Online Exclusives

Consumer-Preferred Ingredients

Popular ingredients in skin care, wellness and health care, per Buzzback.

June 4, 2020

Editor

Buzzback knows all about buzz. So when the opportunity came to ask consumers what ingredients they would like to see in their skin care, wellness and health care formulas, the market research company had some interesting conversations. The company conducts two or three thought leadership pieces each quarter on a range of categories, and results have seen an overall migration towards “clean” ingredients.

“Consumers want brands to be transparent on their labels and packaging as to what’s inside a product, and there has been a shift toward functional benefits,” said Buzzback Founder and CEO Carol Fitzgerald.

The market research company has been asking British and American consumers what they like and dislike about fast-moving consumer products for more than 20 years. Just prior to the pandemic, Buzzback talked to UK and US consumers, prior to the lockdown, to understand which ingredients offer the biggest opportunities for brands in health care, wellness and skin care. In such a fast-growing industry it’s hard to stand out. In order to really catch the eye of the consumer, brands need to anticipate the market’s needs and offer unique alternatives to those “already seen” products.

“Consumer centricity is paramount if you want to succeed in such a competitive market. Brands need to focus on why people would like to buy and use a certain product by understanding their emotions, their worries and their needs,” explained Fitzgerald. “By identifying these elements, companies can truly innovate in the right direction and deliver value to their customers.”

According to Fitzgerald, 65% of consumers are looking for stress relief remedies, while almost half of consumers are looking for personal care benefits, such as acne treatments and skin improvement.

To help companies become industry pioneers, Buzzback asked consumers about how they live their lives, not just what they already buy. More than half of those interviewed say that they have heard of or are open to try products with new elements. Buzzback identified the ‘trendiest’ ingredients based on how open consumers would be to use products that include a certain substance.

Here’s the top 5 in the UK and US:

Ingredients to think about going forward.

Omega-3 and probiotics make the top 5 in both the UK and US; while ingredients such as turmeric and rhodiola, popular in the UK, were replaced by curcumin and Ashwagandha in the US. According to sources, rhodiola is a dietary supplement to increase energy, stamina, and strength, to improve attention and memory, and to enhance the ability to cope with stress. Ashwagandha is classified as an adaptogen, meaning that it can help the body manage stress. Ashwagandha also provides numerous other benefits; it can boost brain function, lower blood sugar and cortisol levels, and help fight symptoms of anxiety and depression.

While only 33% of consumers have a complete understanding of each ingredient, they are still keen on trying them and are particularly seeking out specific benefits for issues they experience, according to Buzzback. Interestingly 65% are looking for stress relief remedies, with pain, anxiety and depression management being some of the main concerns. Around half of consumers would like to see some personal care benefits from the use of a new product, for example skin improvement or whiter teeth.

From the ingredients listed here, probiotic supplements are already popular among consumers, with 31% of them purchasing products with this ingredient.

Buzzback's research also shows that social media is the main source of information about trendy ingredients with 46% of consumers using this channel to read and learn about the topic. Family and friends’ recommendations are taken into account by 38% of consumers, while 30% turn to online information, TV commercials or in-store displays.

The study compared age segments—Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X and Boomers—and found that there are generational differences in awareness to products. For example, Boomers and Gen X seem to be more familiar with some of the trendy ingredients we probed on such as Omega-3 and Prebiotics compared to Gen Z.

“This may be because they’re older and have more exposure. However, this could be considered surprising because we know that Gen Z are very conscious about reading labels,” explained Fitzgerald.

She noted that Buzzback conducts research in these categories on behalf of a range of clients, so many of the findings are not all that surprising.

“However, with trendy ingredients, many of our clients are on the side lines when it comes to CBD and treat some specific ingredients with caution,” said Fitzgerald. “However, consumers seem to be going there faster. This highlights opportunities in these areas regardless of whether clients pursue them. It is somewhat surprising that more companies are not pursuing these directions.”

With the world moving in so many directions these days, it helps to have a compass.