This project, carried out by the Beauty Cluster together with Inèdit, Marimón Abogados, and Muttulab, highlights the importance of sustainability communication and how to do it rigorously, transparently, and legally.
The Beauty Cluster launches the Claims Guide. The largest business association in the cosmetics, perfumery, and personal care sector in Spain has developed, alongside Inèdit, Marimón Abogados, and Muttulab, a guide that provides companies in the cosmetics sector with a baseline framework for the correct use of environmental claims on products. The project has been supported by ACCIÓ.
The project emerges at a time when environmental claims, which are increasingly present in the labeling and communication of products, brands, and companies, face growing regulatory pressure. Upcoming European regulations—notably Directive (EU) 2024/825 on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition, the proposed Green Claims Directive, and, in Spain, the Draft Bill on Sustainable Consumption—strengthen the requirements for truthfulness, specificity, and scientific backing demanded of any environmental claim.
This context has led some companies to reduce or directly conceal their sustainability communications out of fear of making mistakes, facing criticism, or receiving sanctions—a phenomenon known as green silence or greenhushing. In response to this trend, Beauty Beyond Green proposes a different goal: it is not about communicating less, but about communicating better.
Two complementary tools
The core of the project is delivered through two tools designed for companies in the sector:
- An interactive, live digital tool that allows users to search for and select the most commonly used environmental claims in cosmetics and perfumery, validating their use through a visual traffic-light classification system: green (allowed), yellow (conditional upon certain requirements or evidence), and red (prohibited or high risk). For each claim, the tool outlines the reason for its classification, includes references to applicable regulations, and allows users to generate a downloadable report with the results.
- A sector-specific guide on sustainable claims in cosmetics and perfumery, titled “Communicating Sustainability with Credibility,” which offers a technical, environmental, and legal reference framework. The publication explains what greenwashing is and how to avoid it, summarizes the main European and Spanish regulations, proposes a framework with practical indicators based on five principles (clarity, verifiable data, context, life-cycle approach, and independently verified certifications), and compiles the complete list of claims analyzed in the digital tool, featuring examples of good and bad practices.
Both tools are available free of charge at www.beautybeyondgreen.com.
Communicating without fear, but with evidence
“The ultimate goal of Beauty Beyond Green is not to encourage the sector to communicate less out of fear of regulation, but to provide brands with the confidence they need to communicate better,” explains Adrià Martínez, General Manager of the Beauty Cluster. “We hope this project serves as a catalyst toward an authentic, credible sustainability communication that strengthens trust within the market.”
The project places special emphasis on the fact that neither of the two tools replaces a company’s own criteria or specific legal counsel: both are intended as supportive instruments for decision-making, not as automatic validation mechanisms or legal advice. The final adequacy of each claim will always depend on the specific circumstances of its use, the available evidence, and the evolution of the regulatory framework.
