When it comes to conversations around sustainability in beauty, a lot of the focus is placed on packaging. This is understandable, considering an estimated 120 billion units of packaging are produced by the industry every year (contributing to the loss of 18 million acres of forest annually), and 70 per cent of the industry’s waste is attributed to its packaging. But the buck doesn’t stop at influencer gifting, superfluous plastic and unrecyclable pumps. The lifecycle of a product begins in the ground, and the method of growing and harvesting the ingredients that make up a product is just as important as what it ultimately is housed in.

The health of the soil that grows your beauty products isn’t an especially sexy topic to write, read or make viral TikToks about, which is perhaps why it’s not a topic that beauty consumers know very much about. Despite this, healthy soil is a key aspect of how sustainable our routines are, which is why, over the last four years, Italian haircare brand Davines has committed to regenerative farming. In 2021, Davines formed the European Regenerative Organic Centre (EROC) at the Davines Village HQ in Parma, Italy, a 17-hectare site where, in partnership with the Rodale Institute, researchers focus on small to medium-sized plots where 22 different plant species are grown in rotation and in accordance to regenerative farming practices.