Bioeconomy is becoming one of the defining ideas in the future of business, climate and development. At its best, it means creating economic value from biological resources in ways that conserve and regenerate nature rather than destroy it. The FAO cites the Global Bioeconomy Summit definition as the production, utilisation, conservation and regeneration of biological resources, supported by science and innovation, to deliver sustainable products and services. That matters not only to agriculture or energy, but also to beauty and personal care, which depend on biodiversity, natural ingredients, water and packaging systems.
For Auê, bioeconomy is not abstract. It sits close to the heart of the brand: supporting people, highly natural formulas and standing forests. (Source: FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).
Bioeconomy is about creating value without exhausting nature.
A strong bioeconomy is not just about swapping fossil inputs for plant-based ones. It is about creating value from biological resources while protecting the ecosystems and communities that make that value possible. A G20-linked global stocktake describes the future bioeconomy as one that should be equitable, biodiversity-regenerative and supportive of climate goals. The FAO also states that forests and trees are central to a sustainable bioeconomy because they support livelihoods and contribute to climate and biodiversity outcomes. This matters for beauty because personal care products are deeply linked to biological value chains, from botanicals and oils to paper packaging and land use. Beauty is already part of the bioeconomy. The real issue is whether it operates extractively or regeneratively. (Source: nature finance).
Why this matters to beauty, biodiversity and standing forests.
Beauty and personal care cannot be separated from nature. The World Economic Forum estimates that the household and personal care sector could generate up to $62bn in annual business value by 2030 by putting nature at the centre of its operations. The same work notes that the sector generates about $700bn in annual revenue, while the cosmetics industry produces 120 billion packaging units a year and some common supply chains, such as palm oil, have contributed to deforestation. More broadly, the UN states that forests cover nearly 31% of the world’s land area and are home to more than 80% of terrestrial species. The FAO adds that forests provide more than 86 million green jobs and support the livelihoods of many more people. Keeping forests standing is therefore not only a climate issue, but also an economic, biodiversity and human wellbeing issue. (Source: World Economic Forum).
Why the Amazon and forest are central to Auê.
For Auê, bioeconomy has a very particular meaning. The brand is built on the belief that beauty can help create value in ways that support forest communities, natural ingredients and healthier systems. That matters because the Amazon is not only symbolically important, but globally significant. The World Bank notes that one in ten known species lives in Amazonian ecosystems, and that about 33 million people live in the Amazon watershed, deriving livelihoods from its forests and rivers. UNEP says a biodiversity economy must recognise the role of traditional communities in managing natural resources and respect their rights. The Convention on Biological Diversity makes a similar point for cosmetics, arguing that partnerships with Indigenous peoples and local communities, alongside equitable benefit sharing, can help protect biodiversity and strengthen ingredient value chains. Michelle Sartorio, Auê’s founder, was born in Brazil and now lives in London, but has long followed closely the pressures facing Brazil’s forests. For Auê, beauty linked to standing forest is therefore both personal and strategic. (Source: World Bank).
A more intelligent beauty economy.
Bioeconomy matters because it reframes what progress should look like in a nature-constrained world. It asks whether businesses can create products people love while also helping protect biodiversity, sustain livelihoods and keep ecosystems standing. For Auê, that answer needs to be yes. A brand built around highly natural formulas, people and forests has to care not only about what goes into the product, but also about the wider system behind it. In that sense, bioeconomy is not a side topic for Auê. It is one of the clearest ways to describe the future the brand wants to help build.
