L’Oréal Group has selected the 13 startups for its first sustainable innovation accelerator, after reviewing nearly a thousand applications from 101 countries. These businesses — now with the recognition of one of the industry’s biggest conglomerates — hope to reform beauty, focusing on areas like recyclable and biodegradable packaging, and responsibly sourced ingredients.

“It was a fascinating selection process, showing that this sustainability challenge is catalyzing a very powerful wave of innovation everywhere in the world, in every discipline and with every kind of solution,” says Rachel Barré, VP of environmental leadership at L’Oréal Group. Launched in April 2025, L’AcceleratOR will invest €100 million in participating companies over five years and run in partnership with the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). It aims to help innovative startups and SMEs scale in areas that will drive sustainability improvements for the group and the broader industry.

The successful candidates include a Belgian biotech company using fungi to recycle discarded textiles into sustainable ingredients; a British firm that uses seaweed to make recyclable, low-carbon packaging; and a US-based green chemistry specialist that transforms upcycled organic material from industrial processes into sustainable cosmetics ingredients.

“We decided to focus on the most pressing challenges we are facing as L’Oréal and as an industry, but also the ones that were able to be tackled by innovation and technology,” Barré says. “That’s why we’ve been prioritizing our focus on next-generation packaging, ingredients from nature, technologies and solutions, enabling circularity and also data collection and intelligence tools serving our 2030 sustainability agenda.”

The company’s 2030 sustainability aims include sourcing at least 90% of bio-based materials used in formulas and packaging, sourcing over 75% of ingredients from nature or from recycled materials in formulas, and retrieving 50% of all materials used in product packaging either from recycled or bio-based sources.

The winners were among those able to demonstrate the progress they’d already made on their journeys to commercialization. “We wanted to make sure we were really focusing on companies ready to pilot, with great potential for scalability and able to deliver impact at scale,” Barré says.

While some of the chosen companies are already working with L’Oréal — such as biomethane producer Gás Verde, which, in partnership with L’Oréal, built the world’s first dedicated biomethane refueling station for the cosmetics sector in 2024 — Barré hopes many of the others will be bringing their products to the market very soon.

“The selected partners in this first cohort are not only ready in terms of pilot and potential for scalability, but they also benefit from strong business sponsorship within the company,” she says. “So it should allow us to make them available quite fast on the market, pending, of course, the results of the pilots.”

The 13 companies, assessed by L’Oréal, CISL sustainability experts and external parties during the selection process, will now launch into an intensive support phase led by the CISL innovation team, focusing on pilot readiness, and will also be able to launch six-to-nine-month pilot projects, supported by L’Oréal, with the potential for their solutions to be scaled across the group’s international operations.

Looking ahead, the group plans to launch a call for candidates for the next round of the innovation program later this year. The beauty giant foresees collaboration with the small innovators contributing to its own sustainability objectives, as well as helping the 13 companies — and the next wave of innovators — to find their way.

“It’s sometimes hard for startups when they do not have a good point of entry in a big company like L’Oréal,” Barré says. “For us, the idea is really to speed up that process of assessment, adoption and scalability, and definitely to help us accelerate toward our 2030 ambition by bringing these scalable, sustainable solutions to market.”

Here’s a look at the 13 companies in the first cohort.

Next-generation packaging and materials

Blue Ocean Closures

Founded in Sweden in 2021, Blue Ocean Closures produces fiber-based caps and lids as an alternative to plastic. The company uses a first-of-its-kind technology to press-dry materials into high-density 3D objects, turning plant-based fibers, taken from responsibly managed forests, into caps or lids — which have been lacking recycled alternatives. They are compatible with existing production lines, making them a practical and scalable alternative to plastic. The Blue Ocean Closures solution uses 10% of the energy consumed in traditional plastic molding and cuts carbon dioxide emissions by up to 80%.

PulPac dry molded fiber-based lid.

Photo: Courtesy of PulPac

Blue Ocean Closures’s cellulose fiber cap collaboration with Great Earth.

Photo: Courtesy of Blue Ocean Closures

Bioworks

Founded in Kyoto in 2015, Bioworks develops bio-based and biodegradable materials to replace conventional plastics in cosmetics packaging, aiming to bridge the gap between sustainability and performance. To do so, it has developed powerful plant-based additives that strengthen the functional properties of bio-based materials. PlaX, its next generation bio-based packaging material, is made from sugarcane and is stronger, more heat-resistant and easier to mold than competitors in the space. It emits 62% less carbon dioxide than traditional petroleum-based plastics, while supply chain compatibility makes it easier for brands to cut their environmental impact.

Kelpi

Seaweed is the key to the recyclable, low-carbon packaging created by Kelpi. The UK-based sustainable materials company and certified B Corp, was set up in 2020 and combines scientific research in biomaterials with commercial development to produce seaweed-based alternatives to conventional plastic packaging. Kelpi has pioneered a transformative biomaterial coating derived from renewable seaweed and natural plant oils, offering a plastic-like barrier against water, oxygen, grease and acidic contents, while remaining fully biodegradable and recyclable. The primary feedstock is responsibly sourced seaweed, which requires no land, freshwater, or fertilizers.

(Left-right) Kelpi CTO Georgios Gkotsis; CSO Stefanie Federle; CEO Hugo Adams; Chairman Neil Morris.

Photo: Courtesy of Kelpi

Pulpex

British startup Pulpex set out to develop alternatives to glass beverage bottles, because of both sustainability concerns and to meet restrictions on glass at outdoor events. Pulpex started life as an R&D collaboration between Diageo and Pilot Lite Group, before becoming an independent company in 2020. The team explored fiber-based packaging as a safer, eco-friendly solution, and developed a patented process for creating PET-free fiber bottles from wood fibers, which are recyclable through existing waste streams, for a broader range of categories, including cosmetics and wellness products. The company is currently building a full-scale production plant in the UK and securing manufacturing partnerships globally.

One of the 13 startups chosen for L’Oréal Group’s first sustainable innovation accelerator, Pulpex has developed a patented process for creating PET-free fibre bottles from wood fibres.

Photo: Courtesy of PulPac

Pulpac

An innovator in low-carbon, paper-based packaging processes, Sweden’s Pulpac was founded in 2018, with an initial goal of finding an alternative to single-use plastic. Experimenting with pressing plant-based fibers sourced from diapers, using a simple workshop press, led to the breakthrough: Dry Molded Fiber (DMF), a now-patented technology that forms cellulose without the water-heavy, energy-intensive steps typical of conventional processes. Pulpac also supports worldwide adoption of the innovation by connecting brands to a global network of top-tier machine suppliers, packaging converters and material partners through its licensing model.

Raiku

Raiku, founded in Estonia in 2021, turns natural, fully compostable materials into packaging material. Its innovative technology makes use of responsibly sourced wood, transforming it into coiled springs without the use of chemicals or additives. The company says its process reduces water consumption by 99.9%, energy use by 95% and wood use by 90%, compared to other paper production processes. Its modular production units can be set up in any warehouse, making expansion flexible and cost-effective, and the technology supports circular economy principles by using renewable, low-carbon, compostable materials while reducing waste — an important consideration, since only 65% of packaging in Europe is recycled.

Ingredients sourced from nature

Biosynthis

Chemical engineer Thierry Bernoud founded Biosynthis in France in 2001, to develop and produce sustainable alternatives to conventional “petro” ingredients for the cosmetics, lubricants and detergents industries, using low-impact, biodegradable and renewable ingredients. The company specializes in bio-based oleochemicals derived from renewable vegetable oils and fats, including biodegradable emollients, thickeners, polymers and innovative technological aids, such as biodegradable micro-capsules.

P2 Science

P2 Science was founded in 2012 by Patrick Foley and Paul Anastas, the latter of whom is widely recognized as the “Father of Green Chemistry”, out of designing chemical products and processes that reduce or avoid the use of hazardous substances. The company pioneers a new class of plant-based ingredients and processes rooted in the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry, which include guidelines such as avoiding waste and using renewable feedstocks, to replace unsustainable petrochemicals in everyday products.

P2 Science’s patented Citropol technology transforms upcycled organic material from industrial processes, such as pine tree oils from the pulp and paper industry, into high-performance polymers and cosmetic fluids for use in cosmetics and fragrances. The result replaces substances such as silicones in beauty formulations with biodegradable, bio-renewable and biocompatible alternatives. Over 200 beauty products already use Citropol.

Oberon Fuels

California-based clean energy company Oberon Fuels’s core mission is to cut global carbon emissions by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy alternatives, especially renewable dimethyl ether (DME), produced from organic and biogas waste. Founded in 2010, it was recognized by the World Economic Forum as a technology pioneer. For L’Oréal, adopting renewable DME would offer a direct path to decarbonizing product lines, while adhering to manufacturing realities and maintaining product performance.

Circular solutions

Novobiom

The Belgium-based biotechnology company uses the natural power of fungi — which it describes as nature’s most powerful recycler — to turn complex waste into high-value products. Its biotechnology platform takes clean, non-toxic waste, such as discarded textiles and cotton blends, and uses fungi to transform them into high-value, sustainable ingredients — biosurfactants — in a biological upcycling loop. The company, founded in 2017, also makes use of fungi’s potential and advanced digital technologies to restore soil through the precision bioremediation of soil and waste. The company’s innovation is gaining commercial traction through field deployments, EU-funded projects and collaborations with major industrial players, including L’Oréal.

Replace

Recycling company Replace was founded in 2019 with the aim of tackling the growing challenge of recycling multi-layer and complex plastics, which are beyond the reach of traditional recycling methods. Its patented IPRA technology transforms complex and multi-layered plastic waste, typically rejected by conventional recycling infrastructure, into durable materials to make new products that can be recycled again at the end of their life.

The process offers a 96% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, compared to incineration, and can cut carbon footprints by half. Each production line avoids 6,300 tons of CO2 annually and achieves 99% material yield with no microplastic release. The technology is modular and scalable, with small units deployable near waste sources and markets, reducing transport emissions and creating local jobs.

Gàs Verde

Brazil-based Gàs Verde, founded in 2022, produces biomethane to replace fossil fuels in industrial processes and transportation. It is the largest producer of biomethane in Latin America, with 12 renewable energy plants operating in six Brazilian states. In 2024, in partnership with L’Oréal Group Brazil, Gás Verde built the world’s first dedicated biomethane refueling station dedicated to the cosmetics sector, supplying 100% of L’Oréal Group’s inbound logistics fleet operating between the factory and the distribution center. Gás Verde is developing new fueling stations along Brazil’s main logistics routes, scaling supply, which will help L’Oréal Group Brazil move toward its 2030 goal of 60% of all items sold transported by trucks powered by biomethane, with all deliveries to the South and Southeast regions using renewable fuel.

One of the 13 startups chosen for L’Oréal Group’s first sustainable innovation accelerator, Gás Verde produces biomethane to replace fossil fuels in industrial processes and transportation.

Photos: Courtesy of L’Oréal

Data intelligence

Neutreeno

Physicist and sustainability engineer Dr. Spencer Brennan founded Neutreeno in 2020, aiming to help businesses cut their hard-to-track Scope 3 emissions in supply chains — typically accounting for 75% to 95% of a company’s carbon footprint. Traditional methods for addressing Scope 3 emissions rely on lengthy data collection and carbon accounting. Neutreeno focuses, instead, on the way products are made, while identifying more efficient alternatives. The Neutreeno system finds emissions and inefficiencies across complex supply chains using 90% less data than traditional Life Cycle Assessments, cutting the time it takes for companies to start making an environmental impact from months to weeks.