Speaking at the recent in-cosmetics Global trade event, Jamie Mills, a GlobalData analyst, revealed the firm’s insight into the current state of the blurred boundaries, and how this is likely to develop.
Mills noted that as food and drink play a central role in everyday life, the rising focus on personal wellbeing that also dominates in beauty is bring the industries together: according to the firm’s data, eating healthily is a top wellbeing and wellness concern picked out by a majority of global consumers (90%).
Younger, more proactive
Younger consumers are the most proactive age group when it comes to personal health, according to Mills, with 46% of the 25 - 34 age group (above the average 42%) saying they ‘proactively seek products that improve their health’.
This is being driven by their digital connectedness, the firm suggests. Social media influencers are playing a big part in driving the wellness agenda, both within food and within beauty - diet is increasingly being linked to appearance.
The firm finds that 56% of consumers are concerned about the impact of diet on their health and appearance, with eating healthier the top factor selected by global consumers as one they believe can be effective in making them look younger.
Natural: taking root
Having originated in the food industry, natural and organic trend has now very firmly established itself as a central focus in the beauty space too, with 56% of consumers interested in and actively buying natural grooming products.
However, some reluctance persists among consumers related to the idea that natural products are unable to offer comparable levels of efficacy: 13% of consumers globally ‘completely agree’ that products formulated with natural ingredients are less effective than non-natural products.
Top opportunities
On the back of its consumer insights into the trend, both in terms of its potential and its challenges, GlobalData has identified four key opportunities for beauty and grooming companies to explore.
These are:
- Health food ingredients
- ‘Make it edible’ - beauty from within offers the industry potential, with many more consumers interested in ingestible products but not yet taking the leap of buying them.
- Clean beauty - claims such as fresh, raw, contains antioxidants/superfoods/probiotics, and fermented are all offering opportunities for beauty
- Wider wellness/active lifestyles - Three in five consumers exercise once a week or more, with the top two motivations being to look/feel good and to reduce the risk of disease/support general health.