Young Cosmetics Fans Do Not Want to Dispense with Plastics
Gen Y is the generation that demands sustainability. However, many women born between 1980 and the late 1990s do not want to do without cosmetic products containing plastic. That’s what a young female researcher found out.
In her thesis at the International School of Management (ISM), Virginia Odessa Nisha Vogt addresses the question of why natural cosmetics are not yet as popular with young women as other environmentally conscious products. She identifies three reasons for this behavior: a lack of alternatives, a lack of transparency in product information, and a too high time investment for researching and comparing products.
The ISM graduate used social media to call for participation in an online survey. More than 300 women born between 1985 and 2000 and living primarily in North Rhine-Westphalia took part, ISM said. The majority of participants were between 19 and 23 years old (65 percent) and studying (51 percent).
The survey results show that a wider range of plastic-free cosmetics and more transparent product information are still needed for alternative care products to conquer the market. Although the vast majority (83 percent) say that a plastic-free future is of great importance to them, only 18 percent of respondents make sure that there is no plastic in the packaging or the product itself when they buy it. When asked why they continue to consume cosmetics containing plastic, 52 percent responded that they lack suitable alternatives. 48 percent of the participants felt that the product information lacked transparency and 34 percent felt that the time required for product research and comparisons was too much.
All those, who have not yet discovered the suitable nature product for themselves, will find them on the shelves soon according to the estimate of Virginia Vogt. “The cosmetics industry has already recognized that there is no way around a plastic-free future and in addition, sees this as a market strategy. So, there will soon be a much wider choice of sustainable cosmetics.
