Despite the economic slowdown, Colombians continue to pay close attention to what ingredients they put on their skin. With growing interest in pursuing more natural lifestyles, consumers want more control over the ingredients used in their beauty products as they begin to understand the short- and long-term effects of harsh and synthetic chemicals on their bodies.

“Products and brands free of harmful ingredients such as silicones, parabens and sulphates are considered “clean or natural” even when they do not meet the criteria. Masks, face washes, lotions, moisturisers, and scrubs are essential parts of women’s routines but the ingredients that make up these products are just as important as the products themselves”, comments Anissa Wolf, research analyst at Euromonitor International.

The interest in natural products and ingredients has led to an increasing number of consumers creating home-made products and beauty solutions with the help of brands and influencers. However, the current market only has a few completely natural products with some minimalistic branding, communicating key natural ingredients but not reaching a wide consumer base.

“These opportunities encourage players to develop products with more sustainable and multiple high-performance ingredients. As a result, the usage of ingredients such as parabens, triclosan, and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives are expected to decline, with preservative boosters being used more often in the future”, adds Wolf.