For a rinse-off product such as shampoo or shower gel, the use phase weighs most: 40 to 70% of the carbon footprint because of water heated in the shower, ahead of packaging (15 to 30%) and formulation (10 to 25%). For a leave-on product (face cream, serum), use accounts for less than 5% and packaging reaches 40 to 50%. Factory manufacturing represents 5 to 15% and transport 2 to 5%, even from Asia. Formulation remains decisive for other indicators: biodiversity, land use and water consumption.
Read the source article: What is the environmental impact of cosmetics?