Why are clean beauty products more expensive than their traditional counterparts?

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Non-toxic formulas from handpicked ingredients selected with a watchful eye for minimal impact on the environment and packaged in a recyclable bottle, what’s not to love? However, every inch of shelf space in the skincare aisle is hotly contested, and the young clean beauty industry can often struggle to compete with the accessible price range of mass-produced and machine-made products. So what’s worth paying the difference by switching to clean beauty, and what exactly is driving up the costs, to begin with? We went looking for answers, and here’s what we learned.

What is pure beauty?

For Victoria Fu, half of the popular Instagram account Chemist Confessions, the conventional meaning of clean beauty is devoid of certain “no-no” ingredients that are considered harmful to humans or the environment. She says, “Our definition of clean beauty is responsible formulation able to marry the best natural and synthetic ingredients and meet the highest quality and safety standards. Skincare users, more than ever, pay attention to more than pretty packaging and marketing claims. We believe this movement will force the industry to make better products and choices.

Closer to home, industry insiders believe the definition of clean beauty coincides with the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda. Neha Rawla, Brand Communications Manager for Forest Essentials, says, “In ancient Ayurvedic scriptures, skincare practices were subtly intertwined with the seasons. Additionally, it does not advocate chemical fertilizers or ingredients grown out of season. They also do not leave a harmful footprint on the planet, especially on soil, water and air. Although the definition of clean beauty is different in the industry, for us the Ayurvedic Beauty Standard has always been pure, fresh, seasonal and natural.

Understanding the price of clean beauty

Since the industry is a consumer-driven market, Rawla believes the future is bright for clean beauty in the post-COVID world. “Consumers are rethink and re-prioritize their consumption patterns to make them less visible and more responsible towards society and the environment. There is an increased desire for transparency from brands, so consumers can seek out brands that align with their personal values,” she says.

However, if clean beauty is ever to go from buzzword to industry standard, there are a few mountains to climb along the way – price can often serve as the deciding factor for consumers everywhere. days. If you’re looking for more incentives to switch to cleaner, safer skincare, we asked the experts to break down exactly what goes into the price of a clean beauty product and why it’s worth doing. change.

Alternative methods

While clean beauty ingredients may not generate the same demand as their conventional counterparts, Siddharth Somaiya, founder of clean beauty brand Organic Riot, believes that lack of consumer demand isn’t the only factor driving it. drives up product prices. “We’ve gotten used to buying junk food, that’s why there’s a misconception that clean beauty is expensive in comparison. But the thing is, when you’re buying from small farms that don’t have the same size than large industrial farms, the the price of its raw materials will always be more expensive. It’s important to remember that when you’re buying safe care, you’re buying from people who are giving up a lot of profitability to offer quality products, in terms of harvesting and extraction methods,” he explains. .

Research and development

“There may be a lot more time research and development timeline involved, especially if a brand is trying to create a clean version of an existing product. This can contribute to a higher overall price,” adds Fu. The notion is supported by cosmetic chemist Ginger King. “It’s more about getting rid of the ‘bad guys’ and keeping the existing good ones, while coming up with new, clean ingredients to start with,” she says.

Absence of preservatives

As author of How To Start Your Own Cosmetics Line: The Brutally Honest Truth From A Cosmetic Chemist, King can also confirm that some of the cost can be attributed to the need for preservation of formulas after manufacture. “In the days of pre-cleansing, the active ingredients were often stored with parabens and propylene glycol. Now, none of these classes of materials are clean and this required a change in raw material manufacturing, which has since impacted the cost of formulas,” she explains.

Sustainable packaging

In an effort to reduce environmental impact, the clean beauty world is increasingly embracing recycled and sustainable packaging, which ends up playing its part in the bottom line. Gloria Lu, co-founder of Chemist Confessions, says: “skin care packaging is an important cost element in general, and it is even more so if it is recyclable or durable. However, we believe that advances in sustainable packaging are one of the most exciting developments in the global cleanliness movement. We can predict that the cost of sustainable packaging will decrease over the next few years due to increased demand. »

Small batch production

The clean beauty movement often coincides with the slow beauty ethic that values ​​batch production processes. Rawla says, “We subscribe to an age-old method of fermenting our traditional fruit scrub, in which the ingredients are mixed in earthenware pots and buried under the shade of banyan trees. Those the methods are sustainable, but labor-intensive and labor-intensive, resulting in higher costs than machine-made products.

Market dynamics

Ultimately, Fu believes that pricing clean beauty products depends on several variables, which means the process isn’t necessarily straightforward. “If there’s a huge demand for clean beauty, we could see brands take on the challenge of delivering a line at an affordable price. Ultimately, it’s a complicated equation that connects market demand, the brand marketing, supply chain and product development.

Why is it worth switching to clean beauty

While Fu advocates the shift to clean beauty as a worthwhile cost if it aligns with your personal moral compass, for each person who makes the change, the industry as a whole benefits. “With more people embracing clean beauty, sustainable packaging will become more mainstream and ultimately more profitable for all brands if you, the consumer, show you care,” she says.

The good news is that a conscious future could be here sooner than expected with a global shift towards conscious consumption in the wake of the pandemic. As consumers become more discerning, the industry finds itself inviting greater transparency in all processes, Somaiya believes. “A product’s journey from ingredient to home is long, there are many links in the chain and it’s filled with opacity. The effort is to do the more transparent process and encourage consumers to only buy from places where transparency exists,” he says. Rawla supports this sentiment and concludes, “With growing awareness of environmental concerns, coupled with new global standards and consumer demand, sustainability and clean beauty is no longer a philanthropic quest, but a business.”

Read also :

Why is it still so difficult to recycle beauty packaging?

The New Rules for Building a Beauty Brand in 2020

Why are more skincare and makeup brands now focusing on clean beauty?

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