Ethical issues in cosmetic industry

The article aims to examine ethical issues in cosmetic industry focusing on health and safety issues, work conditions, discrimination, marketing campaigns, animal testing, and environmental issues. First, we discuss the ethical dimensions of the relations between cosmetic companies and their employees or customers. Second, different environmental matters are presented considering sourcing materials, producing and consuming cosmetic products. Packaging and waste disposal problems are concerned as being important part of the product lifecycle in the sector. It is accented that regulation and legislation have impact on ethics in cosmetic industry. Changes in consumer demand reflect and impose substantial shift to sustainability principles by the cosmetic companies. In this regard, various measures and good practices are presented in order to illustrate the shift to natural cosmetics.