From trash to treasure
Upcycling is the art of transforming discarded or overlooked materials into something new and valuable. Unlike traditional recycling, which often involves breaking materials down into a lower-quality form, upcycling enhances the original material’s value. It’s a sustainable practice that minimizes waste, conserves resources, and celebrates ingenuity.
The call for a circular economy
The growing interest in upcycling is closely linked to the urgent need for more circular economic models. Overconsumption of the planet’s resources and escalating waste production continue to strain the environment. Each year, millions of tons of waste find their way into landfills, contributing to pollution and resource exhaustion.
This impact can be mitigated by adopting circular practices—sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, recycling, and upcycling—to extend the lifecycle of materials and reduce environmental burden.
Why is food waste a goldmine for sustainable beauty?
Upcycling plays an increasingly central role in the sustainable beauty movement. Waste recovery is now fully integrated into R&D as a source of responsible, effective, and environmentally friendly ingredients.
Much of the waste used in cosmetics is sourced from the food industry, particularly from horticulture. Processes such as pressing, pulping, peeling, or filtration generate large volumes of by-products, many of which hold untapped potential as raw materials.
Examples include:
- Food waste: peels, seeds, stems, leaves, and discarded vegetables.
- By-products: byproducts of transformation processes, like bran from milling, molasses from sugar production, or oilcakes from seed pressing.
Innovation in action: upcycled plant waters by gattefossé
As part of its sustainability commitment, Gattefossé has collaborated with the food industry to develop Original Extracts™, a range of upcycled plant waters used in cosmetics.
These all-natural, COSMOS-approved or certified waters are extracted from the juice or drying processes of seven fruits: orange, lemon, grapefruit, grape, cranberry, kiwi, and apple. The technologies used require no external water or solvents, ensuring purity and sustainability.
Key benefits of Original Extracts™:
- 100% fruit-derived
- Rich in trace elements and minerals
- Fully or partially replace the water in cosmetic formulations
- Contribute to saving 200–300 tons of water from waste each year
By using these upcycled ingredients, brands can boost the naturality and eco-performance of their products without compromising on quality.