The majority of respondents (60%) research ingredients before purchasing BPC products. The primary motivations behind ingredient research are a lack of trust in products and a desire to ensure efficacy. Simplifying ingredient lists, highlighting key elements and emphasising quality can help consumers better understand complex formulations, especially in the Indian market.
Vitamin C is the ingredient most consumers recognise, followed by lactic acid and collagen. Although awareness is limited for other ingredients, there’s an opportunity to further innovate with them because of their perceived efficacy and safety. Incorporating Ayurvedic ingredients can boost product safety assurance.
Traditional channels like TV ads and newspapers are still popular sources for ingredient information and could be leveraged to generate excitement around ingredients. Peer reviews online are the go-to for the more diligent researchers, whereas in-store assistance is vital for those who are more sporadic in their researching. eCommerce channels appeal to Gen Zers, but individuals aged 25-34 turn to professionals like hair stylists and doctors to enhance their understanding of ingredients.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Trends pertaining to ingredients in the BPC category
- Understanding consumers’ research motivations
- Consumers’ perceptions of active ingredients
- Resources consumers use to learn about the ingredients in BPC products
- Consumer expectations and challenges pertaining ingredient trends in BPC
The trend of conscious consumerism has been growing, with shoppers now scrutinising ingredients before buying. Brands must prioritise transparency and innovating with new ingredients.
Tanya Rajani, Principal Analyst, Beauty & Personal Care, India
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executive summary
- Mintel’s perspective
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Overview
- The outlook for BPC ingredients in India
- Build trust with ingredient transparency and better ingredient understanding
- Graph 1: research motivations, 2024
- Delve into the possibilities offered by emerging BPC ingredients
- Graph 2: awareness of ingredients, 2024
- Innovate with vitamin C and beyond
- Enhance ingredient knowledge via varied touchpoints
- Graph 3: resources used most often when researching ingredients in BPC products, 2024
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key trends and market factors
- What you need to know
- The rise of the beauty-informed consumer
- Increased internet consumption has led to the emergence of a more beauty-informed consumer
- Offer proof and guidance to beauty-informed consumers
- Consumers need evidence and guidance to make the right choice
- Ingredient transparency is in the spotlight
- The increasing desire for safer beauty products warrants ingredient transparency
- Adjacent categories are advocating for the practice of reading labels
- DTC beauty brands are prioritising ingredient transparency
- Brillare drives awareness on the importance of ingredient transparency
- Ingredient-first narratives take centre stage
- Consumers are increasingly searching ingredients online
- Graph 4: interest over time for ‘ingredients’ in the beauty & fitness category, 2014-24
- Ingredients are becoming a prevalent topic of discussion on social media platforms
- Ingredient-first narratives dominate brand communications
- Rising ingredient interest leads to more experimentation and higher expectations
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what consumers want and why
- What you need to know
- Research motivations
- Increasing concern over product contents spurs a rise in ingredient research
- Graph 5: frequency of researching ingredients before purchasing BPC products, 2024
- Demographic profile of Ingredient Enthusiasts
- Prioritise the segment of Occasional Researchers
- A lack of trust motivates ingredient investigation
- Graph 6: research motivations by frequency of researching ingredients, 2024
- A lack of information breeds distrust
- Users crave ingredient transparency, but struggle with the complexity of understanding it
- Enhance ingredient comprehension
- 25-34 year olds research ingredients in search of efficacy
- Graph 7: the top five research motivations, by age groups, 2024
- Showcasing the star ingredient is crucial
- Graph 8: agreement with “Only the main ingredient matters when using a beauty product”, by age and city tier, 2024
- Boost credibility by championing the power of the hero ingredient
- Quality ingredients can draw a premium from upper-tier-city dwellers
- Graph 9: features willing to pay more for in BPC, 2024
- Make ingredient quality a key part of messaging
- Ingredient watch
- HA and niacinamide lead innovation activity; vitamin C wins in popularity
- Graph 10: awareness of ingredients, 2024; BPC launches with select ingredients, 2023-24
- Social media chatter: ceramides enjoy more positive attention than retinol does
- Graph 11: social media conversations around select ingredients, positive sentiment by average passion score, 2021-24
- How to read the chart
- Retinol tops the social media chatter among 25-34 year olds, while 35-44 year olds talk about collagen and lactic acid
- Emulate the effective tactics employed to market popular ingredients like vitamin C
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin C has a strong association with health
- How to read this infographic
- Vitamin C is regarded for its safety and efficacy
- Graph 12: attributes associated with vitamin C, 2024
- The inclusion of vitamin C in beauty launches has been on a steady rise
- Graph 13: BPC launches with vitamin C, 2014-24
- Extend vitamin C innovation
- Lactic acid
- Women discuss lactic acid’s brightening and glow-enhancing properties
- How to read this infographic
- Lactic acid holds potential to grow in India
- Draw inspiration from international markets that are pioneering the use of lactic acid
- Graph 14: top 10 markets with lactic acid, 2014-24
- Leverage lactic acid’s popularity to deliver multifunctional benefits
- Hyaluronic acid
- HA: the conversation volume for women continues to grow with 98% positivity
- How to read this infographic
- HA’s share in NPD activity is on an upward trajectory
- Graph 15: share of hyaluronic acid and its derivatives in BPC launches, 2014-24
- Add a new spin to the familiar HA
- Enhance moisturisers with new hyaluronate combinations
- Leverage the rise of HA across BPC categories
- Graph 16: BPC launches with hyaluronic acid, by category, 2021-24
- Leverage the rise of HA across BPC categories
- Ceramides
- Conversations about ceramides are intertwined with other trending ingredients such as HA and niacinamide
- How to read this infographic
- Lead with ceramides to capitalise on the skin health trend
- Graph 17: share of skincare launches with skin-health-related* claims, 2019-24
- Connect ceramides and skin health to pique interest
- Globally, ceramide-enriched skincare products claim to maintain a healthy skin barrier
- Peptides
- Social media users recognise the anti-ageing benefits of peptides
- How to read this infographic
- Emphasise the benefits of peptides to drive consumer awareness
- Graph 18: attributes associated with peptides, 2024
- Innovation highlights the anti-ageing benefits of peptides
- Case study: India’s first peptide-focused company
- Niacinamide
- Women link niacinamide to brightening and glow benefits
- How to read this infographic
- Niacinamide has seen steady growth in Indian BPC launches
- Graph 19: share of niacinamide in BPC launches, 2014-24
- Create awareness about the safety of niacinamide
- Graph 20: attributes associated with niacinamide, 2024
- Leverage the versatility of niacinamide
- Embrace the power of retinol and niacinamide for their effectiveness
- Graph 21: ingredients’ association with being effective, by age groups, 2024
- Reinvent niacinamide with a low-pH buffer system
- Retinol
- Retinol is an emerging ingredient in India for hydrating skincare
- How to read this infographic
- Retinol derivatives are gaining popularity in APAC
- Graph 22: BPC launches containing retinol and its derivatives, 2019-24
- Innovate with retinol derivatives
- Collagen
- Collagen is popular among 35-44 year olds for its anti-ageing properties
- How to read this infographic
- Prove that collagen is more than just trendy
- Graph 23: attributes associated with collagen – trendy, by age group, 2024
- Leverage science to elevate the perception of collagen
- Ayurvedic ingredients
- Build interest with 18-24 year olds with Ayurvedic ingredients
- Graph 24: Ayurvedic ingredients in BPC products that consumers show interest in using, 2024
- Incorporate Ayurvedic ingredients to enhance the assurance of product safety
- Graph 25: Ayurvedic ingredients in BPC products that consumers have used and show interest in using again, 2024
- Explore Ayurvedic ingredients beyond Aloe vera
- Graph 26: BPC launches with select botanical ingredients, 2019-24
- Harness the potential of ashwagandha
- Sources of information
- Traditional sources remain the go-to for ingredient research
- Graph 27: resources used most often when researching ingredients in BPC products, by rank, 2024
- Complement family/friend conversations with comparison tools
- Explore the potential of traditional media to create hype around ingredients
- Leverage the trust in peer opinions
- Graph 28: resources used most often when researching ingredients in BPC products – online reviews, 2024
- Occasional Researchers rely on in-store assistance
- Graph 29: the top three resources used most often when researching ingredients in BPC products, 2024
- eCommerce plays an important role for younger consumers
- Graph 30: resources used most often when researching ingredients in BPC products – ecommerce platforms, by age groups, 2024
- 25-34s value support from experts
- Graph 31: resources being used most often when researching ingredients in BPC products – professionals, by age, 2024
- Deepen ingredient understanding with dermatologists
- Simplify the research process for Ingredient Enthusiasts
- Graph 32: consumers who think it takes too much time to research ingredients, 2024
- Create ingredient glossaries
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appendix
- GNPD data links
- Abbreviations
- Consumer survey methodology
- Social data research methodology
- CHAID analysis
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