Richard Cope, Mintel10.17.24
Mintel’s Global Outlook on Sustainability study shows that beauty and personal care consumers are more engaged and activated than the general population, and also provides some cues on where and how responsible brands should act in order to attract their loyalty and customers.
Outside of the U.S. —where 37% of people say they don't believe that human activity is having a significant impact on global warming/climate change—deniers are firmly in the minority, at just 26% in the UK. Personal experience of climate change is a primary driver of engagement, as extreme weather events mean climate change is moving from an abstract concept to an immediate threat to health and wealth.
This focus on resources and self-preservation informs the leading concerns of key beauty and personal care consumers (defined by Mintel as those who are the main purchasers in the household, as well as being interested in trends and premium products): climate change (42%), air quality (38%), water shortages (34%), and plastic pollution (32%).
The good news is that a majority of BPC consumers (54%) are confident that they can make a positive difference, and Mintel GNPD data shows that the industry is seeking to respond: Among global BPC launches in the first half of 2024, 32.8% featured eco-friendly packaging claims (up from 10.8% of BPC launches in 2019), and 21.3% have recycling claims (up from 7.4% in 2019).
The refills market offers more cause for optimism. In BPC, it has seen significant growth over the past five years, rising to 4.8% of BPC launches globally between January - June 2024. Consumers have gotten on board with refills, too, with 39% of engaged BPC consumers having bought a product as a refill in the last year.
What on-pack information would engaged BPC consumers like to see in order to be convinced by sustainable claims? Some 31% want to see a Nutriscore-style rating scale showing environmental impact—something similar to the work initiated by the EcoBeautyScore Consortium – and 34% would like to see information on the impact that the product has on people (e.g, number of farmers lifted out of poverty) signifying how the climate crisis—as well as its solutions—needs to be humanized to win our attention—and our habits.
Outside of the U.S. —where 37% of people say they don't believe that human activity is having a significant impact on global warming/climate change—deniers are firmly in the minority, at just 26% in the UK. Personal experience of climate change is a primary driver of engagement, as extreme weather events mean climate change is moving from an abstract concept to an immediate threat to health and wealth.
This focus on resources and self-preservation informs the leading concerns of key beauty and personal care consumers (defined by Mintel as those who are the main purchasers in the household, as well as being interested in trends and premium products): climate change (42%), air quality (38%), water shortages (34%), and plastic pollution (32%).
The good news is that a majority of BPC consumers (54%) are confident that they can make a positive difference, and Mintel GNPD data shows that the industry is seeking to respond: Among global BPC launches in the first half of 2024, 32.8% featured eco-friendly packaging claims (up from 10.8% of BPC launches in 2019), and 21.3% have recycling claims (up from 7.4% in 2019).
Education Is Needed
Despite innovation in this space, just 54% of engaged BPC consumers have recycled any packaging in the last year, raising concerns that many consumers are not clear on what constitutes eco-friendly packaging, how to properly recycle, or are cynical about the ultimate fate of packaging that they do “recycle.”The refills market offers more cause for optimism. In BPC, it has seen significant growth over the past five years, rising to 4.8% of BPC launches globally between January - June 2024. Consumers have gotten on board with refills, too, with 39% of engaged BPC consumers having bought a product as a refill in the last year.
What on-pack information would engaged BPC consumers like to see in order to be convinced by sustainable claims? Some 31% want to see a Nutriscore-style rating scale showing environmental impact—something similar to the work initiated by the EcoBeautyScore Consortium – and 34% would like to see information on the impact that the product has on people (e.g, number of farmers lifted out of poverty) signifying how the climate crisis—as well as its solutions—needs to be humanized to win our attention—and our habits.
