Sustainability In Beauty Industries

There’s no mistaking that consumers’ shopping preferences are changing drastically. Perhaps the most interesting change that we are seeing today is consumer desire for more green and sustainable products among a variety of industries.

This is especially true within the beauty industry. For many of the products offered in said industry, the environmental impacts are not always well understood by consumers. However, more and more often, concerned customers are demanding change. In many aspects, the beauty industry is responding.

A Movement Towards Sustainability

The push towards greater sustainability isn’t something that’s happening in one industry or even just one part of the world. Rather, the green movement is a trend that’s taking every industry by storm. Customers are demanding healthy and sustainable products, which is bringing about a grassroots change wholly unpredicted by many experts.

Some marketing research indicates that customers aren’t only demanding change, they’re willing to put their money behind making sure these changes happen. Nearly 70 percent of survey respondents said that sustainability measures were at least somewhat important to them. Additionally, nearly half of respondents said they’d be willing to pay more for a product that they knew was sustainable.

Beyond that, many potential customers are actively looking for transparent products. Ultimately, consumers want to know what common ingredients companies use in their products. Understanding this is key in determining whether a company is finding their ingredients from sustainable sources, and is taking sustainable change seriously.

Much Needed Change

Over the years, the beauty industry has taken a lot of heat for some of the ingredients it uses in its products, as well as how the products are tested before they make it to the market. For instance, many companies were heavily criticized for testing makeup products on animals in the past. This is still occurring today.

Ultimately, this attention led companies to come up with alternatives to animal-tested products, and increased advertising around this choice.

Other issues have frequently arisen, such as trendy beauty products that lead to significant environmental damage. Many of these products aren’t that beneficial, making their impact worse than the gain. One such product would be palm oil. Although this ingredient is having an outsized negative impact on the environment, it still shows up in a multitude of beauty products globally.

Many ingredients find their way into beauty products that most people wouldn’t necessarily support if they knew the whole story. Experts like public health officials can help inform consumers about unhealthy and often dangerous products. This, in turn, impacts the industry itself, and the availability of these products.

Unfortunately, this hasn’t always happened, which is what has largely led to greater public demand for accountability from companies directly.

Steps in the Right Direction

There are many instances where the beauty industry responded to sustainable needs, which has been a welcome change from many critics. For instance, many companies are focused on decreasing the list of toxic ingredients that go into their products. Some companies are developing product development changes such as utilizing more sustainable materials and producers.

Some companies are also improving their standards when it comes to product packaging. A growing number of companies are revamping what their products come in, and tend to be moving away from the brightly colored, heavy plastic packaging and opting for more simplified, clean, and easy to recycle options. This ultimately makes it easier for consumers to recycle.

Maybe not so surprisingly, small companies are also seeking out a niche in the marketplace by pushing their sustainable products. Small businesses are leading the sustainable product movement in the beauty industry, and these companies are specializing in local products with simple ingredients that benefit consumers and the environment.

The push is taking off with more and more every day as shoppers take a second look at the products they buy and use on their skin.

Many different industries have been forced to begin making changes due to consumer pressure for greener products, including the beauty industry. Beauty products have a long history of struggle with health and sustainability and are finally starting to make a real change.

Although there still is a lot to change overall, thankfully many companies, including small businesses, are leading the movement to make the world a better place.