Bath and Body Products: The Natural Market
Research by Organic Monitor finds that the natural and organic sector is the fastest growing in the North American cosmetics and toiletries industry, with sales increasing by 20% a year. The research also noted that North America and Europe are the two engines of growth.
Distribution in mass-market retailers is increasing as stores focus on ecological and natural products. Supermarkets such as Safeway are expanding their natural product ranges, while drugstores such as CVS and Rite Aid are launching exclusive natural products as well.
Rite Aid’s Pure Spring natural bath, body, and skin care line include 61 products. In addition, the drugstore chain has added a natural organics section to the bath and body department of many of its stores, keeping in tune with the growing demands by consumers wanting a choice of more natural and organic products. Queen Helene Organic Fair Trade, Jason Natural, Greenland, Body America—Organics With Attitude, and Alba Botanics can all be found in the new section of the drugstore chain.
Marcia Gaynor, category manager of cosmetics for Duane Reade drugstores, states: “We are looking for new and interesting products, especially green products. Environmental products are huge this year.”
Today’s consumers are looking to avoid potentially harmful ingredients, such as parabens and petrochemicals, while at the same time seeking safer, nonchemical-based products that offer efficacy and purity. The popularity of natural body care is evident through the entrance of corporate manufacturing giants, such as Clorox, which last year acquired Burt’s Bees, one of the oldest and most-recognized environmentally friendly skin care companies in the United States.
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