Confusion over organic cosmetics persists amongst French women

An online survey of 563 women between the ages of 18-64 was carried out by the French-based company, which analyses consumer perceptions and attitudes towards products.

According to the results, consumers, whether they use organic beauty products or not, perceive them to be made from natural ingredients, free from chemicals and parabens and environmentally responsible.

Confusion over ingredients and labelling​

Although respondents appeared to have an understanding of the type of ingredients an organic product contains, the survey revealed that there was a marked confusion between ‘natural’ products that contain essential oils and ‘organic’ products.

This confusion is not limited to the ingredient composition, commented Cegma Topo marketing consultant Claire Certenais.

She told CosmeticsDesign that confusion exists between brands and labels, with products that are labelled natural but don’t carry the certified organic label, and with packaging that suggests the product is organic when in fact it isn’t.

As the survey showed that users of organic products used labels and logos as a reference point, whilst non-users identified such products by the packaging, this would suggest that there is a need for clearer product labelling that clearly identifies whether a product is certified organic or not.

Doubt over effectiveness​

When it comes to the willingness of consumers to buy organic products, price and the effectiveness of the product were the two main obstacles.

It was discovered that the price of an organic product should be no higher than 10 per cent of the price of a non-organic alternative. A product that was too cheap, however, would lead to potential consumers calling into question its effectiveness.

As one respondent in four said they don’t buy organic cosmetics because they doubt their effectiveness, Certenais said that manufactures of organic products should provide the customer with reassurance.

She explained that there are several marketing strategies through which this can be done, including consumer testing, scientific partnerships, gaining support of laboratories and explaining the legitimacy of botanical ingredients.

Conclusion​

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Cegma Topo drew the conclusion that in order to remove the obstacles of price and doubt over product effectiveness, manufacturers need to strengthen the legitimacy of their organic products.

It added that as far as purchase intention was concerned, organic products seem to have a large potential, as this is relatively high, yet brands need to provide more information and reassurance about their products.