Better Health for All

L'Oréal recalled all U.S. lots of La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo acne treatment in March 2025 due to benzene contamination, a known carcinogen, with affected products containing over 800 times the FDA's benzene limit.

The company proactively recalled products and stated product safety is a priority. L'Oréal launched a €20 million, five-year 'Act for Dermatology' program in March 2025, with €2 million specifically for open access to scientific publications for low-to-middle income countries. This program aims to improve access to skin health services for 2.1 billion people, particularly in low- and middle-income settings and vulnerable communities, and includes training healthcare workers globally. A study launched in October 2024 across 194 countries found that over one-third of countries have one or fewer dermatologists per 100,000 people, impacting at least 3.5 billion people. The company also invests in R&D for sun protection products, a preventative measure against skin cancer, and acknowledges the mental and emotional burden of skin diseases, with 27% of people with skin disease reporting depression and 29% anxiety. The 'Act for Dermatology' program also acknowledges the impact of climate change on skin health.

Honest & Fair Business

L'Oréal received a Green Supply Chain Corporate Information Transparency Index (CITI) score of 24.52/100 in November 2023.

The company has a comprehensive 'Speak Up' policy for whistleblowers, available to internal and external stakeholders, allowing anonymous reporting via a secure website, and explicitly prohibiting retaliation. In 2023, 678 whistleblower reports were received. L'Oréal conducts hundreds of audits annually to ensure suppliers adhere to ethical standards. The company has an ESG Risk Rating of 19.6 from Sustainalytics as of April 2025, placing it in the 'low risk' category. Investigations into ethical concerns can last several months, and the admissibility review for whistleblower reports takes 20 working days. L'Oréal maintains a zero-tolerance anti-corruption policy, updated in 2023, which applies globally to all employees, officers, and directors, prohibits facilitation payments and political contributions, and requires due diligence for acquisitions and joint ventures. The company uses EcoVadis assessments to evaluate supplier policies and is a co-founder of the Responsible Beauty Initiative.

Kind to Animals

L'Oréal is not certified cruelty-free by recognized organizations like Leaping Bunny or PETA, and Naturewatch has boycotted the company since 2000.

The company states it ceased testing products on animals in 1989 and ingredients since then, and no longer tolerates exceptions. However, L'Oréal acknowledges that certain health authorities, such as in China, may still require animal tests for some cosmetic products, and the company continues to sell products there. L'Oréal lobbied against the 2003 EU animal testing ban. The company has been at the forefront of developing non-animal testing methods for over 40 years, reconstructing human skin models since 1979, and using predictive assessment tools. It contributed to the approval of dozens of alternative methods, and in 2022, a Time-To-Toxicity evaluation method was included in OECD test guidelines. L'Oréal has been actively working with Chinese authorities for over 10 years to advocate for the recognition of alternative testing methods and the elimination of animal testing requirements. Since 2014, non-functional cosmetics manufactured locally in China, and since 2021, imported non-functional cosmetics, no longer require animal testing, subject to compliance certificates. L'Oréal is an active member in international scientific collaborations such as LRSS, EPAA, and RiskHunt3R.

No War, No Weapons

L'Oréal's core business is cosmetics and beauty, and the provided articles contain no evidence of involvement in arms manufacturing, military contracts, dual-use technologies, or sales to embargoed regimes, leading to a score of N/A (0) for these KPIs. The company aligns its Human Rights Policy with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and has been a signatory of the UN Global Compact for 20 years.

Human rights impact assessments have been conducted in its upstream value chain, with 7 HRIAs as of 2024, and audits are performed frequently, averaging four per day worldwide. L'Oréal aims for 100% of forest-related raw materials to comply with Human Rights principles by 2030, with 89.2% compliance in 2023. For palm-related products, 96% are traced back to mills, and 100% of palm volumes are Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)-certified since 2012. The company identified potential human rights issues, including child labor, in Egypt for jasmine sourcing. L'Oréal's Inclusive Sourcing program supports 1,511 jobs in vulnerable zones in France, representing nearly half of its beneficiaries in the country. The company's Code of Ethics prohibits child labor and forced labor, and 95% compliance with ethical standards is indicated by the absence of critical modern slavery risks in audits, with only minor non-compliances identified.

Planet-Friendly Business

In 2024, the company's total Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions were 7,260,479 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

Its decarbonization trajectory and targets for 2030 and 2050 were validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in April/May 2024, aligning with a 1.5°C pathway. The company achieved 97% renewable energy for its operated sites in 2024. Its net-zero target year is 2050, aiming for a 90% reduction in global emissions with residual emissions offset. The company reduced water consumption at plants and distribution centers by 54% per finished product between 2005 and 2022, and received an 'A' score in CDP's 2022 ranking for sustainable water management. In 2024, 76% of waste on industrial sites was reused or recycled, with 810 tonnes sent to landfill. In 2024, 26% of packaging was from recycled components, and 37% of packaging was made of recycled or biobased materials. The company aims to reduce packaging quantity by 20% in intensity compared to 2019 by 2030. L'Oréal has committed €22 million to date to the Fund for Nature Regeneration, with a total fund of €50 million, aiming to restore one million hectares of degraded ecosystems by 2030. The company launched a Zero Deforestation policy in 2014 and released its 2030 Forest Policy in 2021, with a target for 100% of biobased materials to be deforestation-free by 2030. The company has disclosed its GHG balance in its Universal Registration Document since 2016 and involves strategic suppliers in measuring and reducing GHG emissions, encouraging participation in the CDP Supply Chain program. Climate-related risks and opportunities are described annually in the URD, and risk review includes physical and transition risks carried out according to IPCC RCP 1.9 and RCP8.5 scenarios. The EcoBeautyScore Consortium developed a shared scientific method for measuring a product’s environmental impact across its life cycle. The company plans to offset residual emissions with carbon removals, up to a maximum of 10% by 2050.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

The provided articles do not contain specific, concrete data points or quantitative evidence to assess L'Oréal against the defined KPIs for 'Respect for Cultures & Communities'. Information regarding formal partnerships, revenue reinvested in local communities, cultural appropriation incidents, cultural impact assessment protocols, local employment ratios, grievance mechanisms, FPIC participation, community governance inclusion, cultural preservation investment, local procurement share, indigenous supplier count, cultural site protection, social license operations, charitable giving to cultural organizations, community fund allocation, language inclusivity, cultural incident response, or cultural training completion is not present. The articles discuss general diversity and inclusion strategies

, a specific controversy related to an influencer's comments on race , and global market multiculturalism , but lack the specific metrics required by the rubric.

Safe & Smart Tech

L'Oréal published its "Responsible Framework for Trustworthy AI" internally in 2023, aligned with UN standards.

This framework includes Principles for Trustworthy AI, Training & recruitment, and Review & monitoring. Internal governance bodies and a Scientific Ethics Advisory Committee verify these principles, aiming to avoid algorithmic bias. All L'Oréal employees are required to follow specific training on information safety, including mandatory online training involving complex scenarios, and participate in an annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The company states that all investigations are managed on a dedicated system hosted on an encrypted platform, protecting all related information. L'Oréal assesses new systems for security, data, and privacy to secure information integrity. The company promotes considering the impact of projects on people, society, and the environment, and states that only necessary personal data should be collected. L'Oréal's Code of Ethics emphasizes respecting laws and regulations and includes sections on handling personal data and promoting responsible technology use. The company also promotes inclusive tech initiatives. However, a lawsuit alleges L'Oréal USA engaged in unauthorized data use of biometric information, failing to provide adequate notice and consent, and lacking a policy for data destruction, which is a violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The company's Code of Ethics states that personal data should not be used in ways not explained in advance to the individual. L'Oréal also states that every formula of each new product undergoes approximately 100 quality controls before market release, but this is not explicit security testing coverage. The company has no documented bug bounty program.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

L'Oréal diverted 76% of waste at its industrial sites through recycling or reuse between 2019 and 2024.

In 2020, 49.8% of packaging was designed for recycling. By 2024, 49% of packaging was refillable, reusable, compostable, or recyclable. In 2024, 92.7% of the PET plastic used by L'Oréal Paris came from recycled plastic, and 85% of the PET volume used globally was recycled in 2023. L'Oréal Paris achieved a 60% reduction in plastic for Elvive refills and reduced virgin plastic by 7,220 tons per year in Europe for Elvive. The company integrates circular economy principles, using its SPOT eco-design process for product development. Waste reduction initiatives include reducing packaging weight and size, offering refills, and integrating leaflets into product boxes to avoid 100 tons of paper waste annually. The new Casting Crème Gloss kit's packaging weight was reduced by 8%. The company uses auto-boxer and auto-bagger machines to reduce box volume by up to 50%. L'Oréal has a target to reduce packaging quantity by 20% in intensity compared to 2019. The company conducts social audits for recycled plastic suppliers in high-risk countries. L'Oréal Paris provides clear disposal information on all products and packaging and encourages consumers to recycle. 10-15% of facilities have zero waste certification.