Naturals continue to gain strength with today’s increasingly conscious consumers who choose greener alternatives in all aspects of their lives, be it food, detergents, or beauty and personal care products. The record-breaking size and attendance of the Natural Expo West Show we attended earlier this month has undoubtedly confirmed that natural products are a mainstream movement that is here to stay. Here are some key observations our team made for the upcoming 2018 edition of our Natural Personal Care Global Series report.
- What caught your attention at this year’s show?
The creativity and spirit displayed by the brands was amusing and encouraging. Some of the notable activities at the exhibition included human trees portraying mother nature from Avafina Organics, DJs calling on attendees to pay attention to an oral care brand like WooBamboo, and African music and drums being played by the skin care brand Alaffia.
- The natural personal care market in the United States recorded an impressive 9% growth in 2017, reaching $6 billion. Do you see this growth rate continuing in the coming year?
The penetration of naturals into our everyday life is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, it is becoming increasingly engrained in our society. Retailers in all channels create a space for naturally-positioned brands, making the “clean” movement more mainstream. In addition, the growing makeup product class, with makeup lines introduced by leading brands, such as Burt’s Bees, will continue to be key drivers.
- What stood out to you in the natural beauty and personal care categories?
Naturally positioned brands continue to expand their product portfolios, venturing into other categories. Burt’s Bees’ makeup proudly showcased makeup products while Method gave out samples of its new body washes. Babo Botanicals showcased its new moisturizer for very dry skin. In addition, it was fascinating to see small, indie brands with their offerings. Soapcreek, a small brand from Utah, displayed its artisan soaps, Smartypits showcased its natural deodorants, and the Sow Good brand introduced natural fragrances for enhancing a user’s moods.
- Are there any advancements that we see in natural product offerings?
Naturally positioned brands are going above and beyond in offering products that are target-oriented and solution-based approaches. Companies like Earth Science have now ventured into a more therapeutic segment, offering a new brand Ceramedx, which offers a natural ceramide therapy.
- We all know that there are brands with varying degree of naturalness in the market. Can you elaborate on this?
The natural personal care market is divided into truly natural and natural-inspired products based on their degree of naturalness. Each brand is then rated on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being highly synthetic and 10 being completely natural or organic. Kline uses its proprietary Natural Rating System developed by its specialty chemicals team who examine the ingredients in approximately 10-12 products from each brand. In our report, the truly natural brands come to the forefront as the clear winners in the market, growing double the size of the natural-inspired ones.
- What can the audience expect from the upcoming report?
We are excited to bring our audience more trends, brands, and market developments by product category, in-depth coverage of the competitive landscape, and, most importantly, our proprietary system of rating of the brands on the market for both the United States and Japan, which is new to this edition. The Natural Personal Care Global Series study will also include an outlook for the overall market’s growth, divided into truly natural vs. natural-inspired and by category.
