L’Oréal partners with Dioxycle to convert captured carbon into packaging materials

L’Oréal has announced a partnership with clean technology company Dioxycle aimed at converting captured carbon emissions into materials suitable for beauty packaging.

Dioxycle, a French-American company founded in 2021, develops technology that converts carbon monoxide (CO) or carbon dioxide (CO₂) into ethylene through a process known as carbon electrolysis. Ethylene is a key chemical used to produce polyethylene (PE), one of the most widely used plastics in packaging.

The company’s technology uses a low-temperature electrolyser to produce ethylene from captured carbon emissions, water and renewable electricity. Dioxycle states that the approach is designed to reduce reliance on fossil-based feedstocks while lowering the carbon footprint associated with conventional ethylene production.

By partnering with a global beauty group that demands the highest standards of excellence, we’re proving that sustainability and performance can go hand in hand. L’ORÉAL’s leadership in adopting scalable climate solutions sets a powerful precedent and brings us closer to a circular carbon-based chemical industry.

Dr. Sarah Lamaison, CEO and Co-Founder of Dioxyce.

Through the collaboration, L’Oréal intends to evaluate the use of polyethylene produced via carbon electrolysis within its packaging portfolio. The company said the initiative forms part of its wider efforts to develop alternative raw materials and advance more circular carbon-based chemical systems.

L’Oréal also noted that the partnership aligns with its broader sustainability strategy, “L’Oréal for the Future,” which includes a number of packaging targets set for 2030. These goals include reducing the use of virgin plastic in product packaging by 50% and sourcing 50% of packaging materials from recycled or bio-based sources.

As a world leader in beauty, L’Oréal operationalizes future-forward technologies. The conversion of carbon emissions into innovative materials unlocks unprecedented avenues for increasingly desirable, high-performing, and sustainable packaging, paving the way for a new era of environmental footprint reduction for our industry and beyond.

Jacques Playe, SVP Global Development Packaging, L’Oréal Group.

The collaboration is expected to contribute to L’Oréal’s efforts to address Scope 3 emissions associated with materials and packaging, while maintaining performance requirements for its product containers.