to work and to give legitimacy with scientific clinical studies for all the products that we were developing.”

He added that from the very start, the company has operated through a sustainability lens. Policies span fair and responsible ingredient sourcing, and commitments to both staff wellness and the preservation of nature.

Fabre added that now was the time to target growth in travel retail. “When you’re travelling, you’ve got jet lag problems, you got a bit of stress, you got heavy legs. Sometimes you don’t have all the products to answer your problem when travelling.” Puressentiel can meet that need, he said. “We really can see that the traveller is expecting these kinds of answers.”

In terms of future solutions to make health and wellness more sustainable, Lecerf pointed to larger formats and refillables. Fabre agreed. The introduction of a circular economy for beauty is also essential, they concluded.

TR Sustainability Week coverage continues online.