Organic and green products tipped for highest eco-beauty growth in NPD study
Dividing the eco-beauty market down into natural, organic, green and socially conscious, market research firm NPD said organic and green beauty products presented the greatest opportunity for growth.
Interest-usage gap indicates potential
An NPD survey showed a significant gap between interest in and usage of organic and eco-friendly products suggesting that there is a large pool of people who could be persuaded to become consumers.
Interest in these two categories was high with more than two thirds of respondents saying they were very or somewhat interested despite existing usage levels being below a third.
Natural beauty was the most developed category in terms of usage, with 64 percent of women saying they had used natural products.
The gap between interest and usage was lower though than in other categories suggesting that the market is already well developed.
Nonetheless, NPD said that all the eco-beauty product types held opportunities for expansion.
“Whether the consumer demand is driven by the desire to save the planet, concerns about product safety and potential health risks, or just being ‘on-trend,’ being part of the current environmental movement makes good business sense,” said Karen Grant, vice president and senior global beauty industry analyst.
Convincing people to become consumers
In order to establish how to persuade people to move from interest to usage, NPD asked beauty consumers what their reasons were for not trying eco-beauty products.
Not knowing much about them and high price tags were found to be the two biggest deterrents.
“Convincing the beauty consumer to try eco-beauty products can be done through education and by giving the beauty consumer the opportunity to try these products as ‘free samples,’ without the monetary risk. Proof that it works and is worth the cost could help beauty consumers give these products a try,” ended Grant.
