Whether you’re selling or creating beauty products, the Clean Beauty trend is one that’s taken the beauty industry by storm. With more consumers focusing on environmental sustainability, many beauty businesses will have to cater for a more conscious customer. So how will you adapt to stay relevant to this customer base? Let’s look at a few insights that you can incorporate into your business.
This type of customer is committed to finding the right products to use, and these products can be hard to come by. So, it’ll be worth rearranging your store so that customers looking for cleaner products can easily access that section or special display of your store. Ensure that the section is easy to see and not hidden somewhere unclear. If you’re unable to rearrange your store, consider using special labelling that a customer can clearly spot or put all alike items closer to each other to help your customer navigate the different products easily. If your store is online, it’ll be worth creating clear banners or special pages where your clean beauty products are on display for your customer to see.
Customers now take the time to research whether their beauty products contain certain ingredients perceived to be harmful to them or the environment. The negative perceptions of these ingredients are enough to deter your customer from purchasing, so it’s worth prominently displaying items that are free from these ingredients. Start by prioritising items that are free from three of the most negatively-perceived beauty ingredients: parabens (believed to disrupt hormone function by mimicking oestrogen), sulfates (believed to irritate eyes, skin and mouth or lungs) and phthalates (perceived to harm the liver, kidneys and reproductive system.) According to NielsenIQ’s Consumer Insights, another growing trend is the popularity among beauty products free from artificial fragrances, so consider adding these products to your display.
The more environmentally-conscious consumer is also looking to use products that aren’t harmful to the ake use of this insight, you can prominently display items that are plastic-free or items with reusable packaging. Also, take stock of which of your items are vegan-friendly and cruelty-free because these items will also appeal to the more conscious customer. NielenIQ’s Consumer Insights showed that when buying hand and body lotion, their respondents bought from brands that use natural ingredients, respected the environment and use recyclable packaging. So, for example, displaying reef-safe sunscreen is likely to appeal to this customer.
During the height of the pandemic lockdown, many people resorted to making their own skincare and hair goods after watching influencers make DIY facials, hair masks, skin oils etc. Although this has declined since then, many still use these ingredients to supplement their hair and skincare routines. Items like various essential oils, honey, shea butter and coconut oil are still popular items used for DIY beauty products. Your store can look into stocking these types of items so that your user has access to their favourite beauty brands and these additional ingredients for their DIY beauty requirements.
Consumers are educating themselves on products that are harmful to their skin and their environment. This trend is likely to continue as younger people gain more buying power. It’s worth looking into how you can use these insights to help your business attract a more conscious customer base. By making the effort to stock environmentally-friendly products, your store could also see a boost in your bottom line.