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The State of Sustainability Laid Bare
According to the annual Sustainability in the Beauty Industry Report, the attitudes of beauty pros shifted, prioritizing issues they could personally control in the short-term, such as color management, water conservation and waste.
by Staff
January 14, 2026
2 min to read
Industry attitudes towards sustainability saw a shift during 2025, with priorities stacked around what professionals could personally control in the short term rather than longer-term principles. Findings in the annual Sustainability in The Beauty Industry research review published at the end of the year revealed longer-term issues like global warming were less of a focus than specific actions stylists can personally impact and benefit from, such as color management, water conservation, and waste.
“More than 90% of beauty professionals prioritized sustainability in the 2025 survey, mirroring prior years,” reported Valorie Tate, research and author of the annual research initiative and founder of Sustain Beauty Co. “Yet there was a shift toward more local and personally relevant actions, clearly focusing on their ability to control outcomes.”
Each year the Sustainability in the Beauty Industry research captures data on the attitudes, practices, and challenges of professionals to provide a unique view of the current state of sustainability in the industry. In this year’s report, the majority of those surveyed were still committed to sustainable initiatives, with 72% planning to recycle, 69% focused on removing toxic cleaners and detergents from their workspace, 69% determined to invest in color management and 66% looking to water-saving appliances. However, only 43% stated they would likely switch to a more sustainable brand, which was down 15% year-on-year compared to the 2024 survey.
One key finding was that as professionals constricted their own intentions and investments, they were looking to brands to pick up the slack. Many comments from those surveyed highlighted areas beyond their control such as plastic used by their suppliers or the limitations on more natural alternatives. But instead of abandoning brands they know and trust, they want more support from suppliers. Top requests voiced in the survey comments were for brands to promote sustainability in their own marketing, to provide them with education on how to talk about sustainability and to feature more regular marketing and social media inspiration.
“Their belief in the need for change is still the dominant opinion. They just want more of the burden for bigger action to shift to the larger industry players that control things like developer bottles made from plastic,” added Tate. “Many of our partners in the industry are already making these moves and researching alternatives, so 2026 may be the year to start talking about it to your partner stylists and the consumers they serve.
“The industry wants us to help them talk the talk and walk the walk. Let’s do that.”
To read the full report, download the Sustainability in The Beauty Industry report. Free to the industry along with other research from Sustain Beauty Co.
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