No More Dead Bugs in Lipstick
Unilever's cosmetics brand, Hourglass, goes all-in on making vegan products.
What is this about?
Hourglass recently transitioned its entire colour cosmetics and skincare portfolio to vegan, with a focus on reformulating its red lipstick to eliminate carmine—an ingredient derived from crushed female cochineal insects.
Why is it interesting?
Sometimes doing the right thing is difficult but rewarding; that's why Unilever invested significant time to answer a troubling question - Why are we still using dead bugs in our red colouring?
The solution comes in the form of 'Red 0', a fully vegan ingredient that's set to remove 18-20% of all beauty products that contain carmine. The best part is, Unilever plans to open source their method in just a few years. This action by the company aligns with our Future Code Regeneration Nation, and its opportunity to minimise ingredients, stay all natural & maximise transparency.
So What?
The decision to go vegan and open-source demonstrates a commitment to industry-wide progress and planetary benefit. And by doing so, Unilever has set a precedent for collaborative and sustainable approaches in-and-out of the cosmetics industry.
Just Imagine ...
A near future:
Where Oatly launches a full non-dairy line-up of cheeses & yoghurts - including a wholesale program for other food companies to use them in their products.
A mid future:
Where Jell-o creates a domino effect in confectionary candy, by transitioning its portfolio to be gelatin-free (An ingredient that is about 50 percent boiled pig skin and 25 percent cow bones. It's used in many confections such as gummy bears, fruit snacks and jelly-beans.)
A far future:
Where a lab grown replacement for wheat and barley means we no longer need to grow it in fields, rewilding a large proportion of the world, while creating innovation opportunities for food, beverage, and alcohol industries.
Has this sparked a thought for you?
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