Beauty shoppers have spoken. At a time when consumers are seeking transparency in all aspects of their lives, they want more information about beauty ingredients, product safety, and testing protocols. And the ads they are seeing make them feel bad about themselves.
This year’s graduates of the Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management (CFMM) have explored transparency in the industry, along with advertising practices, and presented their findings on June 13. Watch a video of the evening here.
As consumers seek to gain control by making more informed decisions, beauty brands are at risk of losing consumers due to a lack of transparency. The emergence and growth of the clean beauty movement is just a symptom of growing mistrust in the beauty industry and is likely only the tip of the iceberg. The prior linear purchase and decision consumer journey has transformed into an ever-evolving maze, and brands need to adapt. The time has come to replace the proverbial “mirror” with clear glass and reinvent beauty industry practices.
But the consumer of tomorrow has expectations that extend far beyond the clean beauty movement. This research identifies three areas where brands should focus in order to close the transparency gap. By embracing technological innovations, prioritizing relatability and putting control into the hands of consumers, brands have the opportunity rebuild trust and reposition the way consumers view the beauty industry.
Some key findings of this year’s CFMM teams include:
- Eighty-one percent of consumers believe ingredient safety is important
- Only 31 percent of consumers believe that they have enough information on ingredient safety
- Sixty-five percent of consumers want brands to be transparent about the source of ingredients
- When researching a product, the number one source of information after friends and family is consumer reviews
- A survey found two out of three women strongly agree that the media has set an unrealistic standard of beauty (CVS)
- Eighty percent of women feel worse about themselves after seeing a beauty ad (CVS)
- Ninety percent of girls ages 15–17 want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance (CVS)