The post Organic health and beauty market flourishing says new SA report appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.

UK sales of certified health and beauty products rose by 21.6% in 2015 to reach a value of £54.2 million, according to figures from the latest Soil Association Organic Market Report 2016, released today.

The report says that Soil Association Certification now has 214 licenced health and beauty symbol holders and that brands are recognizing the need for reliable guarantees and assurances about the ingredients products contain and the processes involved in producing them.

Organic Monitor figures show that 43% of consumers look for a certification symbol when they buy a natural or organic personal care product.

Clare McDermott, business development director, Soil Association, said: “The organic beauty market is flourishing with increased sales, product launches, availability and greater consumer engagement within the sector. It has relaunched itself as a credible and aspirational alternative to mainstream non-organic beauty and has outperformed expectations this year. Organic beauty continues to thrive and the next 12 months look to be even stronger.”

The report highlighted five key trends:

• New regulations are creating a benchmark standard for the industry. Over a quarter of the 214 Soil Association Certification licensees are now certified to the Cosmetics Organic Standard (COSMOS) which will become the SA’s core standard for beauty on 1 January 2017.

• Demand for organic ingredients is growing as more organic brands are creating new products.

• More companies are scaling up what they do. Not only are established beauty companies performing well, but newer companies such as Pai Skincare, which saw sales up by over 60% in 2015, are growing too.

• The sector is becoming more diverse and innovative, with clinical data to back up their efficacy. According to Planet Organic, organic make-up and cosmetics are seeing strong growth.

• Consumers are becoming more informed and educated about the benefits of organic beauty. According to figures from Organic Monitor, 31% of consumers first decided to buy a natural or organic beauty products because of increased awareness. The Soil Association says that this is thanks to better branding and marketing campaigns including its Organic Beauty Week. “Our Campaign for Clarity is raising awareness of the fake and misleading organic claims that are being made in the beauty industry,” the report says.

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The post Melvita wraps up Christmas appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.

Organic beauty brand Melvita has reformulated one of its best sellers and launched two new gift sets designed to leave customers feeling pampered over the Christmas season.

Melvita’s L’Or Bio Extraordinary Oil has been enhanced and repackaged in a sleek new bottle featuring hexagonal etching and a metallic gold finish. A blend of five organic oils, the oil is designed to nourish skin and hair.

And to brighten up your branches, the brand’s first Christmas Bauble has been introduced – with three travel-sized treats hidden inside: L’Or Bio Extraordinary Oil, L’Argan Bio Hand Cream and Rose Floral Water.

Melvita’s new luxury L’Or Bio Gift Set contains the brand’s best-selling L’Or Bio Extraordinary Body Oil, which offers a natural, sophisticated scent with fresh notes of Italian bergamot, jasmine and tiare flower, along with the L’Or Bio Extraordinary Shower Gel.

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The post Get set for Organic Beauty Week appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.

This year’s Organic Beauty Week is kicking off on 14 September, so ensure you make the most of the campaign to drive both awareness and sales.

This year’s theme is based around the Soil Association’s Campaign for Clarity, and the Soil Association is encouraging all organic beauty retailers, brands and producers to get involved during this event as well as the wider Organic September campaign.

In addition to point of sale (POS) materials that can be used in store to drive awareness of the campaign, the SA will be sharing a digital tool kit with the key messages, suggested tweets and all the campaign assets to ensure the message is amplified consistently. This central online hub will be the main point for offers, competitions, blogs and interviews and will be underpinned by a targeted media campaign.

There are loads of ways to get involved:

• Take part in the #organicbeauty #campaign4clarity thunderclap and help spread the organic word even further

• Get your event or promotion listed on the Soil Association website – follow this link

• Use and share the digital assets – encourage your customers to ‘Organic their September’

• Use the POS materials in your store to drive awareness of the campaign

• Put the Campaign for Clarity logo on pack and reinforce your involvement to your customers

• Share your stories on the site – tell the stories behind organic and your products

• Promote Organic Beauty Week to your customers to engage and share their organic story

• Take part in the 30 days of organic small changes – there will be a number of opportunities to share the tips and reach new customers by promoting your products

• Offer competitions, recipes and offers to consumers as part of Organic Beauty Week or our overall Organic September campaign

• Offer prizes to be used as part of the user generated social media competitions

• Create your own Organic Beauty Week content and sharing it using #organicbeauty and #campaign4clarity

• Take part in the press events and support the press packs

You can download everything you need – the digital toolkit, POS materials and the Campaign for Clarity assets – here. Please email [email protected] to register for login information.

To kick off Organic Beauty Week, the Soil Association is holding an event, in partnership with Whole Foods Market, featuring The Hemsley Sisters.

Taking place on 8 September from 7pm-9pm at Whole Foods Market, Kensington High Street, the event will see Jasmine and Melissa talk about their life in food, their philosophy and relationship with organic food and beauty.

There will also be a Q&A session, a book signing of The Art of Eating Well, and goody bags packed with organic brands.

Tickets for the evening can be purchased here.

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The post Nordic natural cosmetics sector experiences healthy growth appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.

A new study by Organic Monitor has revealed that sales of organic and natural beauty products doubled between 2008 to 2014 in the Nordic region, and predicts that sales revenues will climb to €200 million in the coming years.

The largest market for natural cosmetics in the region is Denmark, where they comprise 4% of total sales of cosmetic and personal care products. One of the factors driving the market, says the report, is availability in a broader range of outlets, although health food stores still have the highest share of sales.

Organic Monitor also found that although imported brands are well established, Nordic brands are gaining market share, with Danish company Urtekram – which was the first brand to launch Cosmos-certified organic cosmetics in the region – being the market leader.

And certification is becoming increasingly important in the region, with consumers wanting the reassurance of ethical/environmental logos and symbols. The Nordic Swan is the most dominant symbol, recognized by more than 90% of consumers.

Natural Products Scandinavia, the Nordic trade show for natural health, nutrition, beauty and self care, takes place on 1-2 November 2015 in Malmö, Sweden.

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The post Show and tell appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.

Another year, another inspiring and exhilarating show. At the time of going to press with this column the dust has not long settled on the fabulous Natural Beauty & Spa show, part of Natural & Organic Products Europe, held for the first time this year at ExCeL London.

New kids on the block
While it’s always a pleasure to spot the bigwig brands that have done so much to trail blaze for the natural beauty industry, it’s also an exciting opportunity to get acquainted with the new kids on the block, and see what consumer demands over the past year have been responded to.

Of course, not all newcomers have the budget to attend a leading show such as Natural & Organic Products Europe, so this year the introduction of the Venus Beauty Pavilion gave a helping hand to young, fledgling start-ups, enabling them to exhibit in a shared space for a fraction of the cost.

The pavilion showcased brands such as Stvdio5, a new 100% vegan and natural cosmetic company based in London, and BYRT Skincare, an exciting new British brand that uses premium, organic ingredients sourced from around the globe.

Premium beauty still seems to prevail as the fastest growing trend in the natural beauty category, but more importantly its development is one deemed necessary by expert analysts.

Amarjit Sahota, director of Organic Monitor, raised the pertinent point during his Monday seminar that despite steady growth within the industry, the consumer base of natural and organic beauty remains relatively small, only making up 2% of overall beauty sales in the UK.

Finding a way into the mainstream
At the risk of experiencing the “green glass ceiling” effect, he said that natural and organic beauty brands and retailers “need to rise above the dark green consumers, and find ways to go mainstream”.

In other words, trading  purelyoff natural and organic credentials is not enough to engage a shopper who might never have expressed any interest in what ingredients their beauty products contain. Promoting the premium and efficacious elements of a brand does, however, pique interest, he said, with the organic factor regarded by light green shoppers as being a happy bonus.

Sahota cited the Australian organic skincare brand Jurlique as a perfect example of a range that has marketed itself as being premium above and beyond the fact it is organic, and has subsequently experienced huge growth and success off the back of this. Since being taken under Japanese ownership four years ago, Jurlique is now considered the No 1 prestige skincare brand in Asia, and No 2 in Australia.

So while it’s important never to lose sight of the natural beauty industry’s origins or core values, it will also pay for retailers to be mindful of what type of products will bring a new wave of consumer through their door in future in order to bolster the loyal dark green consumer sales throughout the year.

Julia Zaltzman is a freelance journalist and editor of the Natural Beauty Yearbook

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The post A little bite of beauty appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.

Rebecca Goodyear Health & Beauty has launched Biteable Beautique, an online shop specializing in natural and organic beauty products.

The site also includes a weekly blog series dedicated to informing consumers about the best natural products to use from head to toe.

Goodyear’s mission is to revolutionize the way people perceive natural beauty products, help consumers make better informed choices and ditch potentially hazardous ingredients and encourage the use of products that are kinder to both the body and environment.

The brands stocked in the online store include Jason, Green Energy Organics, Botanicals, Dr Bronner, Spa Fabulous, Antipodes and FOM London.

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The post Stand up and be counted appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.

It’s been more than six months since the team at the Natural Beauty Yearbook and Natural Products News magazine sat down around a round table with a handful of key industry figures and discussed the state of the natural and organic beauty market.

In what was a lively, topical and engaging debate, one of the main issues raised at the event was the need to communicate more clearly with both existing natural beauty consumers, and the wider general public, to get key messages both heard and understood. And it was felt that in order to do so the industry as a whole had to unite and come together as one, to sing off the same song sheet, so to speak.

We all agreed that high-end, efficacious, natural beauty products are now at the forefront of the industry, competing like for like (if not even better) with mass market brands on quality of ingredients, proven results and price point.

I couldn’t help but feel at the time, though, that once again we were all preaching to the converted, and wondered how the message would reach those who really need to hear it. Which is why I was so delighted when I heard the exciting news about the recent launch of the Real Beauty Manifesto (realbeautymanifesto.org).

Founded by Sonia White, managing director of leading online natural beauty retailer LoveLula, and partaker at last year’s Round Table, it’s aim is for the unification of natural and organic beauty brands “in support of a more holistic vision of honesty, integrity, community and sustainability,” says White.

A complementary manifesto

Far from competing with existing certifiers, the RBM logo complements the current standards and provides an immediate point of reference “informing customers that a product is made with decency and care and can be bought
with confidence”.

Over 20 companies (including the Soil Association) have already signed up to the campaign that White describes as “a tangible way for us to unite and move forward”.

A similar initiative – the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics – was launched in the US back in 2004 by Stacy Malkan. Set up as a consumer safety advocacy group uniting hundreds of non-profits and natural beauty companies for a safer beauty industry, the campaign helped prompt mass manufacturers such as Johnson & Johnson to reformulate, and for the US Government to consider updating cosmetics legislation.

The persistent lack of a proper framework or point of legal reference for the UK’s natural beauty industry is a long-standing bugbear for retailers, brands and consumers alike. It breeds greenwashing, confuses shoppers and diminishes the hard work done by those who do actually produce products that tick all the right boxes. If the Real Beauty Manifesto could at the very least lend some weight to getting natural beauty standards recognized within European law, then that would be a long-awaited victory for us all.

So let’s make a concerted effort to unite on all fronts, and stand up to be counted. It’s about time our rather substantial voice was finally heard, don’t you think?

Julia Zaltzman is a freelance writer and editor of The Natural Beauty Yearbook

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The post UK organic beauty sales up 20% appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.

The organic health and beauty sector delivered a standout performance in 2014 with UK sales of certified products reaching £44.6 million, up 20% year-on-year, according to the Soil Association’s Organic Market Report 2015.

Exports have also grown, according to the report, with export revenue topping £10 million for the first time. This growth has been particularly strong in Asian markets.

With increasing greenwashing in this sector, demand for reassurance through certification is also growing, and the number of companies employing the Soil Association symbol has risen to 204, up 51%, as “consumers look for the reassurance of organic certification in an unregulated market plagued by spurious organic claims”.

The report found that Neal’s Yard Remedies, the market leader in the health and beauty sector both internationally and in the UK, saw its organic sales increase by 12% in 2014. After opening a further ten stores, it now has 50 stores in the UK as well as 45 internationally.

The report also highlights Essential Care, which has rebranded as Odylique and whose exports are growing 50% year-on-year, and Pai Skincare which saw its sales double in 2014.

Consumer demands in this area are changing, according to the Soil Association, with customers looking for clinically proven results. “The leading organic brands are increasingly looking beyond the environmentally conscious core consumers that originally drove the market to appeal to a wider, less ideologically driven public looking for more natural products that work,” says the report.

The Soil Association report says that consumer education is at the core of the marketing strategies of the larger brands, citing Odylique and Pai as having information websites and Neal’s Yard Remedies helping raise awareness of the dangers of neonicotinoid pesticides.

A highlight of 2014 was the inaugural Organic Beauty Week which took place during Organic September and incorporated a range of events and product promotions which reached over four million people and helped deliver a tripling of week-on-week sales of organic beauty products during the week.

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The post Countdown to Christmas appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.

It’s easy to tell when the festive period is approaching because the nights get longer and boozier, the streets are paved with fairy lights and good cheer, and excitement builds for the celebrated launch of the Natural Beauty Yearbook!

Hosted by Whole Foods Market in Fulham this year, the launch of the much-anticipated Natural Beauty Yearbook 2015 was well received by all who attended. Not just an occasion to network and see familiar faces, however, the launch party is also the first opportunity to hear before anyone else in the industry who has been voted in the coveted Top 25 Who’s Who in Natural Beauty.

So, in keeping with that tradition, here’s a festive count-down of the top three trends in natural beauty as published in the yearbook, so retailers can focus their 2015 efforts on always being one step ahead of the game.

No 3 – at-home facial kits
The organic beauty offering has started to ‘grow’ in both sophistication (formulations and packaging) and creative marketing terms, according to Sarah Brown of Pai Skincare. “We’re seeing a move away from kitchen top concerns to premium, aspirational lines that seriously rival the mainstream synthetic brand power houses. It’s set to shake up competition in the wider sector.”

Brown says that emerging product trends include ‘at-home’ facial kits with a particular requirement for masks to deliver instant and visible results, as well as treatment products for spot-prone skin, in response to the continued rise in adult acne.

No 2 – raw food
Facial skincare remains one of the standout categories, with two-thirds of consumer spend on skincare coming from the facial sector, according to senior analyst of consumer insights at Datamonitor, Ramaa Chipalkatti. “Overlaps are bridging the gap between care and cure, evidenced by hypoallergenic and antibacterial skincare innovation as an emerging trend in beauty product innovation, with many food and drink products, as well as supplements, claiming several skincare benefits,” she says.

Fiona Klonarides, editor of The Beauty Shortlist agrees, claiming that ‘raw beauty’ is the latest skincare trend, arising from our obsession with juicing. “It’s all about feeding skin from the inside – and outside – with active nutrient, enzyme-rich, ‘live’ skincare ingredients,” she says.

No 1 – multifunctional fragrances
Liz McCarthy, CEO of online retailer abeautifulworld.co.uk, forecasts “a shift towards consumers looking for products that not only have stunning natural and organic ingredients, but also a high performance, high science approach with measurable, tangible results”.

Mintel confirms the market is “ripe” for multifunctional fragrances as consumers seek health benefits to complement their scent. “It’s no longer enough for a scent to only enhance consumers’ aromas,” says Mintel analyst Shannon Romanowski.

Options for the functional fragrance sector include energy boosting, combating mild ailments like colds, and aiding sleep.

Julia Zaltzman is a freelance writer and editor of The Natural Beauty Yearbook

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The post Beauty Bites appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.

TanOrganic has become the first self-tan brand to be launched into Holland & Barrett stores, with the whole range available in stores nationwide. The brand is also preparing to launch in Australia.

In September Ayurvedic skincare brand UrbanVeda will launch in Russia, in Organic Shop, which was created to cater for the rapidly growing demand for natural products in the country.

Hairy Jayne’s latest off is a Pre-Shampoo Treatment Oil using argan oil along with essential oils of bay, clary sage, lavender and ylang ylang to relieve irritation, nourish follicles and smooth hair.

Weleda has achieved three awards in the Green Parent Natural Beauty Guide 2014: its Oat Replenishing Treatment won Gold in the Hair Treat category; Baby Calendula Shampoo & Body Wash scooped Bronze in the Children’s Shampoo category; and Calendula Toothpaste won Bronze in the toothpaste category.

Natracare has unveiled the world’s first COSMOS-certified organic Cleansing Make-Up Removal Wipes for sensitive skin, combining the essential oils of almond, apricot and camomile.

Nutri Argan Beautifying Elixir from NHP is a blend of organic argan and macadamia oils formulated to infuse moisture, strengthen, remove frizz and protect hair from free radicals.

According to Grand View Research, the global organic beauty market is set to hit almost $US16 billion by 2020, driven by innovation in herbal ingredients and consumer awareness about the benefits of organic.

Faith in Nature is celebrating its birthday year with a 40^th Anniversary Minis Gift pack containing five 100ml sensual varieties as part of its 2014 gift set collection which also features Shampoo & Conditioner Gift Packs.

Freshness of the Morning has announced a 100% natural Revitalizing Hair Serum combining oils including jojoba, rosehip, burritt, maketti and passionflower to regenerate, strengthen and smooth hair.

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