When it comes to conversations around sustainability in beauty, a lot of the focus is placed on packaging. This is understandable, considering an estimated 120 billion units of packaging are produced by the industry every year (contributing to the loss of 18 million acres of forest annually), and 70 per cent of the industry’s waste is attributed to its packaging. But the buck doesn’t stop at influencer gifting, superfluous plastic and unrecyclable pumps. The lifecycle of a product begins in the ground, and the method of growing and harvesting the ingredients that make up a product is just as important as what it ultimately is housed in.
The health of the soil that grows your beauty products isn’t an especially sexy topic to write, read or make viral TikToks about, which is perhaps why it’s not a topic that beauty consumers know very much about. Despite this, healthy soil is a key aspect of how sustainable our routines are, which is why, over the last four years, Italian haircare brand Davines has committed to regenerative farming. In 2021, Davines formed the European Regenerative Organic Centre (EROC) at the Davines Village HQ in Parma, Italy, a 17-hectare site where, in partnership with the Rodale Institute, researchers focus on small to medium-sized plots where 22 different plant species are grown in rotation and in accordance to regenerative farming practices.
An agricultural methodology that regenerates the soil rather than depleting it, regenerative farming is based around principles such as minimal soil disturbance, crop rotation and organic fertilisers. These practices have a number of benefits including the promotion of biodiversity in agroecosystems and creating soil that has the ability to sequester more carbon. When we breathe out carbon dioxide (or burn fossil fuels which produce the gas), plants absorb it and send it to their roots where it gets stored in the soil. However, damaged soil releases carbon back into the atmosphere, which contributes to the warming that we’re currently experiencing. Because of this, many experts believe that regenerative farming can help reverse industrial agriculture’s contributions to climate change.
Ingredients grown using regenerative farming principles at EROC have begun to make their way into the Davines’ products. Last year, the brand debuted a limited edition hair and body wash bar formulated with white yarrow extract from the centre and this April, the WE STAND/for regeneration hair, body and face butter “product with purpose” launches. Made with regenerative organic calendula from EROC alongside 85.5 per cent biodegradable ingredients, the moisturising butter can be used to hydrate your skin and hair.
While these products are, first and foremost, appealing for the environmental benefits, the brand is also hoping to prove that ingredients farmed in a regenerative way ultimately offer better results, making it an easy decision for even those customers who don’t prioritise sustainability. “A lot of the research we’ve now started aims to, among other things, show that an ingredient farmed this way can actually have a higher potency or higher efficiency, while at the same time being good for the planet,” Jorge Blanco, creative director at Davines told Dazed in 2022. “If we can show that through really thorough data I think that it’ll be compelling for everyone to just make it an easy decision.”
It’s not just through the products that the B Corp certified Davines is working to make a difference, however. From planting trees along the side of the A1 motorway to counteract emissions of cars (part of Parma’s ‘Green Kilometer’) to the pollution-absorbing buildings of the company’s offices and the aprons worn by staff which were created by an organisation that supports victims of domestic violence, Davines puts thought into making every step of the process ethical meaning that you can buy their products as guilt-free as one can consume anything under capitalism.
During a time when greenwashing has made it tough to discern whether the products you are using are actually sustainable in some way – remember ‘natural’, ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘non-toxic’ are not regulated terms! – brands are having to do more to stand out and make a difference. Regenerative farming is increasingly one of these ways. Companies like the J-beauty DAMDAM, Lush and Guerlain have used regenerative ingredients, while last year Neal’s Yard Remedies donated a portion of its sales to support sustainable farming, and Dr Hauschka and Oway use a similar method called biodynamic farming.
The everyday choices we make can feel futile in the face of government attacks on the environment and climate change agencies, but that’s all the more reason to support the brands that are trying to make a difference and one can only hope that more will follow the example set by companies like Davines.
