Packaging

Davines has put considerable design effort into reducing the environmental footprint of its packaging, although the company has not eliminated plastic from its lineup. As of recent reporting, roughly 64 to 67 percent of total packaging is made from recycled, bio-based, or mass-balance materials, with paper and cardboard packaging exceeding 90 percent recycled content. Bottles for shampoos, conditioners, and other liquid formulas typically use post-consumer recycled PET (rPET) or bio-based polyethylene derived from sugarcane, which is recyclable and has a lower carbon footprint than conventional fossil-based plastic.

The brand operates an in-house Packaging Research and Development department guided by eco-design principles, focusing on lightweighting (which reduced plastic use by 160 tonnes between 2014 and 2022), mono-material design for easier recycling, and elimination of unnecessary secondary packaging.

Davines also offers 500ml refill pouches for shampoos and conditioners, which the brand reports cut plastic consumption by 74 percent compared to two standard 250ml bottles.

A Take Back Box program with Green Circle Salons provides an in-salon collection channel for hard-to-recycle items like aerosols, dark plastics, and combined materials, although this is currently limited to a pilot network of participating salons rather than a comprehensive consumer-facing buyback system.

Ingredient Sustainability

The brand's Essential Haircare line incorporates signature plant extracts sourced from Italian Slow Food Presidia farms. These are small-scale producers cultivating heirloom species at risk of extinction, such as the Cartucciaru melon from Sicily, and the Minuta olive from Messina.

These partnerships, in place since 2014, support biodiversity, traditional cultivation, and small family farms rather than monoculture supply chains.

In 2024, Davines reached a notable milestone by obtaining Regenerative Organic Certification for the European Regenerative Organic Center (EROC), a 17-hectare research and farming hub in Parma run in partnership with the Rodale Institute.

ROC is one of the strongest standards available, covering soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker fairness simultaneously. However, ROC-certified ingredients currently appear in a limited number of products, typically limited-edition or campaign-linked items, rather than across the entire range.

Where the ingredient picture becomes more mixed is in the breadth of plant materials used across the broader catalog. The Authentic Formulas line, which the brand markets as 98 to 100 percent of plant origin, contains a mix of inherently sustainable ingredients alongside several that carry meaningful sustainability concerns when not carefully sourced. Safflower oil, sunflower oil, sesame oil, and jojoba oil are all relatively low-impact crops.

The Authentic Nourishing Oil also includes geranium (pelargonium) oil, patchouli oil, and citronella oil, all of which are typically associated with monoculture farming and soil depletion when grown at scale. 

Shea butter appears in the line as well, which can be sustainable when sourced from West African cooperatives but can also become a pressure point on shea tree populations under high demand. 

Davines does specify use of organic safflower oil and certified palm derivatives, but full sourcing transparency for individual ingredients like geranium, patchouli, or shea is not consistently provided product-by-product.

Synthetic ingredients across the lineup are mostly mild surfactants from the coconut and glucose families.

Energy Use and Carbon Footprint

Davines is one of the strongest performers in the professional haircare category on energy and emissions. The company achieved carbon neutrality across all its branches worldwide in 2018 and 2019 through a combination of emissions reduction and credible offsetting, including the EthioTrees reforestation and soil regeneration project in the Tembien Highlands of Ethiopia.

The brand has set emission reduction targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and has committed to net zero emissions by 2030 as part of the B Corp Net Zero 2030 pledge.

Davines publishes annual sustainability reports detailing direct and indirect emissions across scopes 1, 2, and 3, with the 2024 report drafted following GRI 2021 standards.

Waste Management

Davines makes meaningful efforts to reduce waste through both product design and end-of-life systems. The refill pouch program for the most popular shampoos and conditioners is the most impactful single waste-reduction initiative, reducing plastic by 74 percent per equivalent volume. The Take Back Box program with Green Circle Salons provides an in-salon collection point for hard-to-recycle items, although it remains in a piloted rollout across a subset of participating salons rather than a universally available buyback system.

All waste from the Davines Village production facility is reportedly recycled or recovered through a waste-to-energy process, with only a small residual amount sent for incineration. The brand emphasizes mono-material packaging designs to facilitate consumer recycling and provides clear disposal guidance.

Where Davines could go further is in true buyback or refill-at-home programs available to all consumers, not just salon clients, and in eliminating remaining single-use components like pumps and small caps. Multi-purpose products are present in the Authentic Formulas line (oil, butter, and shampoo formulated for use on hair, face, and body), but most of the broader catalog is single-purpose.

Business Model

Davines operates closer to slow consumption principles than most large beauty companies. Each Essential Haircare family addresses a specific hair need (hydration, smoothness, volume, color protection, repair, shine) rather than being driven by seasonal trend cycles. 

The same core lines have remained in the catalog for many years with formula refinements rather than constant new launches, and the brand emphasizes salon-prescribed routines built around long-term hair health rather than impulse purchasing.

Davines does release limited-edition products tied to its annual sustainability campaigns, such as the We Sustain Beauty and Grow Beautiful collections, but these are framed as climate action initiatives rather than novelty drops. The brand runs occasional promotions and gift-with-purchase programs, particularly through its direct-to-consumer site, which slightly softens what would otherwise be a more restrained model.