Startups and Scaleups Wanted for Unilever’s Positive Beauty Growth Platform

The Unilever Foundry, the CPG giant’s collaborative innovation network, has launched a new entrepreneurial challenge focused on sustainable beauty solutions through its Positive Beauty Growth Platform.

Unilever is searching for the startups, scaleups and academic spinouts to partner with its teams to bring functional ingredients that work with nature to its beauty and personal care products and packaging.

The call for submissions closes on April 11.

The Positive Beauty Growth Platform was launched last year to support Unilever’s Positive Beauty vision—a series of progressive commitments and actions for its beauty and personal care brands, championing a new era of beauty which is equitable and inclusive, as well as sustainable for the planet.

Detailed information about the challenge, evaluation process and timeline can be found here.

The leading ideas will be given the chance to explore partnership opportunities within Unilever’s Beauty & Personal Care business.

Positive Beauty Growth Platform says it is seeking unique biodegradable and sustainable solutions across haircare, skincare, deodorants and aerosols; “these might include planet-positive solutions across conditioning and sensorial agents, UV filters and boosters, product dyes and colorants, preservative helpers and antioxidants. They may also include packaging solutions that are compostable or marine degradable, have reduced carbon footprint, are from renewable feedstock sources or be replacements for our typical plastic applications. We also welcome bold, brave new ideas: we want to hear from those challenging what biodegradable ingredients are today and could become in the future.”

Last year almost 300 startups and scaleups from the fast-growing and ever-evolving world of social commerce applied to get involved in the Platform’s first challenge, according to the company.  A panel of Unilever’s leaders and experts shortlisted 33 candidates, and many are now kicking off pilot projects with Unilever’s leading Beauty & Personal Care brands, according to the CPG giant.

“We’re creating the next generation of technologies and ingredients for our beauty and personal care products that are not only highly effective, but also natural and sustainable.

“Collaborating with disruptive new players in this space is going to lead to even more breakthroughs as we grow our business and portfolio for a future where people and planet can thrive together,” said Unilever’s Chief Research and Development Officer Richard Slater.

According to Baz Saidieh, global head of the Unilever Foundry, the Positive Beauty Growth Platform is proving a catalyst of finding the greatest startup innovations and powering experimentation at scale.

“For our latest challenge, we’re keen to engage and explore partnerships with innovators developing biodegradable and sustainable ingredients and packaging for the future – something we know is increasingly important to people around the world,” Saidieh said. “If this call-out is half as successful as our last challenge, we should be in for some stunning collaborations.”

Applications can be found here.

Unilever will host an open forum/FAQs session on March 23 at 10:00BST and 16:00BST.

A short list will be announced on May 12, and a live challenge is scheduled for May 23.