Key figures on cosmetic waste

Every day, we buy 300,000 face creams. This statistic is available on the Planetoscope website and on the linfodurable.fr website.

We ourselves performed an estimation/verification of this calculation. We will detail the method below:

• According to the study carried out in 2019 for FEBEA, available here , the turnover of the cosmetics industry in France amounts to €19,400,000,000.

• The proportion of "Skincare category" care represents 26% of the market (source available here ).

• We therefore calculate the turnover of the Skincare category for the year 2019 in France as €5,044,000,000 (26%*€19,400,000,000).

• We divide this turnover by 365 to obtain a turnover/day of: €13,819,178.

• Assuming that this is a turnover inclusive of VAT and that the average selling price of a facial care product is €45 inclusive of VAT, we indeed find the figure mentioned above: 307,093 units sold every day in France.

Note that our estimate of €45 seems high, so it is a relatively conservative figure.

We wanted to find out if all 300,000 units had been sold, as this figure seemed quite significant. We therefore conducted a survey with the IFOP institute, interviewing French women on this subject.

METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE IFOP INSTITUTE

• Sample size of those surveyed: 2000 women
• Age: 18 years and over
• Representative of the French population (quota method)
• Fieldwork date: March 2020

THE RESULTS:

• 46% of French women report having already stopped/abandoned a product without finishing it.
• Of which 13% say they do it often or very often and 33% do it from time to time.

THE REASONS MENTIONED:

• No. 1: The purchased product often turns out to be unsuitable for their skin.
• No. 2: Efficiency is not always guaranteed.
• No. 3: The texture or fragrance is unsuitable, tied with allergic/irritation reactions upon application.

Unlike standard manufacturing, bespoke manufacturing allows for adaptation to the unique needs of each skin type, better targeting of product effectiveness, and adjustment of textures and fragrances to individual tastes and expectations.

Using the figures mentioned above and assuming a conservative estimate of 30g per cream, we arrive at 4 tons of cream being thrown away every day. We believe it is our duty to publicize this figure to raise awareness and demonstrate that another model is possible. Waste, in our view, is far from inevitable. We have collectively reached this extreme because we have lost sight of our individual needs. What makes us unique… something no standard, mass-produced product can perfectly fulfill.

Put another way, a 30ml bottle measures on average 7cm and a 30ml jar between 3 and 5cm. This means that in France, we would be throwing away the equivalent of 26 Eiffel Towers every day!