Plant-powered beauty products are gaining momentum
Credit to Author: Aleesha Harris| Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2020 19:58:37 +0000
During an appearance at the Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit in Vancouver last June, Jean-Paul Agon, the current chairman and chief executive office of L’Oréal, spoke boisterously about the “absolutely booming” beauty industry.
The global cosmetics sector, he said, has had its best growth in recent years than the previous 20 — and it’s only expected to increase.
“We are convinced that it will continue to grow,” he said to the attendees. “We estimate that it could double to over $4 billion euros in the next 10 years.
” … Beauty is stronger than ever.”
Suffice to say, beauty is big business.
But, the industry is changing. Consumers are asking questions. They’re more knowledgeable and curious about ingredients than seemingly ever before. They want to know about efficacy and safety. And many of them are looking toward plants.
“Consumers are more conscious about how our everyday purchases impact the environment in terms of how it is produced,” Dr. Amanda Lau, medical director at Skinfolio in West Vancouver, says.
The interest in a more natural approach to ingredients has prompted many brands — large and small — to reconsider product offerings.
“At L’Oreal, everything has changed. The way we make our products, the way we market them, the way we advertise them, the way we interact with consumers,” Agon says. “Consumers are not interested in finding the cheapest product or the best deal. Consumers are always looking for better beauty products, with new benefits, superior performance and better quality.”
The move toward plant-focused products — much like that seen in other industries such as food — is here to stay in beauty, according to industry insiders such as Chrystal Macleod, founder of the Vancouver-based brand Harlow Skin Company Inc.
“Plant-based, chem(ical)-free is here to stay and the way of the past is the past,” Macleod says. “We are continually evolving and demand creates supply. The people have spoken and we are demanding better.
“There are incredible benefits to using botanical ingredients.”
Harlow Original Face Elixir.
Macleod started her company in 2014 while working as a freelance makeup artist. On the job, she recalls continually encountering people with skin concerns who were battling their issues with “harsh chemical products” that acted as a “Band-Aid” rather than a solution.
So, Mcleod set out to create something she felt was better — minus all the “nasty” ingredients.
“Creating a plant-based brand with few ingredients was necessary,” she says of the local line that uses 12 ingredients or less in each of its elixirs. “As much as I feel like the world is enlightened to the fact that there are better options available, there is still a long way to go. If we can create the need for more plant-based ingredients we can ultimately increase sustainable farming, increasing jobs and contribute to a greener planet.
“When you choose plant-based, toxic-free products you are saying that you understand and want better, healthier and more sustainable options, which only leads to a cascading effect of more conscious choices and, ultimately, products and solutions.”
Frank Kollmar, the chief executive officer for L’Oréal in Canada, says this push toward plants is something that’s happening in this country — and elsewhere, citing Millennials and aging Boomers as those driving the initiatives.
“There’s a trend now toward more natural beauty. In the past, it was all about making these sort of huge effects. Makeup still plays a very important role and is still the biggest category in Canada, but skin — really having the right canvas with healthy skin — is really the new trend,” Kollmar says. “I think it fits very well with the whole trend toward vegan and gluten free. From food … we see the strength now in skincare, as well.”
That global, growing interest prompted the company to launch a natural ingredient-focused line under its Garnier brand. Dubbed Garnier Bio, the product lineup, which includes 10 new personal-care products including facial cleansers, oil, micellar water and more, debuted in Canada this month.
“Garnier Bio really shows our philosophy for the future. We are working also to have this kind of concept for other categories,” Kollmar says. “It’s organically certified, eco-certified ingredients with clear origins. Traceability is very important.”
The products are billed as being certified by the French organization Ecocert Greenlife according to the COSMOS standard; contain no animal-derived ingredients or byproducts so are considered vegan; and include several (but not all) ingredients from “renewable resources” that re-grow yearly and fair-trade sources.
Garnier Bio Smooth & Glow Facial Oil.
In addition to being eco-friendly, Kollmar says the organically certified products are also “certified on efficacy.”
“In the end, you don’t just want to put anything on your face,” he says.
The consideration of efficacy is something Dr. Lau says is often absent from the natural-beauty conversation. It’s a factor she’s eager to point out surrounding the topic of plant-based beauty products.
“For me personally, it’s less about ‘plant based’ versus being important that skincare is evidence-based,” she says. “Being plant-based does not necessarily mean something is safe to use. In fact, some of the most toxic medications we know are derived from plants. We are all aware of many dangerous and even poisonous plants, so being plant-based does not equal safety.”
The efficacy standards for natural products are not necessarily the same for medical grade or non-natural products, Dr. Lau says.
“This is where I think the crucial issue comes in,” she says. “For a medical-grade product they have to have scientifically reproducible safety and efficacy data to prove that they do what they claim to do. This is the case with all medical drugs and products. This is not the case with ‘natural’ or ‘herbal’ products, which only have to show that they are safe in healthy volunteers and is only supported by anecdotal evidence — people’s perceived benefits — not measurable.”
Shoppers, she says, can become better informed on the good/bad of skincare options by researching the ingredients and seeing whether or not there are any efficacy results backed by clinical studies, though she admits that, when it comes to plant-based products, the information may not always be “readily available” at this time.
Another avenue of consideration is to check whether a product is endorsed, approved or recommended by an association. For example, the Canadian Dermatology Association has a list of recognized products for skincare (primarily regarding the topics of fragrance and allergens) and sun protection on their website, dermatology.ca.
So, while the seeds of natural beauty products have been thoroughly sewn, and a more natural focus in undoubtedly here to stay, the true future of plant-based skincare will likely require further education, customer feedback — and clinical results.
“I am all for nature and think fresh air, and fresh, organic, plant-based foods are very important — proven fibre and antioxidants that benefit the body,” Dr. Lau says. “Many botanicals deserve more clinical studies to find their proven benefits.
“As for skincare, I highly recommend evidence-based.”