The month of April always features prominently in the natural beauty calendar. It has become the month when emerging trends and new product developments come to the fore for natural and organic retailers, as well as the sector overall, and this is due in no small part to the Natural Beauty & Spa show.
Always featuring a proliferation of insights and innovations, Natural Beauty & Spa returns to London’s ExCeL on 2-3 April. Part of Natural & Organic Products
Europe, it will gather together over 250 beauty and personal care manufacturers and distributors, as well as host dynamic new content from some of the biggest names in the natural and organic beauty sector in the Natural Beauty Theatre.
A continued growing consumer awareness of all things natural and sustainable, and ethical labelling, are said to be key drivers of the natural beauty market, particularly among millennials, who, according to research commissioned by the Organic Trade Board last year, are now the ‘most engaged and active’ organic consumer demographic.
Active on social media, and savvy with their products, millennials are also good at spotting trends early on and adopting the ones that resonate. For those less on the ball when it comes to knowing what to stock, what to look out for, and who to keep an eye on, I’ve highlighted four key trends sure to be on display at this year’s show:
- Vegan haircare: as a product category, haircare has remained a top seller for many years, but an ever-increasing number of brands are now creating vegan formulations. These include Odylique’s gentle shampoos, Dr Hauschka’s Revitalizing Hair & Scalp Tonic, PHB Ethical Beauty’s vast range of shampoos, conditioners and volumizing products, not to mention Tabitha James Kraan’s expanding haircare portfolio.
- Functional beauty: also known as ‘multi-taskers’, the trend for functional beauty is growing exponentially throughout natural and mainstream beauty, and shows no signs of abating. Appealing to consumers’ time-poor lifestyles, products that deliver on two or more fronts are winning at present, for example foundations that offer UV protection, daily moisturizers which contain self-tanning pigments, and anti-ageing serums wrapped up in daily cosmetics. This trend keeps spawning ever-evolving product ranges, and is clearly here to stay.
- Sensitive skin: sensitivity isn’t always about breaking out in a rash every time your skin meets particular products, but certain beauty ingredients,
including essential oils, are known to play a big part in causing sensitivity. If you want to steer clear of artificial fragrances, brands such as Pai Skincare – which was created by its founder specifically as an irritant-free range – Kinvara Skincare, Balm Balm, Eco by Sonya, Laidbare and Trilogy are the way forward.
Of course, part of the fun is spotting the trends of tomorrow, so keep your beauty-tuned ear to the ground for any hot tips being promoted across the show floor, and I look forward to seeing you there!
Julia Zaltzman is a freelance journalist and editor of Natural Beauty News.
