Green Beauty
Natural cosmetics can do that today
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When it comes to growth, natural cosmetics are definitely in the fast lane. The Companies have learned a lot – and their products, from care products to make-up, can do a lot more than just a few years ago.
The last year was not to cheer for many beauty companies – sales in Germany have been stagnating for a long time, now they are even declining slightly. It is different with natural cosmetics: According to the Natural Cosmetics Industry Monitor, this area grew by almost six percent in 2020 and can look forward to more than 1.3 million new customers in one year. “The segment stands precisely for the socially relevant core issues of sustainability and health,” says Mirja Eckert, who, with her consulting company The New, has specialized in the sustainability sector, among other things. “Corona has also caused a surge, people have become even more sensitive to what they leave on their skin.” It goes without saying that the entire industry now wants to be green. But even the eco-firms themselves have done a lot to ensure that their pots are in almost every bathroom.
01 Green works
“Back then we didn’t care what came out of the tube, the main thing is that we save the world with it,” remembers Elfriede Dambacher of her beginnings in the industry when she opened the first specialist shop for natural cosmetics in Berlin in the 80s. “Today, natural cosmetics are expected to perform just as well as any standard product.” And it can do that too, because the companies have built up a great deal of knowledge over the decades. “For example, we found out how to chemically change natural substances into fatty acid esters in such a way that they feel pleasant on the skin – similar to silicones. David Hauck, who tests the efficacy of cosmetics in his research institute and the green premium brand Dr. Hauck developed. “Many natural substances that we have today are even superior to the synthetic ones: Alone in a native almond oil as the mere basis of a recipe you naturally have care substances such as ceramides and fatty acids such as linoleic acid, although you have not added anything else. A silicone oil is a silicone oil and nothing else.”
02 (Almost) everything works
There is now something in green for almost every beauty requirement – whether from a drugstore or a luxury brand. Annemarie Börlind has even developed a fluid with purely plant-based collagen, and Lavera offers everything from repair shampoo to foot cream. “To this day, we have a regional, closed production chain around Hanover and thus short decision-making paths, so we can react quickly to trends,” says Susann Vogel, Head of Communications at the company. Last but not least, a strong driver for innovation is the greater need for natural raw materials – this means that ingredients are further developed or new ones are discovered and grown accordingly. “The conventional industry today also prefers to use natural products, which has made this market much more interesting for suppliers,” says industry expert Dr. Hauck. The inventiveness of many small companies also brings new things. No wonder then that at the natural cosmetics fair Vivaness most of the “Best New Product” awards went to startups.
03 Eco looks good
For many, the bathroom should be a feel-good space, a kind of home spa – the corona pandemic has made that even worse. And the nicer it should be there, the nicer the products should also look on the shelf. Stefan Kolle, the founder of the “Stop the Water While Using Me!” Brand, who has since passed away, was one of the first in the natural cosmetics industry to understand this. Kolle, a former advertiser, knew exactly how to create a lifestyle brand – and packed his soaps and shower gels so cool that hotel chains and hipster families enthusiastically decorated their bathrooms with them. A decorative outfit alone is no longer enough today, however, everything around it should also be ecological. “Stop the Water While Using Me!”, But also companies like Susanne Kaufmann therefore offer refill systems for their stylish containers or have developed solid pieces that can be wrapped in cardboard and weigh less, which is the CO2 – Reduces emissions during transport.
04 Score with transparency
Customers are much more critical today than they were a few years ago and want to know what exactly is in a product. “Conventional companies that want to make natural cosmetics, in particular, have to work hard for their credibility. A ‘free from’ on the packaging is no longer enough,” says expert Mirja Eckert, “consumers are demanding more and more transparency, for example when it comes to social aspects. ” Industry pioneers are also challenged here: “We have noticed that we have to tell more confidently what we are doing,” says Alicia Lindner, granddaughter of Annemarie Börlind’s founder, who runs the business with her brother. On the homepage there is therefore a lot of information about the ingredients and sustainability, the packaging has been supplemented with green input. Weleda AG, in turn, enables a virtual tour of its gardens on its “Open Garden” platform and also provides information on topics such as biodiversity.
05 Break new ground
“The traditional companies have advanced the recipes, the new ones the marketing,” says researcher and entrepreneur Dr. David Hauck. Long-established companies are also breaking new ground: Lavera, for example, advertises with prominent faces such as TV star Rebecca Mir, Annemarie Börlind cooperates for individual products with influencers such as Nova Lana Love. “The small companies go a few steps further by communicating a lot directly with their community via social networks and involving them in the development of their products,” says consultant Mirja Eckert. And not only communication, but also the distribution channels are changing – are becoming more digital, even perfumeries, in which natural cosmetics have not yet been represented, are increasingly using their online shops to test the acceptance of green brands.
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