2026
9
UK Sustainability in BPC: 2026
2026-09-01T00:01:53+00:00
REP5CB27F2C_3C02_4F72_B27F_2C3C02CF7229
2195
195962
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Report
en_GB
Despite the prominence of sustainability claims in BPC launches, just 19% of UK adults prioritise acting sustainably in relation to BPC. This puts pressure on brands to make environmental benefits…
UK
Beauty and Personal Care
Sustainability
simple

UK Sustainability in BPC: 2026

Despite the prominence of sustainability claims in BPC launches, just 19% of UK adults prioritise acting sustainably in relation to BPC.

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Source: G2.com, Inc.
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  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • What you need to know
    • Outlook for sustainability in BPC
    • Opportunities
    • Now: make sustainable habits feel effortless
    • Next 1-2 years: scale refills and make desirability go beyond sustainable claims
    • Graph 1: share of BPC launches carrying refill/refillable claims, by category, 2026
    • Next 2-5 years: compete on the quality of sustainable innovation
  2. THE MARKET

    • Market factors
    • Turn sustainability into a treat to offset cost-concerns
    • Get one step ahead of sustainability regulation
    • Use AI to support sustainability without sacrificing trust
    • Future-proof supply chains against resource scarcity
  3. THE CONSUMER

    • Expand sustainability beyond recycling to increase relevance
    • Sustainability is not a top priority for consumers, so brands must weave it into other benefits
    • Boost repertoires and save energy use with hair style extenders
    • Ingredient sourcing can meet sustainability expectations and aid storytelling
    • Turn community impact into a visible part of brand sustainability
    • Graph 2: BPC launches with eco packaging and ethical-human claims, 2022-26
    • Make acting sustainably feel simple to drive broad adoption
    • Blend personal benefits with bigger impact to widen sustainability appeal
    • Adopt an easy-to-recycle model to future-proof and win in store
    • Close the gap between sustainability claims and action
    • Design rinse-off products with sustainable habits in mind…
    • …and make it effortless with smartly designed formulations
    • Graph 3: share of liquid soap and shower products containing select ingredients, 2020-26
    • Focus sustainability innovation where consumer demand is strongest
    • Match sustainable NPD with where consumers prioritise sustainability
    • Graph 4: beauty and grooming categories where sustainably is prioritised, 2026
    • Graph 5: % of launches carrying environmental or ethical claims, by category, 2026
    • Refillable claims offer a route to long-term brand engagement
    • Lean into the perceptions of refills as offering value to secure brand loyalty
    • Push sustainable claims of refillable deodorants further as the category gets crowded
    • Consider sustainable innovation with consumer priorities in mind
    • Position scalp treatments as a sustainable and convenient haircare solution
    • Strengthen sustainability storytelling to build trust and value
    • Leverage OOH advertising to make sustainability claims understandable
    • Put ‘made in the UK’ front and centre to win trust
    • Graph 6: perceptions of ‘made in the UK’ claims, 2026
    • Natural claims continue to earn positive perceptions, but there is room to challenge preconceived notions
    • How to address consumer perceptions of natural claims
    • Remove friction and improve transparency to recruit new users
    • Ensure sustainability feels low effort to recruit users
    • Make sustainability feel effortless without the need for innovation
    • Graph 7: share of beauty and grooming launches carrying ethical and environmental claims, by beauty price positioning, 2026
    • Build trust as greenwashing concerns put credibility under scrutiny
    • Use independent validation to earn trust
    • Men’s brands can leverage AI tools to explain sustainability claims
  4. PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING

    • Stand out by bringing biotech into the mainstream
    • Turn biotech innovation into a premium growth driver
    • Use plastic strategically to balance sustainability and convenience
    • Refresh established formats with sustainable innovation
    • Add prestige aesthetics without increasing packaging weight or material types
    • Elevate refills to make habit changes feel aspirational
    • Maximising the user experience of sustainable products can recruit new users
    • Make sustainable formats sensorially rewarding to drive long-term engagement
  5. APPENDIX

    • Report scope
    • The consumer
    • Consumer research questions
    • Consumer research methodology
    • Generation groups
    • Abbreviations
Download Report Summary

"Help consumers reduce water, energy and packaging use by making sustainable behaviours feel effortless rather than requiring significant changes to routines."

Georgia Stafford, Beauty & Personal Care Analyst

Georgia Stafford, Beauty & Personal Care Analyst

Despite the prominence of sustainability claims in BPC launches, just 19% of UK adults prioritise acting sustainably in relation to BPC. This puts pressure on brands to make environmental benefits feel more relevant, accessible and personally rewarding.

As consumers increasingly expect recyclable packaging as standard, opportunities for differentiation are shifting towards areas such as water reduction, energy efficiency and responsible ingredient sourcing. Brands that can connect sustainability with tangible personal benefits, including better health, convenience, time savings and value, will be best placed to drive engagement.

Trust presents a challenge for sustainable claims, with 59% of UK adults concerned about greenwashing by BPC brands. Transparency, independent verification and practical guidance are increasingly important, and brands will need to demonstrate their credentials clearly as regulatory scrutiny and consumer scepticism threaten claim credibility.

Innovation opportunities exist in refill systems, biotech-derived ingredients and quick-rinse formulations, but success will hinge on balancing sustainability with performance, enjoyment and affordability so consumers do not feel they are making compromises in exchange for environmental benefits.

This Report Looks at the Following Areas:

  • The need for sustainability must evolve beyond recycling and packaging to stay relevant to consumers
  • How to link environmental credentials to personal benefits to drive engagement
  • Where consumers prioritise sustainability and how this can guide innovation
  • Ways to address greenwashing concerns with transparency and evidence-based sustainability claims
  • Opportunities to leverage emerging technologies to simplify sustainability communication and improve credibility
  • How to remove barriers to sustainability to make choices feel intuitive and simple

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