72 LIFESTYLE COSMETICS
Appealing concepts for the whole family
n Dr Elisabeth Dufton, Sophie Gibb – Surfachem, UK
In the past, the general care and hygiene of children was very much left to women, and therefore products designed to be used for children were targeted towards mothers. This meant that all aspects of the product – the packaging, the brand, the fragrance – were engineered to appeal to female senses. Now it is more common for both parents to work and this has resulted in parenting responsibilities being shared more evenly. With traditional stereotypes in parenting changing, this has caused a disruptive impact on the parental expectations of the personal care industry and its product offerings designed for children.. Despite such changes, 50% of dads still feel left out of baby care products as they are typically aimed at mothers (Mintel). From this stems a concept from Surfachem, designed for both parents to use with their children. This innovative range of formulations enhances bonding through multisensory experiences, from scents to textures. In addition to these stereotypes, there is
also a growing demand for greener products and ingredient transparency. With 74% of parents preferring children’s personal care products that are kind to the environment, and 80% wanting to know exactly what ingredients are in them (Mintel), Surfachem’s ‘Big Kid Little Kid’ concept responds to these shifting consumer demands.
Product characteristics In order to develop innovative, family-friendly products, there is a range of aspects we need to consider. This is a competitive marketplace and as people will play closer attention to the benefits of products bought for their children to use, the values need to be clearly communicated and delivered by the manufacturers.
Engagement According to Mintel, children’s personal care products should try to incorporate more playful and engaging features. By doing this, bath time routines could enhance the bond between parents and their children, as opposed to being considered a daily chore. Product packaging, textures, scents and
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colours all have the potential to make personal care products more engaging for children, while appeasing their reluctance towards bath time.
Ingredient transparency Consumer awareness also plays a huge role. Parents are conscious about the ingredients in their own personal care products, and even more so regarding the products they apply their children. Despite 80% of parents wanting to know the ingredients in their children’s personal care products, 45% of UK parents (with children aged 0-4 years) still have difficulty identifying which personal care products are actually safe (Mintel). This implies that despite consumers wanting to know more about ingredients, there is a prevalent knowledge gap surrounding ingredient safety and their exact function. This means that wherever possible, brands need to educate consumers, include full ingredient lists on children’s personal care products, and utilise INCI names that are both established and well-recognised by the typical consumer.
Greener products We also need to consider the environmental credentials of future products. Emphasis on sustainability from the media and corporations has drawn our attention to our own environmental impact and how this might affect future generations. According to Mintel, sustainability and safety concerns
were key drivers behind new product development in 2019. Vegan, organic and sulphate-free were all heavily featured claims in children’s personal care products and are unlikely to disappear. As a result, brands must strive to use ingredients that not only offer physical benefits, such as skin protection and nourishment, but that also have positive effects on the environment and the communities in which they are sourced.
Personal care products helping children’s development Personal care products play a fundamental role in a child’s early years. Not only do we need to ensure that their delicate skin is kept healthy and nourished, but we must also stimulate play time by making experiences, such as bathing/showering, fun for both children and parents.
Family dynamics have and may continue to evolve. Firstly, the amount of free time that parents have available to spend with their children has declined, supported by Mintel research which discovered that 61% of parents feel like they do not get to spend as much time with their children as previous generations did. More and more modern-day families consist of both parents in full time work, meaning there is limited time for other common parental responsibilities such as cooking, helping with homework, bath time etc. With an increasingly fast pace of life, it can become extremely stressful to achieve the
April 2020
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