SUSTAINABILITY 49


Regenerative extractivism and carnauba wax


Lais Pontes - Pontes Carnauba Biowax


The global beauty and personal care industry relies extensively on natural raw materials, including plant oils, waxes, butters and botanical extracts, to deliver functional performance, sensory attributes and marketing value. These materials underpin critical formulation functions such as emulsion stability, film formation, gloss, barrier reinforcement and long- lasting sensorial effects. As consumer demand for naturally derived and clean label products continues to grow, the strategic importance of naturally sourced, plant-derived ingredients within cosmetic formulations has only intensified. Over the past two decades, emerging in the


early 2000s and consolidating throughout the 2010s, sustainability frameworks have evolved from niche differentiators into a licence to operate within global beauty supply chains. Socio-environmental due diligence processes,


responsible sourcing policies, certification schemes, supplier codes of conduct, independent third-party verification, product carbon footprint (PCF) assessments and life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies are now firmly embedded in procurement strategies across multinational cosmetic manufacturers. These tools have contributed to greater


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transparency, reduced exposure to deforestation and human rights risks, improved traceability and strengthened labour standards across complex international sourcing networks. Despite these advances, most sustainability


approaches in the beauty sector remain anchored in a harm-reduction paradigm. They are designed primarily to avoid the most severe negative outcomes, such as illegal deforestation, forced or child labour, or uncontrolled greenhouse gas emissions, rather than to actively generate positive environmental and social value. As climate change accelerates, biodiversity


loss intensifies and regulatory pressure increases globally, this less harmful model is proving insufficient to address the structural drivers of ecosystem degradation and social vulnerability in raw material sourcing regions.


Regenerative extractivism Against this backdrop, regenerative extractivism represents a fundamental shift in sustainability thinking. Rather than asking how sourcing can be less damaging, regenerative extractivism reframes extraction itself as a mechanism for ecosystem restoration, carbon sequestration and inclusive socio-economic development.


ABSTRACT


Pontes Carnauba Biowax provides a practical case through which the potential of regenerative extractivism can be examined as an emerging paradigm for sustainable raw material sourcing in the beauty and personal care industry. Derived from leaf-only extraction of Copernicia prunifera Mart. within native semi-arid landscapes, the material exemplifies how bio-based cosmetic ingredients can be produced in ways that actively support ecosystem integrity, carbon sequestration, and inclusive socio-economic development


This approach is particularly relevant for


perennial native species adapted to ecologically sensitive, seasonally dry ecosystems, where well-managed extractive activities can generate economic value through conservation rather than land conversion. Increasingly recognised as nature-based


solutions, regenerative extractivism models, including leaf-, fruit- and resin-based extraction systems, aim to restore soil health, rebalance


June 2026 PERSONAL CARE MAGAZINE


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