The vast majority of consumers surveyed by beauty retailer Holland & Barrett said they want brands to be more transparent about their ingredients lists
Consumers are demanding that beauty brands ditch confusing beauty jargon on their packaging, a new survey has found.
The study by beauty and wellness retailer Holland & Barrett of 2,000 UK women revealed 97% want beauty brands to be more transparent about the ingredients in their products.
Meanwhile, more than 90% agreed companies should be clearer about the language they use on their packaging.
The retailer also found that, with confusion over ingredients rife, 92% of women are actively seeking natural ingredients over ‘household name beauty brands’ when searching for new skin care choices.
Claims such as natural and cruelty-free were more popular than anti-ageing, tightening and line reduction.
Speaking about the ingredients she wants to see in beauty products, skin care expert Abigail James said: “When it comes to what to look out for on on-pack claims, the key ingredients I don’t want to see is parfum high up on the list, this is often referring to synthetic and can be a skin irritant.
“Also avoid artificial colourings, on a product label it would have the name of a colour and number preceded by a letter, for example fd&c or d&c.”
Meanwhile, Joanne Cooke, Holland & Barrett’s Beauty Trading Director, said the company was “committed to improving levels of transparency, traceability and sustainability” throughout its supply chain.
Beauty listens to demand
Thanks to a wealth of information online, beauty consumers are increasingly becoming experts in the skin care category.
This means shoppers are less likely to be confused by beauty jargon, causing more brands to tap into transparency as a marketing initiative.
The newly launched skin care line from subscription beauty brand Glossybox is marketed as ‘no-nonsense’, with ingredients labelled on the front of the packaging.
Elsewhere, ‘minimalist’ beauty brand Five Dot Botanics created products that are designed to ‘simplify skin care’ by using fewer ingredients and encourage pared back skin care routines.
Meanwhile, skin and hair care brand The Inkey List first launched to help consumers better understand their skin and make informed decisions about ingredients that target specific beauty concerns.
Read more about how the beauty industry is tackling ingredients jargon via the links below.
