Embracing beauty care and cosmetics through nature

Consumers are more knowledgeable than ever about the interconnectivity between the products they use every day and the residual effects these products have, not only on their bodies and health, but also on the environment as well. 

They are embracing beauty care and cosmetics solutions that are as close to nature as possible, and solutions that are cleaner, healthier and gentler on the environment, observes Nicole Peranick, senior director of retail transformation for Stamford, Conn.-based Daymon, a global retail services company.

“We refer to this shift as the rise of the plant-centric lifestyle,” Peranick explains.

The future of innovation in the beauty products space includes harnessing the power of plant-based ingredients such as adaptogens (a class of plants used in ancient Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine) and emerging superfoods (edible plants containing high levels of antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins, and minerals) as well as leveraging eco-friendly formulations featuring upcycled ingredients and sustainable packaging, Peranick adds.

The importance of natural ingredients and claims is a major beauty trend on the rise, agrees Alex Fisher, senior analyst for global market research firm Mintel Group Ltd.’s beauty team. In a Mintel blog post from late last year, Fisher notes that Australia is quickly becoming a rising star in the beauty industry thanks to its use of indigenous plant-based ingredients in beauty product formulations. 

The natural products movement is also gaining traction among African-American consumers of hair care products, writes Toya Mitchell, multicultural analyst at Mintel.

“As the natural hair trend continues to spread around the world, black consumers are adopting styles and maintenance habits in order to achieve hair health and a desired look,” Mitchell writes in a blog post for Mintel. “Considering the specifics associated with the textures of African hair, it is important that brands develop products that target each hair type and meet consumer expectations of seeing their various hair needs addressed through product innovation.”

In product packaging, consumers are demanding that beauty and personal care brands switch to a new paradigm of sustainability and zero waste, Mintel asserts in its recent report, “Sub-Zero Waste: 2019 Global Beauty and Personal Care Trends.”

To find success in this category, it is crucial to understand the deeply rooted motivations that drive beauty product purchases, advises Priyanka Bagde, Euromonitor International senior analyst. Her Euromonitor report, “Beauty Survey 2018 Key Insights,” explores the purchase decisions and beauty and personal care habits of more than 20,000 consumers in 20 markets worldwide.

Most consumers, Bagde writes, connect the concept of beauty with good health, hygiene, confidence and feeling comfortable in their own skin. Euromonitor found that 56% of women worldwide defined beauty as being comfortable in one’s own skin, while 38% of men defined it that way.

Beauty, Bagde writes, is not confined to outward appearance. Consumers are seeking “intrinsic, healthy beauty and overall well-being. Brands can engage better with these consumers by tying the benefits offered by their products with consumers’ beauty-related values and desire for a healthy approach to beauty.”

Fewer than half of consumers internationally define beauty in terms of “glamour,” Euromonitor found. In the United States, less than 15% defined beauty this way.

Cvetan is a freelance writer.