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Gone are the days of the uninformed personal care consumer. The Internet has armed your customers with an array of information about product ingredients that help them make more informed purchasing decisions.

For personal care brands to connect with buyer values, they need to understand three crucial parts of the personal care purchaser’s buying process:

• Where they get their product ingredient information
• What information they’re getting from those sources
• How that information, whether it’s fact or myth, impacts their purchasing decisions

Where personal care purchasers get product information

Today’s consumers are armed with smartphone apps and social media content to help them learn about product ingredients in a matter of seconds.

Search engine queries

Worldwide search traffic from Google Trends (2024) confirms consumers are not only increasingly interested in topics related to personal care, skin care and product ingredients, but they’re also inundated with information within a few clicks.

What information personal care consumers receive about ingredients

Customers are more knowledgeable about personal care ingredients than ever, with many turning to bio-based ingredients over additives they perceive as harmful.

Myths and controversies around ingredient effectiveness vs. harm

Consumers actively try to avoid ingredients that are often subjects of online debate. Alcohol, formaldehyde, palm oil, parabens and sulfates are a few of personal care users’ top ingredients of concern (Shell Insights and Foresight Factory, February 2023).

1. Alcohol
   Alcohol can be a useful personal care ingredient because of its high volatility, solubility and antimicrobial effects (L’Oréal). However, skin irritation is a top concern for consumers (Shell Insights and Foresight Factory, February 2023).
2. Formaldehyde
   Formaldehyde can be helpful for preserving personal care products and preventing bacteria growth (Byrdie, January 2022). However, serious health risks such as cancer and hormonal disruption are major worries for buyers (Shell Insights and Foresight Factory, February 2023).
3. 
   Palm oil can assist with properties like the creaminess and preservation of personal care products (Global Cosmetic Industry, 2021). However, not being environmentally friendly is a big issue for personal care purchasers (Shell Insights and Foresight Factory, February 2023).
4. Parabens
   Parabens can help preserve personal care products and help prevent bacteria growth (FDA, February 2022). However, serious health issues like hormonal disruption and cancer are high-priority concerns for buyers (Shell Insights and Foresight Factory, February 2023).
5. Sulfates
   Sulfates can help give personal care products their desired foaming and cleansing properties. (L’Oréal). However, minor and severe health issues like skin irritation and cancer are leading worries for consumers.

Bio-based ingredients

Personal care consumers are interested in having bio-based ingredients in their products for safer and more environmentally friendly options as long as brands can transparently support their claims. According to the Shell Insights and Foresight Factory study, more than 40% of personal care purchasers in all countries surveyed (Great Britain, US, China, France, Brazil and Germany) are interested in 100% bio personal care products or personal care products with a mixture of bio- and fossil-based ingredients.

“Clean beauty” is also trending, with more than 4000 monthly US searches, according to Semrush. However, many users view this term as misleading if brands can’t support their claims with scientific evidence. When you search “clean beauty” on Reddit, the top results are overwhelmingly negative.

The main takeaways are:

1. Buyers are more than willing to share their product experiences (good or bad) with others.
2. Companies should be careful when using “clean beauty” in their content, and make sure they back up their sustainability claims with data.

The impact on buying behaviours

Consumers are leaning toward more sustainable personal care products to ensure they use ingredients safe for themselves and the environment. However, false or overblown sustainability claims can alienate them. They aren’t willing to completely abandon product effectiveness for sustainability or wellness and seem to understand that sustainability is a journey.

Increased spending on sustainability-focused personal care brands

Personal care purchasers are more likely to increase their spending on a brand when they receive third-party data to verify their sustainability claims. (Axios & Karma Wallet, January 2024).

Data shows user spending on sustainable beauty products increased after receiving personal data insights (Axios & Karma Wallet, January 2024).

Sustainable beauty product spending before receiving data insights:

• Haircare - 10%
• Skincare - 6%
• Overall beauty products - 4%

Sustainable beauty product spending after receiving data insights:

• Haircare - 28%
• Skincare - 27%
• Overall beauty products - 10%

Decreased spending on personal care brands with misleading information

About 50% of global consumers surveyed said they’ve seen or heard false or misleading information from a brand about their sustainability claims. (Kantar, 2023) As a result, they have decreased their spending or stopped spending altogether on brands that they believe to have a negative impact on the environment.

To prove their information is accurate, 61% of those surveyed want brands to have clear certifications that show them the benefits their products have on the environment and why they should buy them. (Kantar, 2023)

Understanding sustainability as a journey

Many consumers want to be more sustainable in their lives, with more people adopting a sustainable lifestyle in 2023 compared to 2022 (Deloitte, 2023). Being more conscious about the ingredients they choose to have in their products is one small but direct way they can help. A joint study by McKinsey and NielsenIQ found more buyers are purchasing products with environmental, social and governance (ESG) claims (McKinsey, February 2023).

They understand many brands aren’t 100% sustainable, but they still expect them to be transparent about their efforts and progress. (Shell Insights and Foresight Factory, February 2023).

Next steps personal care brands can take to address ingredient concerns

Personal care brands and manufacturers have several options to meet consumer needs for more transparent, safe and high-performing product ingredients.

Use certifications and mass balance to certify the use of sustainable ingredients

Voluntary third-party certifications can be a valuable way for personal care brands to build trust with their consumers and back their sustainability claims with confidence.

Utilising the mass balance accounting approach can help brands certify the amount of sustainable ingredients in their end products. A key part of this strategy’s success is understanding how to educate potential customers about how the approach works and why it’s credible.

Collaborate with Shell Chemicals to create custom personal care solutions

Address personal care consumers’ ingredient concerns and buying habits through the help of our chemical experts. Together, we can help you create effective, safe and more sustainable personal care products.

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