23 June 2025 - L'Oréal, the world's leading beauty company, has partnered with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) to launch its Sustainable Innovation Accelerator. The ambitious programme, endowed with €100 million investment over 5 years, is designed to address the critical solution gaps within the industry and accelerate the delivery of its 2030 sustainability commitments.
We’re delighted to announce our partnership with L'Oréal, launching a new Sustainable Innovation Accelerator that aims to mobilise and scale sustainability-led innovation to address the continued challenges facing the beauty industry.
The accelerator programme, run by our Canopy (CISL) innovation experts, will actively seek and support startups, SMEs, and established innovative companies with ready-to-pilot solutions in seven key areas including:
- Low carbon and climate smart solutions
- Water-resilience solutions
- Nature-based solutions
- Alternative ingredients and materials
- Eliminating fossil plastic use and plastic waste
- Circularity and resources management
- Sustainable and inclusive business models
Our Chief Innovation Officer, James Cole, said:
“In the age of disruption, future focused corporates recognise the power of partnering universities and startups to source and develop new technologies, innovations and ventures which create long term value for the company and society. We’re delighted to partner with L'Oréal, to run a sustainability-focused innovation programme to source and accelerate commercially relevant solutions today for the problems of tomorrow.”
"At L'Oréal, we have always embraced and nurtured innovation, co-creating with partners across our value chain to drive positive change within the beauty industry," said Ezgi Barcenas, Chief Corporate Responsibility of the L'Oréal Groupe. "As we work with our ecosystem to pave the way for a more sustainable future, we know that we have to be even more intentional in seeking, advancing and scaling pioneering solutions. We are looking forward to collaborating with a growing number of innovators and problem solvers worldwide."