We were very interested to see this report recently from Cosmetics Design Europe about the opportunities in the mother and baby free from skincare market — and the high and growing demand for tailored products.
This doesn’t surprise us. Pregnancy is a time when women are never more concerned about their health and wellbeing — including the health of their skin. Some oils are contra-indicated during pregnancy, and it’s often a time when women question all those scary-sounding ingredients in standard cosmetics products. Whether it’s natural products to counter stretch-marks or ointments to soothe nipples, it’s understandable that many women explore new ingredients and new products when they’re expecting — and the ‘free from’ skincare market can meet the need perfectly.
Likewise when the long-awaited bouncing bundle of joy finally arrives … Only the gentlest of products are suitable for the youngest of skins, and who would want to rub mineral oil masquerading as a baby oil onto their child?
We sensed the market was picking up in a number of ways. First, through launches of brands such as Nom Nom Skincare, and then through a particularly healthy batch of entries to our ‘Family Skincare’ category in the FreeFrom Skincare Awards, which is this year sponsored by NATorigin, and which has been very challenging to judge, because the standard has been so high.
As the report says, there are many pregnancy-specific changes experienced by mothers — “such as darker pigmentation, blotchy skin, and stretch marks” which “can be catered to by specifically designed products”.
We really hope to see additional interesting products launching soon, with new, targeted ingredients, and very carefully chosen essential oils (or no essential oils at all …) in coming months and years.
And given the possibility that many babies and toddlers first get sensitised to food allergens through skin contact in their early months and years, infant skincare which is guaranteed to be free from food allergens is also an area ripe for marketing and promotion. Who knows, we may even start to see free from food allergen messaging on products themselves — something we’ve been long calling for at Skins Matter, and patiently waiting to appear on labelling …