Vegan Beauty Product Sales Are Skyrocketing In The U.K.
People are seeking beauty and skincare products that not only make them look great, but help them feel good about their moral choices as well.
Updated May 21 2019, 5:05 p.m. ET
A global information company called the NPD group just released a report on sales of beauty brands in the United Kingdom from February 2017 to end of January 2018, according to Veg News. NPD says that "prestige beauty products" are on the rise. That's a wide category, but it includes vegan make-up and skin care. Overall, there was a 38 percent increase in vegan "prestige" products in that twelve month period.
Overall, the number of beauty brands that label themselves "vegan" is quite small; they only account for one percent of the beauty market. So a growth of 38 percent is far beyond expectations, and it's suggested that vegan beauty brands are just really good at marketing. For example, an initiative called Veganuary is promoted every January as an entire month for people to commit to being vegan.
The Senior Account Manager at NPD UK Beauty, Helen Duxbury, says, “There has certainly been a rise in the number of vegan brands in prestige beauty and this coincides with consumers adopting a more conscientious approach when purchasing products, looking closely at the underlying philosophies and actions of the brands. They not only investigate ingredients and efficacy, they want to know about traceability, and how animal friendly they are. Vegan and cruelty-free are two of the big issues for customers in 2018, but still remains a niche segment of the skincare market.”
There is also more awareness of beauty products that have been tested on animals. While someone might not be a vegan when it comes to what they eat, they would balk at the idea of an animal being tested on for their mascara. Certain brands have jumped on this growing consumer awareness, and announced campaigns to go vegan, which is as cruelty-free towards animals as you can get. For example, Hourglass Cosmetics swore to remove all animal products from their line by 2020.
“Luxury is a combination of innovation and integrity,” Hourglass Cosmetics CEO Carisa Janes told Veg News, “and our values have always been exemplified in our commitment to creating cruelty-free products. If we are truly committed to being 100-percent cruelty-free, we shouldn’t have animal-derived ingredients in our products.”
For many people committed to a skincare and beauty routine, it's not just about the outside, but a soothing ritual that is meant to boost positivity and self-confidence. Duxbury believes more consumers are seeking products they can use without burdening themselves with a guilty conscience, as that ruins that lovely feeling of caring for yourself in a healthy way.
“The popularity of vegan is undeniable and brands are now capitalizing on the movement," she said. "In the past year we have seen solid growth and a stream of new launches in this sector. Whilst most of these are in limited distribution, we are also seeing an increase in mainstream brands offering a vegan range or who are fully vegan, such as the launch of Super Food Skincare by Elemis, which is not only vegan, it meets consumer demand for super food ingredients. We believe the trend for beauty products that not only help consumers look good but feel good about their purchase too is set to grow in 2018.”
You know what you're spending your money on, and if this trend continues, you might only be seeing vegan products on the shelves in a few years.
