Natural extracts under the microscope at in-cosmetics Asia

Taking place between 31 October – 2 November 2017 in Bangkok, Thailand, the Reed Exhibitions-led three-day show aims to inspire and educate R&D professionals from the cosmetic and personal care industries.

A new way of living?​

A significant shift in lifestyles and priorities are driving the natural extracts sphere at present, it reports. An increasing number of consumers are focusing on optimising their health and wellbeing, and as a result are spending time examining the safety, efficacy and contents of their cosmetics and personal care buys.

Millennials, for example, are opting against chemical and synthetic cosmetics, and instead, are choosing natural plant-based alternatives. Transparency Market Research has found that the natural segment is expected to reach $13.2bn (€11 bn) by 2018, in-cosmetics Asia reported.

Product safety, recalls and unethical claims are at the forefront of consumer concerns and have served as a helpful driver for the preference towards credible, reliable, R&D-based and tested natural ingredients.

From a marketing perspective, the new generation of beauty blogs and websites, that have especially arisen in Asia-Pacific (APAC) contribute to the natural segment as they emphasise green benefits, aid marketing education, promote information-sharing and act as a form of edutainment — education and entertainment  — to help consumers make purchasing decisions.

Positive growth​

Mintel, the global market intelligence agency, has recently released research relating to the use of natural ingredients over the past two years that supports the rising favourability for natural active extracts.

According to Mintel Global New Product Database, 29% of the globe’s new beauty and personal care item launches in 2016 were formulated from natural ingredients, representing a 5% rise from 2014.

In 2016, skin care comprised 54% of all product launches with natural claims, followed by soap and bath products at 23%, hair care goods at 15% and colour cosmetics at 3%.

Interestingly, the nail care sector is seeing a rise in the use of natural ingredients to support consumers’ safety concerns and contributes towards nail care and treatment.

When it comes to the nail care sector, along with the beauty and personal care industries on the whole, in-cosmetics Asia states: “it’s clear there is room for safer, greener beauty in this area and the potential for this sector is huge."​

Explaining the popularity of the trend to date, Sharon Kwek, Senior Innovation and Insights Analyst, Beauty and Personal Care at Mintel expressed: “The trend for natural active ingredients started out predominantly in skin care, and has since extended to colour cosmetics and hair care. It’s also interesting to see the fragrance category adopting the naturals trend too.”​

When it comes to growth, “there are definitely more avenues to be explored within the beauty industry, particularly looking at different demographic groups, formats and textures, to find untapped opportunities for new innovations”​, Kwek revealed.

Highlighting popular ingredients​

Innovative developments within the natural beauty space, such as the use of charcoal, coconut, kale, grains and pumpkin derived ingredients, will be explored at a product showcase, presentation in the marketing trends theatre and dedicated ‘Spotlight on Natural Extracts’ area at the event.

Coconut derivatives are a key ingredient for manufacturers to consider as they are associated with providing considerably positive moisturising, anti-ageing and anti-bacterial properties.

Mintel, for example, found that 31% of all beauty and personal care products launched around the world contained coconut as an ingredient in 2016, showing an increase of 10% compared to 2014.

Gary Scattergood, editor of Cosmetics Design Asia, will lead a presentation that will look at leading areas within the natural sector and will consider which parts of the “often-exotic ingredients are being sourced”.​ In addition, Gary will focus on obstacles for leading industry players and the importance of sustainable and ethical farming.  

For more information, visit http://asia.in-cosmetics.com/​.