Rituals
Learn more about our scoring →
About Rituals
Rituals operates as an independent Dutch wellness beauty brand that has positioned itself at the intersection of ancient traditions and modern sustainability practices. Since 2000, the company has built a distinctive market presence in the bodycare category through its philosophy of transforming everyday routines into mindful rituals, while establishing itself as a third-party certified company that integrates verified social and environmental standards into its business operations.
The brand's sustainability approach centers on innovative packaging solutions, particularly its pioneering refill system launched in 2017 that demonstrates independently verified environmental savings across materials, energy, and carbon footprint. Rituals has committed to ambitious climate targets including Net-Zero by 2050 and significant greenhouse gas intensity reductions, while maintaining high standards for ingredient safety with natural origin formulations comprising the majority of its personal care products.
As an independent company, Rituals has maintained operational flexibility that allows for distinctive sustainability initiatives like its 10% Profit Pledge commitment and reforestation programmes, though certain areas such as water stewardship and comprehensive vegan certification remain less developed compared to its strengths in climate action and cruelty-free practices.
The Good Stuff
Where Rituals appears to be making meaningful progress. We cross-referenced these findings with multiple independent sources.
Independent Sustainability Certification
Third-party verified social and environmental certification with verified labor standards, supply chain oversight, and social impact commitments backed by rigorous independent assessment
Pioneering Refill System with Impact Data
Industry-leading refill programme operational since 2017 with independently verified environmental savings across materials, energy, CO₂, and water consumption
Proactive Cruelty-Free Leadership
Never-tested-on-animals policy established before EU regulations with strategic market positioning avoiding regions where testing could be required
The Reality Check
Areas where the publicly available data gets murky, incomplete, or concerning. We're transparent about the limitations of our analysis.
Water Stewardship Transparency Gap
Absence of public water-efficiency programs, reduction targets, or facility-level water management disclosures beyond environmental savings from refill system
Vegan Product Verification Limitations
No comprehensive vegan certification or guarantee across product lines, with vegan-friendly claims lacking third-party verification or clear timeline for full transition
Chemical Safety Disclosure Gaps
Limited transparency on chemical contamination prevention efforts beyond natural origin ingredient percentages, with no disclosed third-party safety verification programs
Rituals'
Impact Aura
A visual representation of Rituals' positive impact
across People, Planet and Animals
Each colored area represents the brand's performance in that sustainability category. The size and intensity of each blob corresponds to their score—larger, more vibrant areas indicate stronger performance.
Our Research
Key findings from our comprehensive analysis of Rituals' sustainability performance across People, Planet & Animals impact.
Positive Impact on People
Research Highlights
- Third-party verified social and environmental certification encompasses verified labor standards and social impact commitments
- Ingredient safety demonstrates ≥90% natural origin ingredients across 80% of personal care formulations
- Supply chain oversight includes documented supplier audits with verified performance metrics
- Social impact commitment includes 10% Profit Pledge from 2025 supporting wellbeing and social causes through partnerships with Tiny Miracles, Super Chill, and Sacred Forests
- Marketing integrity backed by independent certification ensuring verified social and environmental claims
Evidence Strength
Strong third-party verification through independent certification with comprehensive documentation for labor standards and social impact, robust ingredient safety data
Positive Impact on Planet
Research Highlights
- Climate commitment includes Net-Zero by 2050 target with 52% intensity GHG reduction by 2030 across Scope 3 emissions
- Reforestation initiative demonstrates 5 million trees planted through refill programme purchases
- Packaging innovation features refill system since 2017 with independently verified savings across materials, energy, CO₂, and water
- Water stewardship shows significant disclosure gaps with no public water-efficiency programs or reduction targets beyond refill environmental savings
Evidence Strength
Excellent documentation for climate commitments and packaging innovation with independent verification, notable absence of water management disclosures
Positive Impact on Animals
Research Highlights
- Cruelty-free commitment predates EU regulations with never-tested-on-animals policy and avoidance of mainland China market where testing could be required
- Vegan-friendly approach covers most products with transparent disclosure of non-vegan items in sustainability FAQ
- Wildlife conservation support through tree planting programme benefiting biodiversity across India, Kenya, and Colombia
- Sustainable sourcing includes RSPO-certified palm oil and FSC-certified packaging paper commitments
- Conservation funding supports reforestation initiatives via partnerships with NGOs, though at modest scale for habitat restoration
Evidence Strength
Strong cruelty-free verification with clear policy documentation, moderate verification for vegan claims and conservation initiatives
See the Receipts
We don't just make claims—here are the official certifications that prove Rituals' sustainability commitments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rituals sustainable?
Rituals demonstrates strong sustainability performance through independent certification and innovative refill systems with verified environmental impact. The brand shows leadership in climate commitments with Net-Zero by 2050 targets and cruelty-free practices that predate industry regulations, though water stewardship and comprehensive vegan verification remain areas for development.
Is Rituals cruelty-free?
Yes, Rituals maintains a never-tested-on-animals policy that predates EU regulations and strategically avoids markets like mainland China where testing could be required. The brand's cruelty-free commitment is supported by clear policy documentation and consistent market positioning.
Are Rituals products refillable?
Rituals pioneered refillable beauty products with a comprehensive refill system launched in 2017. The programme features independently verified environmental savings across materials, energy, carbon footprint, and water consumption, representing one of the industry's most established refill initiatives.
What certifications does Rituals have?
Rituals holds independent third-party certification that includes verified labor standards, supply chain oversight, and social impact commitments. The brand also maintains sustainable sourcing certifications including FSC-certified packaging paper and RSPO-certified palm oil.
Are Rituals products vegan?
Most Rituals products are vegan-friendly, with non-vegan items transparently disclosed in the brand's sustainability FAQ. However, the brand lacks comprehensive vegan certification or guarantee across all product lines, representing an area for potential improvement.
What is Rituals doing about climate change?
Rituals has committed to Net-Zero by 2050 with a 52% intensity greenhouse gas reduction target by 2030 across Scope 3 emissions. The brand supports reforestation through its refill programme, having planted 5 million trees across India, Kenya, and Colombia.
Are Rituals ingredients clean?
Rituals formulates with ≥90% natural origin ingredients in 80% of personal care products. While the brand emphasizes natural formulations, transparency regarding chemical safety verification programs and contamination prevention efforts beyond natural origin percentages remains limited.
Ready to Shop Rituals?
Find Rituals products through our trusted retail partners
Brands That Score Better
The Bottom Line
Rituals demonstrates solid sustainability performance anchored by independent certification and innovative refill systems with verified environmental impact, though the brand shows notable gaps in water stewardship transparency and comprehensive vegan verification. The company's proactive approach to cruelty-free practices and climate commitments positions it well within the wellness beauty category, while areas like chemical safety disclosure present opportunities for enhanced transparency.
Compare Brands
See how Rituals stacks up against similar brands