Garnier has been trying green its image for a long time. Garnier’s Sustainability Progress Report was released in 2020. This report details its commitment to using less plastic, reducing waste and using more recycled materials. It also focuses on ingredients of natural origin. It received cruelty-free certification in 2021 and launched its first waterless shampoo bars in the same year. The brand is now promoting a new sustainable product innovation: No rinse conditioner.
According to the brand’s No Rinse Conditioner, it saves 100 liters per tube of water and its carbon footprint is 92 % smaller than traditional wash-out options. Garnier says that 63 percent of the carbon footprint of wash-out conditioners comes from water. It’s also packaged in an integrated tube made of cardboard and lighter than a plastic bottle.
A brand that falls under the most severe plastic pollution is a positive step in the right direction. Its parent company L’Oral used 140,000 tonnes 2018 plastic
What is a rinse conditioner?
Garnier’s latest launch may seem to suggest otherwise, but Garnier isn’t reinventing the wheel. No-rinse conditioner, or leave-in conditioner as it’s commonly referred to, has been around for some time.
Kelly Dobos is a cosmetic chemist and says the key ingredient in Garniers formulation is stearamidopropyl-dimethylamine. This conditioning agent is specifically designed to give hair a soft feeling without excessive buildup. Dobos explains that traditional conditioners often use quaternary ammonium compounds such as behentrimonium chlorineide. This anti-static, antibacterial conditioning ingredient sticks to damaged hair strands. To prevent buildup, it must be rinsed out.
Stearamidopropyl-dimethylamine is commonly used in products that doubles as a leavein conditioner, such Garniers Banana and Shea Intensive Hair Treatment and Papaya Hair Food Conditioning.
Garnier may use a proven ingredient, limit plastic use, encourage water conservation, etc. But the No Rinse branding seems to be designed to trick consumers into believing Garnier is more committed to sustainable innovation than actually it is. This is a tactic otherwise known for greenwashing.
Beauty greenwashes
Garnier is not an exception to this trend. Garnier is no exception. It promotes natural ingredients as proof of sustainability. Experts agree that beauty and grooming brands must move away from relying solely on nature because it will cause disruption to wildlife and increase the use of natural resources.
Synthetic innovation in a lab is far more sustainable than traditional methods. Chemistry allows us to efficiently produce many ingredients with higher purity, greater safety profiles and less disruption to the environment that just isn’t possible otherwise, explains Dobos.
It shouldnt go unspoken that Garnier is part of L’Oral, one of the beauty industrys biggest conglomerates, and while its sustainability commitments are progress, its primary focus is profit. It has Openly acknowledgedMany of its products have a high impact on the environment in terms of water use, emissions, and biodiversity. This is why better innovation is necessary. It promises an action plan, but for now, it’s business as usual.
Greenwashing is fundamentally about manipulation. Garnier subtly slaps the blame on consumers for using conditioning products to waste water, despite the fact that it continues to sell them. ExactAll products list water in their first ingredient. (Most beauty products contain 60 to 85 percent water.
Adrien Koskas is the global brand president of Garniers. He stated in a press release that there is a disconnect between what our consumers want and what they actually do. Taking all of the above into account, Garnier’s replacement of our consumers is a true statement.
In truth, Garnier has made a start towards sustainability, but it needs to make some fundamental changes to its business model before it can be considered an environmentally-considerate brand. Most of that change will be made at the top. In 2021, L’Oral sponsored Climate Week NYC, pledging things like carbon neutrality and the creation of an effective water recycling loop system by 2030. These goals are not currently covered by legislation, so it’s best to wait and watch.
There are many sustainable brands in the market now, which is good news. Many offer solid beauty and haircare options. They don’t contain water. Check out our recommendations.
Charlotte writes about sustainable beauty and food, travel, culture, and other topics. She holds a bachelor’s in history and a postgraduate certificate for cultural heritage.
