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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Mintel’s perspective
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Overview
- The outlook of sustainability in BPC in India
- Sustainability matters, but efficacy comes first
- Skin-safe elements are closely tied to sustainability
- Graph 1: attributes associated with sustainable/eco-friendly ingredients in BPC products, 2024
- Promote the value of refills, especially for Gen Zers
- Graph 2: refillable as an attribute associated with sustainable/eco-friendly packaging in BPC products, by generation, 2024
- Indian consumers want plastic-free beauty; promote the responsible use of plastics
- Graph 3: attributes associated with sustainable/eco-friendly packaging in BPC products, by city tier, 2024
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KEY TRENDS AND MARKET FACTORS
- What you need to know
- Consumers care about environmental issues
- A high interest in environmental issues globally
- Graph 4: topic association with ‘sustainability’ among adults aged 18-34, 2022
- Graph 5: actions expected of companies to consider them ethical, 2022
- In India, environmental-friendliness is not a fad
- Graph 6: share of ethical and environmental claims in BPC launches, 2014-24
- Younger consumers lead in sustainable product purchasing
- Graph 7: consumers who have purchased sustainable products in the past year, by generation, education level and socioeconomic group, 2023
- The challenge for consumers
- Prove the value for money to appeal to value-conscious Indian consumers
- Ingredient transparency is in the spotlight
- Rising ingredient interest leads to more experimentation and higher expectations
- The increasing desire for safer beauty products warrants ingredient transparency
- Adjacent categories advocate for the practice of reading labels
- DTC beauty brands are prioritising ingredient transparency
- Ingredient-first narratives dominate brand communications
- Responsibility around plastics
- Consumers are concerned about plastic pollution
- Graph 8: environmental issues that consumers are concerned about the most, 2024
- Mintel Trend Plastics Responsible
- The regulatory push towards sustainable packaging
- Stakeholders unite to address the plastic challenge
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- What you need to know
- Consumer shopping priorities and sustainability
- Sustainability matters, but efficacy comes first
- Consumers seek sustainable solutions when individual benefits are clear
- Frame sustainability as a benefit to make it an integral and effortless part of the consumer experience
- Balance efficacy and convenience with sustainability
- Maximise ingredient potency with biotechnology
- Case study: Syensqo keeps sustainability and performance hand-in-hand
- Consumers prioritise natural ingredients and sustainable packaging when shopping for beauty products
- Graph 9: differentiating features when purchasing one BPC product over another, 2024
- Clean ingredients and eco-friendly packaging gain greater attention from consumers in upper-tier cities
- Graph 10: select differentiating features when purchasing one BPC product over another, by city tier, 2024
- Eco-friendly packaging in Indian BPC launches surges, yet trails global trends
- Graph 11: environmentally friendly package claims in BPC launches, 2019-24
- Graph 12: share of environmentally friendly package claims across BPC categories, 2021-24
- The status quo: bottles and tubes dominate eco-friendly package launches
- Graph 13: share of environmentally friendly package claims across BPC categories, by package type, 2021-24
- Develop regional strategies based on sustainability preferences
- Graph 14: differentiating features when purchasing one BPC product over another, by region, 2024
- BPC ingredient features consumers consider sustainable
- Bring a laser focus on ingredient sustainability
- Outside of naturalness, skin-safe is closely tied to sustainability
- Graph 15: attributes associated with sustainable/eco-friendly ingredients in BPC products, 2024
- Connect sustainability with harmless beauty to drive value to metro dwellers
- Graph 16: select attributes associated with sustainable/eco-friendly ingredients in BPC products, by city tier, 2024
- Lean into harmless beauty
- Spotlight the connection between safety and sustainability
- Leverage skin-safe claims to promote sustainability
- Next: naturally sourced pigments reduce reliance on petrochemicals
- Demonstrate ingredient safety and sustainability by tracing origin and journey
- Ingredient transparency
- Packaging sustainability
- Indian users want plastic-free beauty
- Graph 17: attributes associated with sustainable/eco-friendly packaging in BPC products, 2024
- Metro dwellers want products with less or no plastic, but ditching plastic remains niche
- Graph 18: BPCH launches making plastic-free* claims on pack, 2019-24
- Graph 19: attributes associated with sustainable/eco-friendly packaging in BPC products, by city tier, 2024
- Adopt a responsible use of plastics as a more practical, economical and probable solution
- Optimise plastic usage
- Design out plastics
- Partner with Producer Responsibility Organisations to offset plastic waste
- Gen Zers lead the charge against plastic and for refillable packaging
- Graph 20: attributes associated with sustainable/eco-friendly packaging in BPC products, by generation, 2024
- Graph 21: share of refill/refillable claims of all BPCH launches, 2024
- Refill/refillable packaging remains uninitiated in most BPCH categories in India
- Graph 22: share of refill/refillable packaging claim, by BPCH category, 2023-24
- Promote the value of refills, especially to Gen Z users
- SkinInspired launches ‘India’s first skincare refill cartridge’ with its Airless Refillable System
- ‘Don’t Rebuy, Just Refill’
- Case study: Zero Co’s ForeverFill refill system
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APPENDIX
- Report definition
- Consumer survey methodology
- Abbreviations
- Generations
This Report underscores the growing global awareness of environmental issues, particularly among younger adults, who predominantly associate sustainability with environmental protection. In India, this trend is especially strong among younger, more educated demographics. However, challenges such as affordability, convenience and trust in sustainable products remain barriers.
Ingredient transparency has become a key focus, with consumers seeking ‘cleaner’ beauty products made from natural and safe components. This Report also addresses critical concerns such as plastic pollution and climate change, highlighting the importance of responsible plastic use. India’s regulatory policies are evolving to support sustainable packaging, with initiatives such as the India Plastics Pact fostering a circular economy.
The Report also delves into the delicate balance between efficacy and sustainability in the BPC market, particularly in India. While product efficacy continues to be the primary factor influencing purchases, there is a growing interest in eco-friendly packaging and ingredients. Consumers associate sustainability with skin-safe ingredients, fitting into the concept of ‘harmless beauty’, which prioritises natural, non-toxic components and being safe for humans as well as the planet. The Report explores regional variations in sustainability preferences and highlights opportunities for growth in eco-conscious packaging, such as refillable and recyclable solutions.
By addressing these trends and challenges, this Report paints a comprehensive picture of how sustainability is reshaping the BPC industry globally, with a focus on emerging markets such as India.
This report looks at the following areas:
- The dominance of efficacy over sustainability in BPC purchases
- Indian consumers’ focus on eco-friendly ingredients and practices
- The growing importance of clean beauty and ingredient transparency
- Differences in sustainability priorities between city tiers
- The rise in eco-friendly packaging claims in Indian BPC launches
- Opportunities for brands to leverage refillable and plastic-free packaging
While opposition to plastic remains strong, sustainability in the BPC industry extends beyond packaging – it also involves ingredients that are both skin-friendly and environmentally safe.
Rushikesh Aravkar, Director, Mintel Reports India
Market Definitions
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definition.
Sustainability in BPC encompasses a myriad of aspects. This Report focuses on:
- sustainable consumer practices in BPC (eg recycling packaging, using refills)
- sustainability in packaging
- sustainability in ingredient sourcing
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