Published
Mar 4, 2022
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Beauty brands must "embrace the collective good" - Mintel report

Published
Mar 4, 2022

With consumers increasingly focused on the good their favourite brands do aside from the products they sell, beauty brands no longer need to just have a superior product, they need to have a real purpose, a new report claimed on Friday.


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Mintel has released its Future Forward report and said its latest findings show that not using harmful ingredients remains the top priority (48%) for consumers in terms of what they want from beauty brands. This is clearly a desire to keep themselves safe.

But they’re also thinking more altruistically and Mintel said their expectations are set to “dramatically shift from the individual to the collective”.

It found that consumers want businesses to be honest with them about their business practices (29%) and to pay their employees fairly (21%). Meanwhile, 15% of consumers now also want to see brands being more inclusive by designing products for people from all backgrounds and abilities. That’s especially try for younger consumers.

And this new attitude isn't confined to what individual brands do with their own products. Mintel said that “the greatest shift in vision that we will see in the next five years is one of collaboration. To achieve real change, brands must work together, not against each other. Brands will no longer view one another as competitors, but as allies tackling a common cause. Those that fail to collaborate and, instead, seek individual attention will find themselves at the mercy of a growing group of proactive consumers, who will call out their behaviour. Negative sentiment will run high if brands fail to collaborate or contribute”.

One important aspect of the way they need to change is in terms of the environment. Consumers are increasingly looking for “more ambitious commitments from companies and brands to protect the environment”. While 34% of consumers say they expect brands to follow environmental regulations, there’s a growing group that wants brands to take this further. In fact, as many as 30% want beauty brands to “do what’s best for the earth, even at the expense of margins”.

And 48% now want brands to “show the direct impact their purchases have on the environment, such as one tree planted for every purchase”. Some 47% want labels to clearly show a product’s environmental impact.

Jane Henderson, Chairman, Mintel Beauty and Wellness, said: “Whilst brands know that Purpose is a path to be taken, there are many that have yet to brave it. In the coming years, brands will risk calls of tokenism if they do not plan to be at the forefront. Those that embrace it with courage and creativity will capture more consumer hearts and more sales.

“Brands must be prepared for consumers to care more than ever about inclusivity, as well as the dignity of employees and the impact of their business around the world, as we see people become increasingly concerned about the greater good. With the younger generations more passionate about wider social change than their older counterparts, it is a trend that is set to keep growing.”

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