With beauty-conscious consumers choosing Ayurvedic and herbal alternatives over chemically infused skincare products, cosmetic brands, have been proactive in adding more and more organic products to their skin and hair categories.
Be it creams, lotions or bath accessories like facewash, face & body scrubs, face masks & packs, or even handmade soaps.
“The organic products market in India has been growing steadily at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 25 per cent and by 2020, it is expected to reach Rs 10,000- Rs 12,000 crore.
"The current market size is Rs 4,000 crore,” says Chhavi Singh, Founder, Sacred Salts, a premium skincare brand launched last year.
Nitin Passi, Joint Managing Director, Lotus Group, can’t agree more.
“There is a rising consciousness among consumers that just like our body needs healthy organic foods, so does the skin, as what goes on the skin eventually gets processed and absorbed into the body,” he says.
Natural plant-based formulations are rich in vital skin nutrients and antioxidants, which do not strip the skin’s natural balance, rather work in harmony with the skin.
“For effective skincare, we need to minimise exposure to toxic chemicals, artificial fragrances and natural allergens,” adds Passi. But the million dollar-question is how do you choose the right product? Especially, as these products don’t come cheap.
“At our store we understand a customer’s needs and have a detailed discussion with him/her and then advise on a product that can be used,” says aromatherapist and cosmetologist Pooja Nagraj, Founder, Inatur.
“The biggest challenge is to educate consumers about organic skin and hair care. Though it comes at a premium, it is good for you and also better for the planet,” Singh agrees.
Five tips by beauty care experts to select the right product:
The product should not contain animal fat, sulphates (SLES or SLF), and must be vegan and cruelty free. It should contain water, emulsifier, emolient, actives and fragrance. Be sure there is no petroleum derivative in the product.
An organic product should not contain mineral oil (paraffinum liquidum), petrolatum/petroleum jelly, propylene glycol, PEGs (polyethylene glycol), polysorbates (be it 20, 60 or 80) or MEA (monoethanolamine), DEA (dienthanolamine) or TEA (triethanolamine).
Check your skin type. If you have dry skin go for organic creams, but if you have oily skin lotions, serums and moisturisers are a good bet. To unclog pores, hydrosols are a good alternative to toners. Rose hydrosol goes well with all skin types while lavender hydrosol is good for oily skin.
Essential oils are good for skin and hair, but should be used after dilution with carrier oils. Olive oil, rosehip oil, almond oil, bhringraj oil are all good carrier oils. For dilution, warm the carrier oil and then mix the two in the ratio of 1:10 (1ml essential and 10ml carrier oil).
Jasmine, patachouli and sandalwood oils have good anti-ageing properties, while for younger skins that are prone to acne and pimples tea tree, basil and mint oils are good.