L’Oréal’s Rohini Behl Champions a Refillable Future in the Beauty Industry’s Sustainability Drive

Rohini Behl, Head of Sustainability for South Asia Pacific, Middle East & North Africa (SAPMENA), L'Oréal

Rohini Behl, Head of Sustainability for South Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa (SAPMENA) at L’Oréal, is on a mission to ensure the world’s largest beauty company grows responsibly in one of the most diverse and dynamic regions on the planet. Home to three billion people across 35 countries, from New Zealand to Morocco, SAPMENA is a region brimming with fast-growing economies and poised to welcome the most significant number of new consumers in the next decade.

Her role, she explained, is about mobilising teams across the business to turn L’Oréal’s “L’Oréal for the Future” commitments into tangible action. “Transformation happens through actions, one product, one choice, one moment at a time,” she said. “We have a responsibility to drive real, meaningful change, and we do this through four key pillars: steward the climate transition, safeguard nature, drive circularity and support communities.”

The Beauty Industry’s Footprint

Behl acknowledged that the beauty sector’s environmental impact primarily stems from Scope 3 emissions, which encompass the entire supply chain, from sourcing raw materials to packaging, manufacturing, transportation, and the end-of-life of products. L’Oréal, she noted, has a long history of environmental action. The company set its first industrial environmental targets in 2005, launched its first sustainability programme “Sharing Beauty for All” in 2013, and rolled out “L’Oréal for the Future” in 2020.

The 2025 milestone will mark the mid-point of the current programme, prompting the company to review progress, refine roadmaps and strengthen commitments for 2030 and beyond, with the ultimate goal of reaching net zero by 2050. L’Oréal’s leadership has been recognised globally, including nine consecutive years of triple-A ratings from CDP for climate change, forest protection, and water preservation, as well as Platinum status from EcoVadis for ethical business practices, social responsibility, and sustainable procurement.

Why SAPMENA Matters

Climate change is already a daily reality in the SAPMENA region, with extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves, becoming more frequent. Behl pointed out that the area also has the most significant global gender gap. With its vast and growing consumer base, accounting for 40% of the worldwide population and half of the world’s new consumers in the next decade, the stakes for sustainable growth are high.

Consumers, particularly those in Gen Z, are increasingly expecting brands to be transparent, ethical, and environmentally responsible. L’Oréal is addressing decarbonisation across all scopes, from creating better product formulas and reducing packaging intensity to using recycled materials and developing refill and reuse systems. “Our refills strategy is closing the desirability gap,” she explained. “We are delivering great experiences and performance at a lower cost, while reducing waste.”

The company has been using recycled PET in bottles since 2022. It is partnering with e-commerce platforms like Lazada and Shopee to eliminate plastic in packaging for parcels in Southeast Asia. Across its operations, L’Oréal has transitioned all manufacturing and administrative sites (excluding safety installations) to renewable energy, with factories in Egypt already utilising recycled water.

Balancing Growth and Responsibility

Behl believes economic performance and environmental and social responsibility must go hand in hand. Since its inception in 2021, L’Oréal SAPMENA has delivered consistent double-digit sales growth while making progress on sustainability. One example she cited is halving the intensity of carbon emissions from goods transport while doubling volumes.

Collaboration for Change

“Real, lasting change takes a village,” Behl said. L’Oréal partners with retailers such as Sephora, Bin Sina, and Adore Beauty to make refills accessible, as well as with suppliers to measure and reduce their environmental footprint through tools like EcoDesignCloud. The company is also working with the French start-up Impact+ to measure and optimise the carbon footprint of its media plans.

For communities, L’Oréal runs the “Beauty for a Better Life” vocational training programme across SAPMENA, which equips women from vulnerable backgrounds with skills in hairdressing, makeup and beauty advisory to help them secure employment.

The Future is Refillable

If Behl had to sum up the future of beauty sustainability in one word, it would be “refills.” L’Oréal is expanding refillable options across fragrance, hair care, skincare and makeup, making them more desirable, accessible and easy to use.

Well-loved products such as Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream, Lancôme Absolue Lait Crème, Kerastase Elixir Ultime, and La Roche-Posay Effaclar Gel are now available in refillable formats. Major fragrance launches, including Idôle by Lancôme, MYSLF by Yves Saint Laurent Beauty, Paradoxe by Prada, and Acqua di Gio by Giorgio Armani Beauty, are also available in refillable formats. The environmental savings are significant, refilling a Prada Paradoxe bottle, for example, reduces glass use by 44%, plastic use by 67%, metal use by 100%, and cardboard use by 61%.

Celebrity ambassadors like Emma Watson and Dua Lipa are helping spread the message, and this June, to mark World Refill Day, L’Oréal launched a global campaign across all refillable product lines, inviting consumers to “Join the Refill Movement.”