Mintel analysis on consumer trust in Europe

By Lucy Whitehouse

- Last updated on GMT

Mintel analysis on consumer trust in Europe
The latest consumer research from Mintel suggests that deteriorating engagement with politics and the media is having a knock-on negative effect on consumer trust in FMCGs companies in Europe.

In a recent blog for the company,​ senior trends consultant Richard Cope explained that this shift is making transparency essential for winning consumer trust in the region.

The ‘toxicity’ of recent political and related media campaigns across Europe and in the US, according to Mintel, has directly contributed to a situation of a severe lack of consumer trust.

Just 53% of UK consumers trust the food and drink industry to ensure food and drink is safe for consumption, plummeting to 39% amongst beauty and personal care consumers,​” explains Cope.

Transparency is certainly increasingly crucial within beauty and skin care, as safety concerns continue to drive the demand for natural products, and we see a rising focus on sustainability that goes beyond superficial ‘greenwashing’.

Proving provenance: one solution?

Being able to prove the provenance of beauty and personal care products, and their individual ingredients, is one way the beauty and personal care industry can offer consumers this transparency.

This would tap into demands for ensuring products are safe and natural, and also allow companies to demonstrate that their sustainability claims and efforts are genuine. DNA biomarkers have been put forward as one solution to this demand, along with convincing and sincere brand storytelling, that makes use of social media and digital solutions.

Shifting times

As Mintel’s blog notes, however, we’re beginning to see what looks like the resurgence in trust in the wider context of media consumption, thanks to the efforts that companies and brands within the industry are making.

There has been, he notes, ‘a resurgence’ of professional – that is paid for – journalism, with the Wall Street Journal (+25%) and New York Times (+46%) both enjoying an increase in readers in 2016, whilst the Young Turks online news agency recorded 3 million subscribers (that’s more than CNN).

Cope also points towards the emergence of services like the US’s Digital Democracy, a searchable platform for state legislature hearings, and Facebook’s launch of its own fact-checking tool that warns users of disputed content.

With media companies taking the lead in winning back consumer trust with active efforts towards transparency and reliability, it may be that the beauty and personal care industry needs now to take similar steps.

Related news

Show more

Related products

show more

Discover Peptan for Beauty & Diverse Skins

Discover Peptan for Beauty & Diverse Skins

Content provided by Rousselot | 05-Sep-2024 | Product Brochure

As beauty from within solutions soar in popularity, manufacturers need to be able to serve everyone, no matter their ethnicity or skin type.

FucoSkin®: Ocean-Inspired Sustainable Beauty

FucoSkin®: Ocean-Inspired Sustainable Beauty

Content provided by Hi-Q Marine Biotech International Ltd | 28-Aug-2024 | White Paper

FucoSkin® is a fucoidan-rich extract derived from the brown seaweed Laminaria Japonica, known for its excellent anti-aging and photoprotective benefits....

Collagen Reimagined, Discover Biodesigned Type XXI

Collagen Reimagined, Discover Biodesigned Type XXI

Content provided by Geltor | 20-Mar-2024 | Product Brochure

Collagen is the body’s most abundant protein and a mainstream ingredient for beauty. Type XXI collagen transcends a common protein into a powerful bioactive

Empowering natural barrier function for future-proof skin

Empowering natural barrier function for future-proof skin

Content provided by Lucas Meyer Cosmetics | 14-Mar-2024 | White Paper

Corneopeptyl™ is a new patented peptide biomimetic to the LCE6A protein, obtained by green chemistry-based synthesis. By mimicking the LCE6A protein activity,...

Related suppliers

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars

Podcast