Packaging

The products themselves sit mostly in plastic: pump bottles, squeeze tubes, dropper vials, and lip applicators, many of which combine several materials in a single component, which lowers how readily they are recycled in practice. The brand has made some real moves around this, using FSC-certified outer cartons, removing acetate windows, limiting foil, trimming excess secondary packaging, and saying it is folding in bio-resin and post-consumer recycled content while shifting some jars to glass.

The limits are clear, though. Most of these improvements are described as in progress rather than delivered across the range, the only verified certification (FSC) covers the outer carton rather than the container that holds the product, post-consumer recycled percentages are not disclosed, and there is no refill, return, or take-back option anywhere in the line.

Ingredient Sustainability

The formulas are largely water-based and lean on plant-derived oils, butters, and extracts. A good share of these are low-impact. Jojoba is drought-tolerant and perennial, aloe and green tea are undemanding crops, and the citrus extracts that recur across the range (orange, grapefruit, mandarin, lemon) are frequently peel or byproduct streams that put little additional pressure on land.

Several other plant inputs carry real environmental caveats that the brand does nothing to resolve, because it publishes no sourcing detail and holds no sourcing certifications. Shea butter faces regeneration pressure where global demand runs ahead of supply. Sweet almond oil is notably water-intensive. Soybean oil is tied to deforestation-driven monoculture. The coconut-derived alkanes and cleansing agents that appear throughout the line are sustainable only when grown outside monocultures, which cannot be confirmed here. Turmeric root extract is a soil-depleting monoculture crop. 

None of these botanicals carry organic, Fair Trade, RSPO, or comparable verification, so the more responsible version of each input remains unproven.

On the synthetic side, the formulas steer clear of the worst petrochemical offenders but still include persistent, non-biodegradable materials such as dimethicone and dimethicone crosspolymer, isododecane and isohexadecane, and acrylates copolymer, plus a synthetic colorant (Yellow 6) in the flagship serum.

Energy Use and Carbon Footprint

OLEHENRIKSEN publishes no emissions data, no renewable energy commitment, no reduction targets, and no carbon neutrality claim of its own. Its operating parent, Kendo Holdings, likewise has no public emissions figures or targets.

The wider LVMH group reports meaningful progress, including more than a 55% cut in its direct and purchased-energy emissions since 2019 and roughly 71% renewable energy across its energy mix, and the brand's operations sit inside that infrastructure.

Waste Management

There is no refill, buyback, or take-back program. The “Replen. Save. Glow.” offering is a subscribe-and-save replenishment plan, not a packaging refill system, so it does not reduce the amount of material used. 

The brand trims some excess packaging, and a few products are positioned as multitaskers (the eye cream doubles as a makeup primer, for example), which modestly stretches use per unit.

Beyond recyclable outer cartons, there is no evidence of upcycled or repurposed ingredients, closed-loop design, or any circular program.

Business Model

The core of the line is built for repeat use rather than disposability. The vitamin C serum that launched the brand has been in the range since the 1980s, and most bestsellers are long-standing staples sold around a consistent multi-week routine, which favors longevity.

Pulling the other way is a fast, heavy promotional rhythm: frequent and deep discounts (up to 50% off), gift-with-purchase spend thresholds, buy-now-pay-later checkout, and a steady stream of limited-edition and trend-driven launches, especially seasonal lip-treatment shades marketed with urgency.