Natural Skincare Brands: What the consumer needs to know

Updated: 03.03.23

The saying goes that our choice of one brand over another in the same sector is driven by our emotions. We buy with our hearts not our heads, so branding theory goes. However, when it comes to natural organic skincare brands, I believe that consumers are very consciously using their heads, discovering for themselves the real brand backstories and double checking brands’ credentials before buying.

Green, natural, organic, cruelty-free, environmentally-friendly, ethical, Fair Trade, sustainable and a tonne of other adjectives are now becoming more mainstream on beauty and personal care shelves, and par for the course even on supermarket shelves these days. But as there is little set in stone regarding the definitions and use of these terms, let alone firm legislation on the use of these words on labeling, consumers need to use their savvy to suss out the serious brands from those leaping on the all-natural, organic skincare brand bandwagon.

EU Cosmetics Regulation has helped immensely in ensuring our health and safety is protected in our use of personal care and beauty products – if you live in the EU’s jurisdiction. In December 2022, the US passed sweeping new legislation – the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA) – to beef up its regulatory oversight of the cosmetics industry, a welcome move that mirrors EU laws, and the thrust of which is to place the onus on brands and manufacturers to ensure the safety of their products prior to placing on the market.

But, there is no law covering point blank what a word like ‘natural’ means on such products. One could argue that even totally nasty-free skincare products aren’t strictly speaking natural as the seed oils and essential oils in them have of course undergone processes and aren’t 100 per cent how they were in situ in the original plants. Opting for all natural skincare, and often seeking out organic brands in that niche too, still takes some homework and a lot of reading of the small print on the back of packets.

While we still need to be circumspect in how we choose our all natural skincare brands, it’s clear that the niche is no longer going to be niche. The global natural skin care products market size was valued at USD 10.84 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.0% from 2020 to 2027.

What drives the natural organic skincare brand market?

Well, first and foremost, people like you and me! When mainstream regular beauty and personal care brands – and celebrities (like Kate Middleton’s beautician and Gwyneth Paltrow) start muscling in on what was the preserve of artisan producers, you can bet your bottom dollar that they’ve spotted a trend to cash in on.

The last few years, thanks of course to consumer power fulled by the Internet, there’s been a rise in purchasing decisions based on ethical and sustainable considerations. Larger, previously mainstream brands are keen to show their green, ethical and sustainable credentials from source to shop, field to fork or field to face (in the case of beauty products). Those who don’t are less in favour, especially with millennials.

The market has listened to consumers, but just as it takes a while for an oil tanker to turn, it’s taken a while for distribution channels to play catch up. Finally, we are now seeing natural, organic skincare brands on the high street, in chain stores and supermarkets. Of all the various niches within personal care and beauty, natural skincare is set to show the biggest growth. Some leading beauty retailers have created their own accreditation schemes to determine which brands to stock and declare as “clean beauty”. Retailers like Credo in the US, and Sephora took the lead on this.

The growth in naturals is forecast to be driven mainly by increased consumer demand for clean label products as well as awareness of health issues. And what’s interesting, is that consumers know that to go greener and healthier in their personal care product choices will mean paying premium prices. There’s no getting away from the fact that pumping personal care products with nasties is cheaper than sourcing ethical and clean, green raw ingredients.

Where next with artisan, niche organic skincare brands?

So, what does this mean for smaller, artisan natural organic skincare brands if the once niche is going mainstream?

The good news is that growth for all means growth for each bona fide brand in the sector. What I feel will be the determining factors are the backstories and ethical foundations of brands. Those that have been fostered and founded from the outset with passion and true care for all aspects of the chain from field to face will have their place not just in the hearts, but importantly in the minds of their customers.

Savvy and more demanding consumers, will still do their own homework on what constitutes an all-natural, organic skincare brand to their mind. While we all embrace the growth in this once niche market, we’d do well to dig deep and under the surface of this trend.