Understanding Mintel’s 2024 International Shopper Pattern ‘New Inexperienced Actuality’ within the context of magnificence and private care in Southeast Asia.

In SEA, the sweetness and private care trade is catching up on sustainability, as seen by way of product launches with moral and environmental claims rising by 66% within the final 5 years between October 2018 to September 2023. Nevertheless, shoppers cite excessive prices and considerations about trustworthiness as among the many boundaries that discourage them from buying eco-friendly magnificence/grooming merchandise. As an rising variety of ‘inexperienced’ magnificence merchandise grow to be obtainable to shoppers, manufacturers have the chance to boost their environmental consciousness and talk the importance of their sustainability choices.

By its very nature, magnificence consumerism is all about consumption. How can manufacturers strike a steadiness between the consumption of magnificence and private care merchandise and being sustainable as they attempt to strengthen shopper confidence?

For one, magnificence manufacturers can set up tips, guidelines, and targets on their journey towards sustainability and talk these correctly to shoppers by way of universally user-friendly platforms.

For example, American magnificence model REN Skincare made a Zero Waste Pledge in 2018 to solely produce packaging designed to be recyclable, containing recycled supplies or being reusable by the top of 2021. In 2022, the model introduced the achievement of that pledge. Updates and initiatives are posted on its Clear Ideas weblog. 

To keep away from being seen as greenwashing by shoppers, magnificence manufacturers ought to speak in confidence to checks and auditing by exterior specialists to make sure accountability and traceability. Magnificence and private care manufacturers ought to research their present merchandise and manufacturing chain, and perceive the place they fail or succeed when it comes to sustainability.

Price can be an vital consideration. As a substitute of merely decreasing costs, manufacturers can talk the worth of selecting the sustainable possibility the place potential and the affect this can have on the local weather disaster. 

As a result of pandemic and international conflicts,, worldwide sourcing has grow to be dearer, in flip, driving product prices up, whether or not or not it’s sustainably produced. To fight this, magnificence manufacturers can use regionally produced elements and packaging to scale back sourcing prices whereas supporting native companies. This might be significantly efficient for SEA magnificence gamers, the place homegrown magnificence manufacturers have already got a powerful presence and identification. 

Moreover, manufacturers can enhance shopper confidence by supporting their native communities. Within the Philippines, blk cosmetics launched its Common line of merchandise made for “completely anybody and everybody”, with shades meant to match numerous pores and skin tones and kinds. The marketing campaign can be inclusive for women and men.

Manufacturers may design their labels to simply present and share extra info. In Spain, Fairy Max Poder Refill has a front-of-pack “85% much less plastic” message and an attention-grabbing recarga (refillable) banner.

With nearly all of SEA shoppers accessing social networks by way of their smartphones, magnificence manufacturers can share product formulation and ingredient adjustments on digital platforms. In China, social media platform Xiaohongshu and skincare model Yoseido collectively launched movies to share your entire strategy of birch water (Yoseido’s star ingredient) manufacturing, masking harvesting, processing and mixing.

One concrete means for shoppers to know what a sustainable product is by highlighting modern and sustainable elements.

Mitr Phol, Asia’s largest sugar and bio-energy producer, launched two skincare merchandise created from sugarcane. This growth created added worth for the trade and helped to scale back sugarcane waste.

In the long term, speaking the analysis and energy put into reaching sustainable operations is essential to constructing belief between manufacturers and shoppers.

Magnificence manufacturers have the chance to grow to be educators and dependable sources of data for shoppers, fostering model loyalty within the course of. By educating shoppers concerning the prices of not addressing the local weather disaster and aligning campaigns or merchandise with native wants, manufacturers exhibit their dedication to understanding the market. 

Utilising regionally produced elements and packaging not solely reduces sourcing prices but in addition helps native companies. Furthermore, manufacturers can set up shopper confidence by implementing clear tips, fostering transparency and leveraging digital platforms for engagement. By these actions, magnificence manufacturers can strike a steadiness between magnificence consumption and decreasing waste, encouraging extra shoppers to affix their sustainability journey.

Uncover the most recent sustainability tendencies in magnificence and private care on the Mintel Retailer. If you’re considering studying extra about this matter, please contact us right now.