NATURALS 41
Certified content brings transparency to natural claims
n Audrey Wesson - Inolex, US Haley Gershon - Beta Analytic, US
Natural cosmetics and personal care products are not just a fleeting trend but rather a movement that is disrupting the entire industry. The natural and organic personal care market is expected to be a $22 billion industry by 2024.1
over the world are increasingly seeking more plant-based materials for nearly all aspects of their lives, and industries including packaging, energy, clothing, personal care and especially food are making the switch.
The rise of plant-based eating is driven by multiple consumer concerns including reducing the environmental impact of meat production, protecting animal rights, and supporting a healthy diet. In the US between 2014 and 2017 there has been a 600% increase in Americans identifying as vegan.2
Even the term “plant-based” has
transformed the vegan food space by making it more accessible to those who want to indulge in these healthier-for-you- and-the-planet options but do not want to completely give up animal products. The increased inclusivity of veganism, vegetarianism, flexitarians and even juicing all are grounded in consumption of more plants. This trend – which is parallel and
April 2020
intertwined with the wellness trend — has manifested in the cosmetic industry in the demand for natural, plant-based ingredients and packaging.
Consumers all
The Greenwashing challenge One of the challenges faced by natural and plant-based brands across the industry is the increasing consumer distrust of marketing, label claims, and advertising of products claiming to be “natural and green.” This is largely because of “greenwashing,” when a product appears to be natural and eco-friendly because of its packaging, logos, colours chosen, or use of plant/nature images, however the product itself is not truly natural or eco-friendly. Today, if you have a truly natural brand or product you need additional support and validation from an outside resource to support the efforts of your own marketing department. As consumers are trying to find brands that identify with their personal values and preferences, the sentiment that ‘everyone has their own definition of natural’ is no longer sufficient. The personal care industry needs to assist consumers with easy and accessible ways to identify and trust authentic plant-based brands.
The combination of the intensified consumer interest in plant-based materials with their growing skepticism of marketing claims requires a solution that can be accomplished by certifying plant-based content through third-party organisations. Third-party certifications facilitate consumer trust and understanding of product labels. The best way to accurately and empirically demonstrate product eligibility for eco- label certifications is to submit product ingredients for laboratory analysis, such as carbon-14 testing.
Ingredient verification through carbon-14 testing Third-party authentication of personal care and cosmetic product ingredients is vital to validate natural-source claims. In response, manufacturers, distributors, and other industry stakeholders often opt to measure the biobased (biomass-derived) content of product ingredients through carbon-14 analysis. Since biomass contains a known amount of the radioactive isotope carbon- 14 while petroleum-based ingredients do not contain any carbon-14, the percentage of carbon in a material derived from recently living sources, such as plants, can
PERSONAL CARE EUROPE
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