Natural Skincare, clean, vegan, mind-full buying are just a few ways to describe how consumers are looking at their skincare according to a report by Cosmetic Business https://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/news/article_page/Cosmetics_Business_forecasts_5_Global_Beauty_Trends
This is in keeping with a conversation I had with a client who works for a company which predicts trends. (A pretty cool job I thought!) I immediately asked about the natural skincare industry. Her response mirrored the sentiment of the above report. She suggested that younger consumers would not only want natural, but vegan (even if they don’t follow a vegan diet) whilst also not only knowing the exact ingredients in the product but where and how those ingredients were sourced.
According to the Cosmetic Business report, we are moving into a phase of ‘mindful buying’ safe synthetics’ ‘self expression’ all of which are part of an overall feeling of wellbeing!
To me this is really good news. It seems that people are going for quality not quantity and we should be giving something back for the privileges we have. So instead of stock piling beauty products that may never be used, we are starting to buy less but giving those purchases more thought and trying to achieve overall wellbeing instead of a ‘quick fix’ cream!
But even the biggest skincare brands will struggle to formulate their products using only ‘natural’ ingredients if a certain product was not made that way to begin with. Thats where the confusing labels may come in. Will they be using clever marketing strategies to make the product look like they are natural? But only on closer inspection we will be able to see that’s not the case? Even If they do, it seems consumers are too savvy and that strategy will not work for very long.
Here are a few definitions to give a bit of clarity to product descriptions:
NATURAL – A natural product is a chemical compound or substance produced by a living organism—that is, found in nature. … The term natural product has also been extended for commercial purposes to refer to cosmetics, dietary supplements, and foods produced from natural sources without added artificial ingredients. https://www.popsugar.co.uk/beauty/What-Does-Naturalmean (Although be aware that a product can claim natural if there is a small percentage of natural ingredients included)
CLEAN – “clean” product is one that claims to be made up of safe, non-toxic, and natural ingredients. Whether or not the product is actually safe for your body is up to you to decide.
This is an interesting read… https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/clean-beauty-guide
ORGANIC SKINCARE – generally defined as a skin care product which contains organically grown ingredients that are free from pesticides. Organic products are deemed to be more beneficial for the skin as it is presumed there are little to no harsh chemical ingredients, and are marketed thus. https://naturallysafe.com.au/blog/organic-skincare-explained/
VEGAN – Originally defined as free of all animal products, this piece considers various … as clothing, cosmetics, and medicine—that are made without animal- derived substances. https://www.vegan.com
SAFE SYNTHETIC – Honestly! I really feel this is just a marketing strategy. Personally I wouldn’t buy into it? With the research I have done, I have yet to find an article that gives any substance to this term.
Also, remember, natural is not always safe? There are a great deal of naturally poisonous plants etc out there. Fortunately, not in KCH natural skin care!
