Sustainable palm oil is the only answer for cosmetics industry

Palm oil and its derivatives are used in 70% of cosmetics products and the yield is far better than any other crop, meaning that we must put the structure in place to promote sustainable palm, as there is no way we can look to remove it from cosmetics formulation.

Speaking at the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil meeting in London last week, Croda’s Chris Sayner tells CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com that the personal care industry does not account for the majority of palm oil use, the number one being food by a long way, and that putting systems in place to promote sustainable palm will lead to less deforestation and a more sustainable industry.

When asked whether it was an option to replace palm oil in formulation with another crop, he explains that this would be a much less sustainable option.

“Palm is the most efficient crop. A well-run palm oil plantation will yield 6 tonnes of oil per hectare. The next most efficient crop is coconut, which has, essentially, half the yield, so you need to twice as much land for coconut to replace palm,”​ he says.