Global beauty company L’Oréal announced the first cohort of companies for its flagship €100 million sustainable innovation program, L’AcceleratOR, selecting 13 climate, nature, and circularity-focused startups, following a review of nearly 1,000 applications.

Launched by L’Oreal last year, L’AcceleratOR was established to invest €100 million over five years to find, develop, pilot and scale technologies that address sustainability-focused challenges for the company and the wider beauty industry.

Under the program, L’Oréal is targeting themes such as low‑carbon materials and energy, alternative and nature‑sourced ingredients, the elimination of fossil‑based plastics and plastic waste, low‑impact manufacturing processes, water resilience, nature‑based solutions and inclusive business models. The program is run in partnership with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).

The first 13 startups and SMEs span four themes, including next generation packaging and materials, nature-sourced ingredients, circular solutions and data intelligence. They include the UK-based Pulpex, which is developing recyclable paper-based bottles, Japan-based Bioworks, which produces bioplastics from sugarcane and other plant sources, U.S.-based green chemistry and bio-sourced materials startup P2 Science, and UK-based supply chain emissions calculation solutions provider Neutreeno.

Ezgi Barcenas, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer at L’Oréal, said:

“To accelerate sustainable solutions to market, we are being even more intentional and inclusive in our pursuit of partnerships through L’AcceleratOR. We are really energized to be co-designing the future of beauty with CISL and these 13 change-makers.”

The 13 companies will now enter into a CISL‑led support phase focused on pilot readiness, with opportunities for six‑ to nine‑month pilots and potential scaling across L’Oréal’s business operations.

The program forms part of L’Oréal’s 10-year sustainability strategy, which includes 2030 goals to reach 100% renewable energy, sustainable source at least 90% bio-based materials in formulas and packaging and 100% recycled or reused water for industrial purposes, as well as circularity goals to reduce use of virgin plastic by 50% and source 50% of packaging materials from recycled or biobased sources, and climate goals to cut Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 57% and some Scope 3 emissions by 28%.