Powering personal care to new levels via innovation

Personal care is a burgeoning category, and one that’s heavily influenced by consumer demands for natural products from ethically minded brands.

Interest in natural personal care solutions continues to grow, as evidenced by the growing number of product launches in the category, and supported by expanding shelf space allotted to natural beauty, skin care and grooming solutions in mainstream retailers. Market research from Mintel shows consumers are on board with natural personal care products, with more than one-third (37%) of consumers confirming they bought more natural and organic personal care products in 2016 than the year prior.

Not only do consumers perceive these products as safer, but they often perceive them as being better for the environment. More than two in five (42%) natural and organic personal care consumers agreed such products are better for the environment, while nearly one-third (32%) said these products give them general peace of mind, Mintel reported.

Ethical brands will excel in this space—pending their products are effective and meet the needs of consumers. According to market research from Grand View Research, demand is growing for products that perform numerous functions, such as toothpastes with a whitening effect, moisturizers with sun protection and shower/bath products with fragrance therapy for relaxation.

Also expected to greatly impact the personal care market are personalization and customization.

A greater focus on men, with growing interest in men’s grooming and skin care products, is another factor driving innovation in personal care. Though women maintain then lion’s share of sales in the personal care category, Euromonitor International reported men are outpacing women in terms of growth, achieving double-digit growth globally in recent years. The trend is reflected by retailers such as Target, which recently announced plans to revamp and expand its men’s grooming offerings in a number of stores, and brands like Lush, which features gender-neutral branding and marketing.

As the category evolves, successful, natural personal care product launches are charged with being effective, convenient and ethically produced. The order is tall for CPG brands entering or innovating within the personal care space, but the opportunity is great.

Has your company launched a new personal care product that is innovative enough to win over SupplySide editors? If so, I invite you to enter the 7th Annual SupplySide CPG Editor's Choice Awards that recognize innovative finished products launched to the U.S. consumer market between July 2017 and August 2018 in 30 categories across the supplement and food and beverage markets.

Products must be submitted by the CPG brands or their representatives, not by ingredient or component suppliers. The submission deadline is Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2018.

Winners are selected by the editors based on market innovation, consumer need, scientific substantiation, integrity and the “cool” factor. Finalists will be showcased through the SupplySide Health & Nutrition Network brands, and winners announced at SupplySide West in Las Vegas, Nov. 6-10, 2018.

For more than 20 years, SupplySide has helped those in the food, beverage, dietary supplement, animal nutrition, personal care and cosmetic industries break through the hype and ambiguity to find the information they need to explore, discover, innovate and market their next best-selling product.