Naturals Cosmetic Market hits $30 billion

According to the Kline Group, the world wide sales of natural cosmetics is about $30 billion. This is roughly 7 or 8 percent of the total global market which is estimated to be about $430 billion annually.

I’m actually surprised the natural cosmetic market isn’t bigger. I would have figured it was about 15% or the market but it’s not.

I suppose it really depends on how you define a naturals market. Since anyone can call themselves natural it is hard to distinguish between “real” natural products and “greenwashed” natural products. Of course, there aren’t true lines for the industry and on some level all cosmetics that are processed in any way can be considered greenwashed natural products.

At least until someone grows a shampoo tree.

Natural Cosmetic Formulation

This market doesn’t seem to be going away and as a cosmetic formulator you need to be aware of what is considered a natural cosmetic and what isn’t. This is not an easy answer because it depends on different things and who you ask.

Ultimately, the important definition of what is a natural cosmetic is your consumer. If your consumers think that parabens do not belong in natural cosmetics (despite the fact that you can find naturally occurring parabens) then you should probably avoid formulating with them.

At the end of the day however, consumers want products that work. This trumps whatever is in the bottle. You can make a nice natural cosmetic avoiding all hint of synthetics but if the product doesn’t deliver benefits that the consumer wants, you’re going to have a hard time keeping up sales.

We’re working on a new online course which will teach you how to make natural cosmetic formulas. It won’t be ready until January but in the meantime, you can click on the following link to sign up to get a free copy of our Natural Cosmetic Formulating report.