At the 26th Cosmed Regulatory Congress on April 1, 2026, Flore Pluvinage, Editor in charge of cosmetics at the DGCCRF, presented the results of surveys conducted in 2024 and 2025 on environmental claims and information regarding cosmetic products, on the one hand, and on the tests intended to substantiate those claims, on the other.
Environmental claims and information on products
In line with previous investigations, these inquiries aimed to verify the accuracy of environmental claims and to continue monitoring those that might constitute greenwashing (including the terms “natural”, “organic” and “clean”) in accordance with the obligations set out in the AGEC Act.
Findings in 2024
This was a multi-sectoral investigation which, in the cosmetics sector, led to the inspection of 129 operators.
Numerous non-compliances were again identified, resulting in 19 warnings, 18 compliance orders and three formal notices.
“I should point out that one of the fines was issued following a failure to comply with an order previously issued to the company, which proved costly for them, both in terms of the amount of the fine and the media coverage resulting from the publication of the penalty,” said Flore Pluvinage.
She also highlighted the disparities that exist between different operators.
On the one hand, “smaller” operators often make use of environmental claims that are “of all kinds and poorly substantiated”. She attributes this to a lack of understanding of the regulations or ignorance of regulatory developments, particularly the update to the Guide to Environmental Claims.
On the other hand, …
