The organic market has been on a steady upward growth trend over the last decade. But who exactly are the consumers buying organic food and cosmetics? Why did they ‘go organic’ in the first place? And why haven’t they switched back? Organics Cluster Rhône-Alpes and Cosmébio have joined forces to answer these questions by developing a consumer study entitled “Consumer profiles and purchasing practices in the organic cosmetics and food sector in 2016”, carried out by Opinion Way/Senseva.
Organics Cluster/Cosmébio Press release
Health-conscious consumers
The study findings bring out how over 80% of organic consumers pay careful attention to their physical and emotional health, over half (50%) do regular exercise, and the majority do some form of outdoor activity or sport at least once a week. They have a keen interest in cooking and seeking out high-quality ingredients (+ 60%), but also enjoy wellbeing activities, this being a trend more striking among organic cosmetics consumers (+ 50%).
What triggers the switch to organic products?
In over 50% of cases, the main reason for making that first organic purchase is due to growing consumer awareness of ecological consequences, health risks and health scandals. Food typically remains the first ‘gateway’ leading consumers into the organic marketplace, and mainly via supermarket products (around 60%). The consumer then moves on to organic processed and / or cosmetic products. Most organic consumers are new ‘converts,’ following the recent efforts made by organic companies to step up innovation and communication (58% of organic food consumers, and 70% of organic cosmetics consumers switched in the last 5 years).
Going organic means changing your lifestyle
The study reveals how going organic has a life-changing impact on …
