Being vegetarian has a new meaning from what we put into our bodies to what we put on our faces, hair or on our teeth.
WIth growing awareness amongst buyers and the regulatory authorities about the consumers’ right to know the ingredients of cosmetic products, the government of India is looking at introducing colour codes for the packaging of cosmetics and cosmeceutical products in India similar to the green/brown dots seen on food packaging.
Consciously green
Unlike previous 18 to 35 age groups, who relied on industry experts to shape spending habits, millennials and Gen Z prefer to listen to one another’s views, usually via social media. This is a generation that not only gives candid feedback on what works and what doesn’t, but also shares verifiable tips and tricks for getting the best results.
Today’s young consumers across the urban and rural markets in India are more conscious of cosmetics ingredients than their previous generations. As a result, the manufacturing processes behind beauty and personal grooming products can be seen shifting rapidly towards more organic-ingredients based products.
Dotting the products
Most of us are able to make the right vegetarian choices while picking packaged food stuffs like eggless cakes, chocolates, etc. However, when it comes to personal care products, we are usually clueless about their ingredients. Many a time, the ingredients in the cosmetic products, are non-vegetarian such as Keratin in shampoos, gelatin, beeswax in lipbalm, collagen and animal fat in creams, blushers, and eyeshadows and crushed cochineal beetles in red lipsticks, to name a few.
Currently, packaged food products sold in India are required to be labelled with a mandatory mark indicating whether ingredients used in the product are vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
Taking this into consideration, the Indian government is all set to make it mandatory for companies manufacturing cosmetics to specify whether a product being sold contains ingredients that are of animal origin or of herbal origin. If passed, the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 will be amended for mandating that packages of cosmetics and toiletries such as shampoos, toothpastes, and soaps, besides ointments and creams should bear a red/brown dot for non-vegetarian origin and green dot for vegetarian.
Vegan beauty
In the beauty industry – being vegetarian takes a whole new meaning. In this industry, it is not just about the ingredients used but also whether a product is manufactured adhering to ethical practices by not testing it on animals or what is known as cruetly-free.
A growing trend among youngsters in India is to buy vegan and cruelty-free products. These products not only have to have to vegetarian without any animal components, but also should not have been tested on animals.
In order for cosmetics to be considered safe for humans, they used to be tested on animals. Some bizarre practices included force feeding animals with cosmetics, injecting beauty products into them or inhaling the animals like rabbits and rats with products like perfumes and dishwashers to observe for allergies.
Thanks to a new wealth of in vitro (non-animal) alternatives, animal testing has been illegal in the UK and EU since March 2013, followed by India in 2014 and Australia in 2016. Since the total ban, brands have been able to use the 5,000-plus ingredients that were tested prior to the ban, to create new and safe beauty products.
According to a report by Market Research Future, the ‘cruelty-free’ cosmetics market is set to grow by 6.1 percent between 2017-2023, with India projected as one of the top exporters.
A few vegan cosmetics like Plum, Svana Therapy and Bath It Up have been slowly but steadily gaining online popularity.
With more and more people searching out vegan beauty products, brands would need to step up to the challenge.Expect to see more brands taking this route as demand for vegan beauty soars.
Joining the dots
A market outlook report by the Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) estimates that India’s grooming and cosmetic industry will grow to US$35 billion by 2035 from US$6.5 billion in 2017, making the cosmetics and personal care industry among the fastest growing consumer products segment in India.
This latest development only assures that the growth in consumer awareness about source of ingredients and regulatory interest in the same will encourage more organised activity in this sector, leading to new waves of high growth.
References acknowledged:
Read the article on Times of India
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