SUSTAINABILITY 37
Empowering innovation through carbon data mastery
Joanne Bradbury, Philip Yang – Croda Beauty
In today’s competitive beauty landscape, data is fast becoming a powerful tool for innovation. Ingredient-level carbon metrics - particularly product carbon footprints (PCFs) - are enabling formulators and R&D teams to design smarter, lower-impact products. As data capabilities expand and PCF
methodologies progress, data points such as total carbon content and biogenic carbon removals can further enhance the value and transparency already provided by PCF statements. Allowing for more detailed reporting of existing
product emissions, these metrics offer a new level of granularity to support the identification of high (or lower) impact ingredients, optimisation of formulation chassis, and implementation of strategic swaps that deliver measurable carbon savings. Crucially, this can be done while maintaining - or even improving - product efficacy and managing cost pressures.
Carbon content as a window into Scope 3 emissions To understand product-level carbon impact, a PCF calculation can be a valuable tool. The PCF value is an indication of all of the emissions associated
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with the production of the product (cradle-to- gate – from sourcing to manufacture). Not all carbon is the same though, so it is
important to know the origin of the carbon contained within the product to understand the potential downstream Scope 3 emissions that will be emitted when it eventually breaks down. This is where total carbon content comes in.
Measured as carbon units per unit of product (such as kg C/kg), it describes the total physical carbon contained within a product and can be divided into subcategories, including: ■ Biobased carbon content - The physical carbon contained in the product that is derived from living organisms. ■ Fossil carbon content - The physical carbon contained in the product that is fossil-derived (or petrochemical), which is non-renewable. ■ Recycled carbon content - The physical carbon contained in the product that is from recycled sources such as recycled plastics. ■ Carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) content - The physical carbon contained in the product that is from Carbon Capture and Utilisation. This is carbon captured from the atmosphere artificially (using technology) and then converted into useful
materials. From these selected subcategories, it is
important to note that fossil carbon content is the only non-renewable source of carbon.
The hidden advantage of renewable carbon content When products break down at end-of-life, they release greenhouse gases (GHGs). While several atmospheric GHGs exist, more than 90% are carbon dioxide (CO2
) and methane (CH4).1
Emissions from materials at end-of-life are expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2
e),
a standard unit that accounts for each gas’ unique global warming potential. While biobased, recycled, CCU, and fossil-
derived products all release GHGs at end-of-life, their impact can differ significantly. Renewable materials have a distinct advantage
over non-renewable materials when it comes to minimising climate impact: they avoid the additive effect of virgin fossil materials on atmospheric GHG levels. With diverse renewable carbon sources available, prioritising them in product design can allow for versatility to meet future requirements.
January 2026 PERSONAL CARE MAGAZINE
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