UK Attitudes towards Natural and Organic BPC Consumer Report 2025
The halo surrounding natural and organic ingredients could be set to fade, as young consumers are more informed than ever before.
Clotilde Drapé, Global Beauty Analyst
UK Natural and Organic BPC – Trends and Insights
- According to the Soil Association Certification, sales of organic beauty and wellbeing products grew by 11% in 2024, reaching £151m. However, according to Mintel GNPD, innovation is slowing; only 2% of new BPC products launched in the last year were all-natural and 7% were organic.
- While 65% of UK adults use natural and organic BPC products, younger consumers, especially men, as well as those in urban areas and big cities, show higher engagement. Price remains a barrier, but transparency is also key, as many consumers believe brands should disclose the percentage of responsibly sourced ingredients in their products.
- Brands can innovate with biotech, upcycled ingredients, and formulations inspired by other countries, such as Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Challenges include the gap between consumer expectations and product formulations, plus irritation from essential oils. Sensory-rich and lab-grown ingredients help address safety and performance concerns.
- The market’s future relies on combining natural ingredients with science-backed efficacy, focusing on sustainability, local sourcing and educating consumers to build trust. Social commerce platforms (like TikTok) and clear certifications offer brands additional ways to connect with audiences and grow.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
- How consumers define natural and organic BPC and what they expect from formulations
- Who buys natural and organic BPC products, by age, income and location
- Which BPC categories are seeing the highest demand for natural/organic BPC products
- Key consumer priorities beyond natural/organic ingredients, including price and efficacy, and how brands can respond
- The rising influence of K-Beauty on ingredient trends and a potential return to animal-derived ingredients
- How to convey natural/organic claims that will drive trust among consumers, beyond certifications
Report Scope
This Report examines the market for natural and organic BPC in the UK. The following categories are included in the remit of this Report:
- Colour cosmetics
- Deodorants and body sprays
- Fragrances
- Haircare
- Shaving and depilatories
- Skincare
- Soap, bath and shower products
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- The outlook for natural and organic BPC
- Opportunities for the natural and organic BPC market
- Lab-grown and plant-based ingredients offer alternatives to animal-derived ones
- Provide more brand-led education to build trust
- Reach new audiences with cross-category engagement
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THE MARKET
- Sales of organic beauty products grew in 2024
- Price is top of mind when buying natural/organic BPC products
- Young adults engage more with natural/organic BPC
- Graph 1: net of natural or organic beauty/grooming products used in the last 12 months, by age and gender, 2025
- Leverage social commerce and wellbeing ties to boost sales growth
- Biotechnology has the potential to redefine future ingredients
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THE CONSUMER
- How consumers define natural and organic BPC
- Consumer expectations don’t align with NPD
- Graph 2: how consumers define organic beauty/grooming products, 2025
- Graph 3: how consumers define natural beauty/grooming products, 2025
- Younger consumers don’t expect all natural formulations
- Graph 4: how consumers define natural beauty/grooming products, by generation, 2025
- Certification is still a factor of trust
- Simplify the ingredient conversation with on-pack disclaimers
- Types of natural or organic BPC products used
- Use of natural and organic BPC is widespread
- Innovation could boost natural haircare usage
- Capitalise on appetite for natural bath & shower rituals
- Dermacosmetics and natural formulations collide
- Who is the natural and organic BPC consumer?
- The importance of using natural or organic BPC
- An underlying demand for more innovation persists
- Graph 5: importance of using natural or organic beauty/products, by generation, 2025
- Private label NPD could resonate with natural/organic buyers
- Graph 6: factors considered more important than using natural or organic beauty/grooming products, by usage, 2025
- Natural and organic ingredients alone aren’t enough to win over consumers
- Infuse natural/organic BPC with sensoriality
- Interest in trending natural ingredients
- Honey takes the spotlight in trending ingredients
- Graph 7: use of BPC products with select natural ingredients in the last 12 months, 2025
- Graph 8: selected ingredients in new BPC product launches, 2020-25
- K-Beauty trends boost ingredient interest
- Korean ingredient trends have cross-category relevance
- Ectoin launches rise, but remain niche
- Graph 9: share of BPC launches formulated with ectoin, 2020-25
- Behaviours related to natural and organic BPC
- Quantify responsible ingredient sourcing
- Essential oils impact skin sensitivity
- Consumers are worried about anti-vegan ingredient trends
- Interest in traditional ingredients creates inroads for more international brands
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PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
- Vague natural claims can mislead and frustrate consumers
- Half of BPC launches have botanical/herbal ingredients; aromatherapy claims grow
- A gap in the market arises for all natural sensitive skin products
- Graph 10: BPC ‘organic’, ‘all-natural product’ and ‘botanical/herbal’ product launches with sensitive skin claims, 2020-25
- Upcycled ingredients could boost eco-friendly credentials of natural BPC
- Graph 11: % of all-natural and organic BPC launches with upcycled ingredients, 2020-25
- Organic fragrance gains traction and can appeal to consumers avoiding alcohol-based products
- Promote the efficacy of biotech-derived natural ingredient alternatives
- Make natural trendy again
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APPENDIX
- Market definition
- The consumer
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Repertoire analysis methodology
- UK generation groups
- Other data source methodologies
- Infegy Starscape coverage
- Mintel Spark
- Abbreviations
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