Natural cosmetics continue to outshine other categories

By Simon Pitman

- Last updated on GMT

Growth rates for natural cosmetics continue to outperform other categories worldwide, as market researcher Kline Group points out that future growth is likely to shift to emerging markets.

With growth rates still in double figures world-wide, the researcher says its latest figures show that in Europe and North America growth slowed in 2011, a problem exacerbated by economic difficulties and a slowing retail market.

However, even in these troubled times, the researcher says that growth for naturals in these markets has continued to outshine most other beauty categories and is expected to do so for the forseeable future.

Likewise, these two markets have developed on quite different lines, with consumers purchasing different types of products for different reasons and from different retail channels.

Europe and US run on different lines

In Europe, consumers are very ethically-focused and particularly concerned about the environment, while they will tend to make their purchases in large chain drug stores.

In the United States, channels such as traditional natural health food stores, particularly the retailer Whole Foods, tend to draw in the largest numbers of consumers for natural beauty products.

However, a global trend for the industry is the fact that consumers are becoming increasingly discerning about the type of natural products they buy, increasingly going for natural-derived products as opposed to natural-inspired. And although this is a significant trend, natural-inspired products continue to dominate the market.

Natural personal care is here to stay

“Natural personal care is not a fad, but a genuine movement that’s manifesting itself in ever diverse product applications,”​ said Kline consumer industry manager Nancy Mills. “The consumer is better educated, and this can serve the marketer well, particularly as credible certification standards are being implemented and recognized.”

However, as some of the shine comes off the performance in Western Europe and North America, emerging markets such as Central and Eastern Europe are coming to the fore, eating into the global share of the overall naturals beauty market.

According to the recently published report, Natural Personal Care 2011: Regional Market Analysis and Competitive Brand Assessment, Kline says the emerging markets are increasingly contributing a worldwide five-year compound annual growth rate that Kline estimates to be just under 10 per cent, in turn growing their share of the global natural beauty market.

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