NATRUE has been in Eco Life Scandinavia, the Nordic region’s biggest trade show for natural and organic, which took place from 17 to 18 November 2021 in Malmö (Sweden). This trade show met 450 exhibiting companies and brought together industry professionals, independent retailers, distributors, wholesalers, and innovators, who delivered the newest trends and latest research studies.
NATRUE at the trade show
Eco Life Scandinavia and the Nordic Organic Food Fair welcomed more than 3,600 attendees from across Europe, including Belgium, France, Finland, UK, Italy, Spain, and Germany. In this edition, NATRUE had the pleasure of hosting at our stand a variety of products from some NATRUE certified brands: GreenEtiq, Tash. sisterhood, and Weleda, three amazing brands that firmly represent our values and philosophy.
In addition to exhibiting, NATRUE shared two informative presentations. On the first day of the show, Viktoria Potko, NATRUE’s Label & Events Officer, shared a seminar together with Tash.sisterhood. Entitled “Building credibility in the ever-growing landscape of “clean beauty”’, the seminar served for explaining what the benefits of the NATRUE label are, how to obtain the NATRUE certification, and also to give some tips in order to help brands fight greenwashing -mislead consumers by branding something as eco-friendly, green or sustainable when this is not the case.
Furthermore, on the second day, Diana Malcangi, NATRUE’s External Scientific and Regulatory Consultant, held a conference entitled “The pandemic’s impact on the on the natural beauty and the NATRUE label as the key for more sustainable cosmetics”.
What are the trends in the Nordic region?
E-commerce
Anders Tengelin, Managing Director of Weleda AB, presented a recent survey[1] carried out with the aim to know the Swedish people’s attitude to skin care. According to this study, one of the trends that is prevailing in Sweden -but also over the world- is the increase of e-commerce purchases. Currently, 44 % of Swedish people buy skin care products online, while only 32% prefer to buy in stores.
More conscious consumers demand more guidance
As has been widely reported, consumers have become more aware of natural products and sustainability following the impact of the coronavirus. It was reported that compared with 2020, however, Swedish consumers in 2021 remain primarly focused on skin care products that are good for health rather than their environment sustainability – as highlighted by the report that natural ingredients only became + 34% more important during the pandemic. Nevertheless, this Nordic country remains a world leader in the consumption of natural skin and beauty care, and besides product efficacy the two other most important purchasing decisions are still made based on sustainability for people and the environment, and naturalness. Unfortunately, at present, only 2 out of 10 consumers of skin care feel that they have sufficient knowledge of what their skin care products contain. In this context, consumers demand clearer guidance and more transparent information is self-evident.
Certification is important
Certification remains an important tool to assist and reassure consumers as part of their informed decision-making process: especially for natural and organic cosmetics. To this extent, Ecovia Intelligence [2] reported that certification is getting more and more important in the Nordic market. According to their study, 45 % of natural and organic cosmetic products are certified in this region, where Denmark and Finland are the largest markets.
This report has also foreseen future projections: sustainable ingredients and clean beauty products will continue being highly demanded, as well as green packaging and upcycled ingredients. Another trend would be marketing of plant-based products and the call for ethical labels & sustainability schemes.
[1] Svenskarna på skinnet 2021. YouGov. https://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/weleda_ab/documents/rapport-svenskarna-in-paa-huden-2021-416488
[2] Nordic Market for Natural & Organic Cosmetics. Ecovia Intelligence (June, 2020) https://www.ecoviaint.com/nordic-natural-and-organic-cosmetics-market/