The tool will empower consumers with new information that will allow them to make more sustainable choices when deciding between L'Oréal Group haircare products.

Garnier is launching a digital labeling system that ranks its hair care products versus other L'Oreal Group Products based on 14 environmental factors.

Product Impact Labelling ranks each product from A to E, with "A" indicating the 10% of L'Oreal Group Products in the same category with the lowest relative product impact. The score considers 14 environmental factors, such as greenhouse gas emissions, water scarcity, ocean acidification, and impact on biodiversity, across all steps of a product's lifecycle, such as sourcing, manufacturing, transportation, usage, and disposal.   

"It seemed relevant to start with haircare, not only because they are our most popular products, but because we have found that rinse-off products have a higher environmental impact due to the energy required to heat water," says Clémence Gosset, Head of Consumer Information, L'Oreal Corporate Responsibility, in a news release. "The Product Impact Labelling system is based on the key impact assessments of the Sustainable Product Optimization Tool (SPOT), a methodology that L'Oreal developed together with independent scientific experts."

To calculate a product's rank, it is first assessed on its impact on 14 environmental factors over the product's lifecycle. The product's assessment is then assigned a rank by comparing its assessment to other L'Oreal Group products in the same product category. The product ranks range from A to E, with A representing the 10 percent of the portfolio with the lowest impact and E representing the 10 percent of the portfolio with the highest impact.

This new offering from Garnier is the latest in a series of ambitious initiatives the brand plans over the next several years to raise awareness that consumer choices have an impact on the environment. Garnier will continue its ambitious sustainable transformation but knowing that 80 percent of a shampoo's life cycle carbon footprint comes from its use in the home, empowering consumers to understand how they can act themselves is critical.

Garnier will be the first L'Oreal brand to implement the Product Impact Labelling system.  The tool will empower consumers with new information that will allow them to make more sustainable choices when deciding between L'Oréal Group haircare products. The methodology behind the labeling system was co-developed with 11 international and independent scientists and experts (between 2014 and 2016). Data is verified through Bureau Veritas Certification, an independent auditor.

To view a product's score, visit www.garnierusa.com. For shampoos, conditioners, and masks, click on "Environmental & Social Impact." A score will be displayed along with details of the product's impact, empowering consumers to make a more sustainable choice.