The event, which will be held in London, April 7 – 8, regularly attracts more than 10, 000 attendees from over 90 countries, many of whom top level executives and decision makers.
Natural & Organiser, Diversified Communications UK, delved into its database to ask some of its regular attendees to share what they think will be hot in 2019 for the natural food, health care and cosmetics industries, and here Cosmetics Design shares the insights pertinent to our industry.
Fiona Klonarides, founder of The Beauty Shortlist:
CBD oil and hemp look like the big story of 2019. Hemp is an extremely fast-growing crop with a multitude of uses, not just for beauty and wellness, but also fashion, paper, packaging, bags and more.
CBD's flexible delivery methods (eg drops, tinctures, gummies, salves) and the increasingly relaxed legislation surrounding it could make it this year's most in-demand stress, sleep and pain solution.
There's still a lot of confusion between CBD and THC, though (THC being the substance with mind-altering effects), but as we all start reading more about it, and with more online and bricks and mortar CBD stores opening up, it'll be better understood.
Shona Wilkinson, director of Shona Wilkinson Nutrition:
2019 = Ethics Ethics Ethics! It's not enough to just have a good product nowadays, our consumers are demanding so much more and have huge environmental expectations.
They are also willing to pay more for products, which show environmental responsibility. Products will be examined, and questions asked about the ethics around the ingredients, the packaging and the company.
This may mean questions about whether the product comes in any form of plastic, whether it is recyclable or of recycled material (eg sourced from recovered plastics from the ocean), are the ingredients ethically sourced, are they sustainable etc etc. Transparency and traceability will be incredibly important.
Joe Jackson, director of Apothecary 27 (winner of Best Independent Retailer at Natural & Organic Awards Europe 2018):
I think that the zero waste and refill movement will have a great impact on the health and wellness industry this year. Not only are people becoming more conscious about the food they’re eating, but they’re also questioning what their food is being packaged in, and whether it's necessary.
This is driving people in to their local health shops and zero waste stores to not only reduce their waste, but to also learn how to do it effectively. Since launching our household care refill station it has gone from strength to strength. We have more and more people requesting more refillable goods, such as food and body care. The demand is there from the public, and the suppliers are listening.
Veganism is another one that is still on the rise in 2019, whether it’s for health reasons or because of animal welfare. The vegan products that are being launched today are far better than they were, even two years ago.
Richard Anderton, buyer at The Health Store:
One major area we are seeing growth in – and expect this to continue as a trend in 2019, is consumers seeking alternative to plastics in the home, natural cleaning aids for the kitchen, such as coconut based and loofah based scrubbers/scourers that remove the need to use plastic-based products that release microplastic into the ecosystem every time we use them.
What to look out for at Natural & Organic Products this year
With over 700 exhibitors at this year’s event, there will be many innovations and product launches coming from the beauty and personal care space.
This will be particularly highlighted by a number of CBD players, including Charlotte’s Web, Canabidol, Nature’s plus, CBD One, Living Planet Distribution, to mention just a few.
And this year’s show will also include a new cosmetics and personal care focused feature, the Soil Association’s Organic Beauty Pavilion, together with regional pavilions from Italy, Maine USA, Peru, Greece and China featuring product launches from across the board.