Our Commitment to Using RSPO Palm Oil Ingredients
As scientists, we understand that all of Earth’s ecosystems are connected. That’s why we take special care when sourcing our ingredients to ensure that they are produced in a way that is responsible to people and the planet.
When it comes to ingredients, few are more controversial than palm oil. While it’s long been on many people’s radar as contributing to deforestation, habitat loss, and exploitative labor practices, most don’t realize that it’s a commonly used in many beauty products.
As part of our commitment to mindful environmental stewardship, we ensure that palm-oil-derived ingredient we use is certified by the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil, a nonprofit organization formed to help protect people, animals, and rainforests.
How is Palm Oil Used in Cosmetics?
Palm oil is a versatile vegetable oil that is extracted from the flesh and kernel of the oil of the palm fruit. While you may have already noticed featured in the ingredients of some foods you enjoy, the majority of ingredients in cosmetics have some kind of association with palm derivatives.
Many of these are emulsifiers and thickeners – such as mineral oil -- that go by different names, so you wouldn’t necessarily recognize a palm-oil-derived ingredient on a product label. This can make it hard to discern which cosmetics include palm oil and nearly impossible know whether palm oil ingredients are ethically sourced.
Palm Oil and Deforestation
According to a new analysis by Global Witness, an environmental watchdog organization, and Trase, a non profit that analyzes supply chains, palm oil is the consumer commodity that contributes most to the loss of tropical forests.
Palm oil contributes to deforestation when rainforests are flattened and burned to make way for palm oil plantations. This not only reduces rainforest's ability to act as a carbon sink, it also releases more carbon into the atmosphere and displaces wildlife and local communities that depend on natural resources for their livelihoods, survival, and traditions.
Fortunately, organizations such as the global nonprofit Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) are working to halt the destruction.
Our RSPO-Certified Formulas
The RSPO was formed in 2004 to develop a set of environmental and social criteria that minimize the negative impact of palm oil production on the local environment, wildlife and communities.
To become RSPO Certified, companies must complete a thorough and continued verification process including systematic annual audits while maintaining and improving their compliance status to reflect continued improvement.
Every Biossance formula that uses applicable ingredients is RSPO certified, ensuring that our products use only palm oil derivatives not associated with deforestation, habitat loss, or negative impact on local communities.
