On one hand, natural beauty products should contain a certain amount of natural ingredients, but the term 'natural' isn't regulated at all. On the other hand, organic products have to contain mostly natural ingredients that, in addition, are organically farmed.
More and more consumers are becoming aware of our ecological impact on the environment and the consequences controversial ingredients have on our health.
In France, the sales value of natural and organic products has increased continuously between 2010 and 2014, with a 2016 survey showing that a total of 80 % of French women buy or have already bought natural and/or organic beauty products. About 50 % of French consumers decided to buy organic cosmetics after realizing the ecological impact of non-organic products. Other reasons for the consumption of these products were the following: health, scandals, advice from other people, etc.
In Italy consumption reasons are similar: consumers want to avoid negative outcomes for others and harm for themselves. One of the requirements natural and/or organic beauty products should fulfill, according to Italians, is the presence of clear labels and the hypoallergenicity of the product.
In Sweden more than 25 % of men and 40 % of women had bought organic skin or hair care products in 2015. Swedish consumers were better informed of the difference between natural and organic cosmetics compared to the European average, with more than 50 % able to tell the difference between these two categories.
British people are also keen consumers of cosmetics containing natural ingredients: the sales value has doubled between 2008 and 2015 to reach 54 million pounds in 2015. However, this trend has not yet reached online shoppers of organic products since more than 50 % did not buy such products online.
According to a forecast, the global market for natural cosmetics should continue to grow to reach a value of 15 billion US dollars in 2017, with the European market very likely to follow suit in this trend towards growth.
