By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Natural Products Global | Delivering the news in your Natural & Organic sectorNatural Products Global | Delivering the news in your Natural & Organic sector
  • Food & Drink
    Food & DrinkShow More
    Modern Milkman gets Dizzie for breakfast refillables
    June 1, 2023
    OTB strengthens Board of Directors
    June 1, 2023
    The Organic Sommelier cuts through confusion
    June 1, 2023
    Olio partners with Whole Foods for waste reduction initiative
    June 1, 2023
    Texas requires ‘clear labeling’ of plant-based foods starting Sept. 1
    June 1, 2023
  • Health
    HealthShow More
    What does the consumer think of natural product stores?
    May 31, 2023
    Children’s wellness segment maintains healthy growth beyond seasonal concerns – spotlight
    May 31, 2023
    Move Nutrition Network Announces Advisory Board
    May 26, 2023
    Waitrose expands functional drinks offer
    May 26, 2023
    The Analyst’s Take: 3 insights on the 2023 sports nutrition market
    May 26, 2023
  • Beauty
    BeautyShow More
    Superdrug slashes sunscreen price by 20%
    June 1, 2023
    Dr. Organic invests in solar energy project
    May 31, 2023
    In conversation with the British Beauty Council
    May 25, 2023
    NATRUE’s Mark Smith announced as Co-Chair of the British Beauty Council’s Sustainable Beauty Coalition
    May 23, 2023
    New co-chairs for Sustainable Beauty Coalition
    May 22, 2023
  • Eco Living
    Eco LivingShow More
    Natural Products News’ spotlight series
    May 18, 2023
    Truthpaste gets fresh with new probiotic mouthwash line
    May 15, 2023
    News in brief from Natural Products News (UK)
    May 2, 2023
    Natural & Organic Products Europe provides a “vavavoom of energy” for the industry
    April 25, 2023
    Eco Living Iberia will bring together the natural world and the pharmacy channel with the collaboration of Actibios
    April 25, 2023
  • World News
  • Distributors Wanted
  • Supplier Connections
Reading: In conversation with the British Beauty Council
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Latest News
Modern Milkman gets Dizzie for breakfast refillables
June 1, 2023
Superdrug slashes sunscreen price by 20%
June 1, 2023
OTB strengthens Board of Directors
June 1, 2023
The Organic Sommelier cuts through confusion
June 1, 2023
Olio partners with Whole Foods for waste reduction initiative
June 1, 2023
Aa
Natural Products Global | Delivering the news in your Natural & Organic sectorNatural Products Global | Delivering the news in your Natural & Organic sector
Aa
Search
  • Food & Drink
  • Health
  • Beauty
  • Eco Living
  • World News
  • Distributors Wanted
  • Supplier Connections
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Blog
  • Blog
  • Advertise
  • Advertise
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Natural Products Global | Delivering the news in your Natural & Organic sector > Blog > NPG Comment > Interviews > In conversation with the British Beauty Council
EuropeFeaturedInterviewsNatural BeautyNPG Comment

In conversation with the British Beauty Council

Rosie Greenaway
Rosie Greenaway May 25, 2023
Updated 2023/05/25 at 11:31 AM
Share
13 Min Read
Photo © 2023 - ASV Photography Ltd. www.ASVphotos.com
SHARE

As Millie Kendall OBE, CEO of the British Beauty Council, chaired the headline beauty panel at NOPEX 2023 – Meeting the green consumer challenge – Rosie Greenaway listened in to bring you the key talking points

Meeting the green consumer

Anabel Kindersley, co-owner, Neal’s Yard Remedies: For the last 20 years we’ve referred to the green consumer as the ‘dark green loyalist’; that’s changing. It’s becoming much more mainstream. The tide is turning. People do care. The consumer is becoming more discerning. They’re buying less, they’re buying better quality.

Jessi Baker, founder, Provenance: Often people think it’s just Gen Z … that want to shop in a more sustainable way – they’ve woken up, they’re Generation Planet A. But … at Provenance we’ve actually seen uptake and interest across the full spectrum of consumers which is really exciting. There is a younger generation coming through and thank goodness for them – vegan TikTok gives me so much hope – but actually it’s pretty spread. The reality is these consumers … are from a wide range of demographics. There’s no doubt that there’s a shift happening. It’s a movement, not a trend.

Value versus price during a cost of living crisis

Millie Kendall: The fear has been, for me, that during the cost of living crisis people will … buy cheap. As CEO of the British Beauty Council I’m thrilled to know that’s not happening. We need to wear our values on our sleeves. We can be, quite often, timid; we don’t shout enough about the value of the products that we’re creating.

AK: Our customers are looking for value in different ways. A purchase they feel happy about, that they feel aligned with. We’ve seen huge cost rises. We’re not going to pass that on to our customers. You just have to adapt. We give … value in different ways: we’ve made bigger sizes [providing] an extra 16 washes … we’re about to take off all the cartons on our products. We’ve seen a rise in multipurpose … refills.

Paige Tracey, business development manager, Soil Association: Organic formulations [are] often a lot more concentrated than non-organic, so you only have to use a tiny amount of product to get the same effects. It’s sustainable on so many fronts. The product’s lasting longer and you’re not wasting as much. There are a lot more formulations being made now without water which makes the product even more concentrated.

Lauren Murrell, CEO and co-founder, By Sarah London: There’s the real risk that if you do drop skincare that has been working for you, maybe you try something cheap from the supermarket which has been diluted with water, it’s not as active, then you can actually end up in a bit of a circle of despair – it’s not going to work for you, it’s going to weaken that skin barrier and then you’re wasting money. So you want to stick with what’s working for you.

PT: That’s what value really is: using something that works.

AK: I think when all customers become discerning there won’t be room for the cheap brands because they’re not paying the real cost of making products in the proper way. I think the word ‘cheap’ and how we’re going to see that word is going to be altered. Bet me on it!

Greenwashing and greenhushing

MK: Let’s face it, we come from an industry that has used marketing buzzwords and quite frankly a lot of bull for a long time. To acquire new customers, we need to be very straightforward and transparent about everything we do.

JB: People [are] a lot more aware of the term greenwashing … and also ‘greenhushing’ –people not talking about what they’re doing at all because they’re worried that it’s greenwash. It’s been proven that making sustainable claims on your products is good for business. It’s good for growth. So we are seeing lots of large brand groups shifting. The trouble is … the market is very flooded and not all claims are equal. The reality is … roughly 50% of the beauty and wellness industry is making some kind of claim. 86% [of consumers] are confused and not sure what to trust. So now we need to tackle the confusion.

PT: Research is showing that consumers are … differentiating between a brand just making an environmental claim or slapping their own eco label on and looking for that third-party accreditation.

MK: It’s very important that we have those [certifications] to make it easier for the consumer to make that choice. We all know you can slap the word organic on the front of a product and get away with it which is, to me, absolutely criminal.

LM: I think regulation is part of it but I also see a future where certifications … will become a lot more mainstream and then as a customer you’re going to say ‘So what?’. Every brand is going to look similar. How do we show our values beyond that? During lockdown when all the hair salons were closed we encouraged our community to keep growing their ponytails, then … donate them to The Little Princess Trust, who make real hair wigs for children that have lost their hair to cancer. It’s a charity that I actually donated my hair to when I was undergoing chemotherapy so it was a very moving moment for me. It was a moment for our community to get behind something that really mattered and had a real impact.

Certification and community

LM: B Corp helped give us that extra focus. We know our community very well – it’s the part I loved the most because we speak to our community every single day. In us sharing our story as a brand so many of our community have shared their stories with us and it’s deeply moving to see the impact that our skincare has, not just on their skin but on their overall emotional wellbeing. Understanding exactly who we’re speaking to … was actually really empowering. In going through that B Corp process – which is very arduous and time consuming – it allows you to focus and think ‘How much more can we do to serve that customer?’.

PT: The Soil Association COSMOS certification [is] very rigorous. Lots of brands won’t meet the standard. That will hold brands back, but we’re seeing more and more who are beginning to change; they are beginning to look at their formulations and think ‘Does that really need to be in there, because it’s not allowed in the standard and why is it in there in the first place?’. I’d just like to give a shout out to all our certified brands because … it’s a difficult process to go through but one that’s ultimately worth it. I use that phrase ‘farm to face’ – being certified organic you’ve got that whole supply chain audited. You’re able to tell fantastic stories about how using those organic ingredients is supporting nature, the eco-system and the farmers, helping them to make a livelihood. It’s not just about the final product – obviously that’s really important and there’s a big list of things that can’t be in the product – but the whole supply chain is looked at. Everything down to the manufacturing facilities, what they’re using to clean their equipment with. A lot of our brands are start-ups; from their inception they’re formulating to these high standards and it puts some of these giant corporations to shame. 

Claims crackdowns and company costs

JB: I set up Provenance because I wanted to squash greenwashing. I see it as such an enemy to brands that are doing great work. At the moment it really is a wild west. You can write whatever claim you want … in the beauty industry. It absolutely has to end. Provenance has been chipping away at that problem but what’s great is now regulations are coming in to raise the floor, to make it as hard as possible to make completely bogus claims. But it’s early days. We saw great leadership from the Competitions and Markets Authority on their Green Claims Code; they are squashing down on different claims, mostly in fashion, but beauty is probably next.

MK: We’re in a triple threat with COVID, Brexit and the cost of living crisis. How does Brexit prevent us from getting to where we want to be?

LM: As a challenger brand it’s been extremely difficult. It’s added more costs to our business.

AK: The Ukraine war has been as challenging in many ways. Brexit is a long-lasting, self-harming pain.

PT: It’s had effects at the Soil Association, mostly on the food side. We’ve also seen a knock-on effect for cosmetics. A lot of our brands have lost their EU distributors.

MK: There is an urgent need to be growing ingredients and creating products in the UK, both economically, environmentally and in terms of moving raw materials around the planet.

AK: We need the Government to hold themselves to higher environmental standards. I’ve been championing the Government … to stop hazardous pesticides, so that we can grow more ingredients in the UK, which we should be – it makes financial sense, it’s better for the economy, it makes environmental sense. Nothing is the same unless you stand together; there’s no such thing as that silly idea of competition. If we’re really going to change the world we need to stand together.

LM: I’d second that. If we can support more industry in the UK it makes a lot of sense.

Looking to the future

MK: If you’re sitting here again next year where do you hope we’ll be in sustainable beauty?

LM: Hopefully in a year’s time people will be less confused [and] feel more confident in the skincare choices.

AK: We won’t be talking about derogations anymore; the Government will have made the decision not to be lazy and keep kicking it into the long grass that’s full of pesticides.

The post In conversation with the British Beauty Council appeared first on NP NEWS | The online home of Natural Products magazine.

Read More

You Might Also Like

Modern Milkman gets Dizzie for breakfast refillables

Superdrug slashes sunscreen price by 20%

OTB strengthens Board of Directors

The Organic Sommelier cuts through confusion

Olio partners with Whole Foods for waste reduction initiative

TAGGED: British Beauty Council, Natural & Organic Products Europe, Natural Products News, United Kingdom

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Rosie Greenaway May 25, 2023
Share this Article
Facebook TwitterEmail Print
Previous Article 50 years of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL
Next Article Chef José Andrés and George Washington University Partner to Transform Global Food System

Stay Connected

Facebook Like
Twitter Follow
Youtube Subscribe

Latest News

Modern Milkman gets Dizzie for breakfast refillables
Environment Europe Food and Drink Packaging June 1, 2023
Superdrug slashes sunscreen price by 20%
Europe Natural Beauty Retail June 1, 2023
OTB strengthens Board of Directors
Campaigns and NGOs Europe Food and Drink Organic Regulation and Policy June 1, 2023
The Organic Sommelier cuts through confusion
Europe Food and Drink Organic June 1, 2023
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/922852467343286272/nzY8awcO_normal.jpg
@NPGalerts
885 Following
683 Followers
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/922852467343286272/nzY8awcO_normal.jpg 11 hours ago
Featured Supplier! Füd is a naturally light, plant-based blend of fruit juices, vitamins, minerals & electrolytes.… https://t.co/H0xO5Uu5s7
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/922852467343286272/nzY8awcO_normal.jpg 20 hours ago
The natural products industry must stand with Mexico. Source - New Hope Network. Find out more:… https://t.co/zYYuNLhncW
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/922852467343286272/nzY8awcO_normal.jpg May 31, 2023
Featured Supplier! FRUU is a multi-award winning London based cosmetics company that turn ‘wonky fruits’ into susta… https://t.co/HFtDlCzjWm

Advertise

  • Advertise with us
  • Advertise with us
  • Newsletters
  • Newsletters
  • Deal
  • Deal
  • Distributors Wanted

You Might also Like

EnvironmentEuropeFood and DrinkPackaging

Modern Milkman gets Dizzie for breakfast refillables

June 1, 2023

Superdrug slashes sunscreen price by 20%

June 1, 2023
Campaigns and NGOsEuropeFood and DrinkOrganicRegulation and Policy

OTB strengthens Board of Directors

June 1, 2023
EuropeFood and DrinkOrganic

The Organic Sommelier cuts through confusion

June 1, 2023
//

Natural Products Global is a one-stop global news resource for natural & organic industry professionals.

Natural Products Global is a one-stop global news resource for natural and organic industry professionals. Offering a mix of original content and aggregated news from leading industry websites.

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Natural Products Global | Delivering the news in your Natural & Organic sectorNatural Products Global | Delivering the news in your Natural & Organic sector
Follow US

© 2022 Natural Products Global NPG | All Rights Reserved

Sign Up!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest natural & organic industry news delivered to your inbox

Name(Required)
Password(Required)
Strength indicator
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Zero spam, Unsubscribe at any time.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?