Can Neurocosmetics be Sustainable? Ingredients, Sourcing, and Smarter Formulation

On This Page

• Rethinking Ingredient Sourcing 

• The Role of Certifications in Sustainability

• How Biotech Neurosmetic Ingredients can Support Sustainability

• Smarter Formulation as a Sustainability Strategy

• Where Covalo Adds Strategic Value

• The Future of Neurocosmetics: Verified, Not Just Visionary 

The beauty industry’s environmental footprint continues to be significant in every stop of the supply chain. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the cosmetics sector contributes to plastic pollution and chemical discharge into waterways, raising concerns about life cycle impact and biodiversity loss.

At the same time, the European Commission's Green Deal and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive are increasing transparency requirements for companies operating in Europe. This means that at every step of product development, sustainability is no longer a side quest.

Behind every neurocosmetic product lies a fairly important question: can products designed to harmonize the skin brain axis also respect planetary boundaries? The challenge here is not to just show how neurocosmetics can be sustainable, but to prove that they are. This means that before any product hits the shelves, their sustainability performance must be assessed across three key areas:

• Ingredient origin and renewability
• Extraction and manufacturing impact
• End of life considerations

Below, we explore how to integrate sustainability into neurocosmetic development – from ingredient selection to supplier validation. We also examine how data platforms like Covalo, the world’s largest personal care ingredients platform, supports smarter, evidence based decisions.

Rethinking Ingredient Sourcing 

Many neurocosmetic actives are derived from plants traditionally associated with calming or adaptogenic effects. However, increased demand can create pressure on ecosystems if sourcing is not managed responsibly.

The Convention on Biological Diversity emphasizes the importance of sustainable use of biodiversity and fair benefit sharing, particularly for botanical resources. Frameworks such as the Union for Ethical BioTrade help guide responsible ingredient sources.

When sourcing ingredients, teams should include key questions such as:

• Is the plant cultivated or wild harvested?
• Is full traceability ensured across all supply chain stages?
• Are there biodiversity safeguards in place?
• Is harvesting aligned with regenerative or sustainable agricultural practices?

The Role of Certifications in Sustainability

Accredited certifications play a critical role in validating any claims and supporting procurement decisions. For personal care, there are several leading certifications you can use:

COSMOS

The COSMOS standard, managed by COSMOS-standard AISBL, sets criteria for organic and natural cosmetics, including rules on ingredient origin, processing methods, and environmental management.

For ingredient suppliers, COSMOS approval can signal compliance with strict raw material and processing requirements. For formulators, it simplifies the pathway toward certified finished products.

Ecocert

Ecocert is one of the founding members of the COSMOS standard and provides certification services for natural and organic cosmetics. Its certification frameworks address ingredient traceability, manufacturing practices, and environmental management systems.

Fair for Life and Ethical Certifications

Fair for Life certification supports fair trade, responsible sourcing, and social accountability within supply chains. For neurocosmetic botanicals sourced from developing regions, such certifications can reduce social compliance risk and strengthen supplier relationships.

How Biotech Neurosmetic Ingredients can Support Sustainability

If traditional sourcing asks how we extract from nature, biotech asks how we collaborate with it. Biotechnology enables the production of bioactive compounds through controlled fermentation, cell culture, or enzymatic processes. This can significantly reduce reliance on land intensive agriculture and vulnerable wild harvesting systems. The European Commission identifies biotechnology as a core technology for achieving more sustainable and circular bioeconomies.

For neurocosmetics, biotech offers several strategic advantages:

• Precision and consistency
• Reduced land and water use
• Biodiversity protection
• Traceability and supply security

Smarter Formulation as a Sustainability Strategy

Sustainability goes beyond sourcing, and formulation efficiency is important. Concentrated formats, waterless systems, and multifunctional actives can reduce packaging, transport emissions, and overall ingredient load.

For neurocosmetics, multifunctional ingredients can deliver both sensory modulation and barrier support and can streamline INCI lists and reduce complexity. Fewer raw materials often mean fewer supply chain risks and a smaller environmental footprint.

Where Covalo Adds Strategic Value

We’ve had a look at what you can do to ensure your neurocosmetic ingredients are sustainable. However, innovation requires visibility and easy access. R&D teams and procurement teams need access to structured, comparable information on ingredients, suppliers, certifications, and technical documentation.

With Covalo, you can:

• Discover thousands of ingredients with sustainability certifications and documented sourcing practices
• Compare supplier data
• Identify biotech alternatives to conventional actives
• Access documentation needed for substantiated claims

Rather than relying on a fragmented process with emails and PDFs, teams can now centralize their ingredient discovery and evaluation process. This reduces time to decision and improves cross functional alignment between teams.

In a category as complex as neurocosmetics, where efficacy validation already requires careful scientific scrutiny, adding sustainability criteria without the right data infrastructure can slow down innovation. With searchable, structured ingredient information, teams can integrate environmental considerations early in the formulation process instead of retrofitting them later.

The Future of Neurocosmetics: Verified, Not Just Visionary 

Neurocosmetics are currently at the frontier of skin science. More than scientific innovation they must bring in the example for sustainability, and there are clear steps we can take to achieve this. With responsible biodiversity management, certified sourcing and biotech innovation, neurocosmetics can take a step to create a more sustainable beauty industry. After all, the products designed to calm stressed skin should not create stress in supply chains or ecosystems. How neurocosmetics continue to evolve will be defined not only by neuromodulation claims, but by the strength of the data and certifications standing behind them.

Interested in trying Covalo and seeing how it can expedite your product development? Sign up for free and start browsing today!

💡 Covalo tip: If you’re attending in-cosmetics Global 2026 you can see “Beauty Inside Out: From Silicones to Neurocosmetics and Nutricosmetics – The Power of Amazonian Botanicals” hosted by BioTara’s CEO and co-founder John Goedschalk