Retailers are leveraging the naturals trend to good effect, curating products in a way that puts consumers interested in safe, up-to-date beauty and personal care items at ease.
H&M’s collection is in line with those expectations as well as a few others. "We already offer conscious choices with our fashion collections so it is natural for us to have the same offering within our beauty collection," Sara Wallander, concept designer at H&M's beauty department, tells the press.
"We always aim to develop our products to high and responsible standards in both materials and production. With the Conscious range we have taken this philosophy even further."
On trend
The Conscious product line will include travel-sized hand crèmes, a smart choice consumers are inclined to buy easy-to-carry beauty items.
In fact, one cosmetics brand has built a whole company around this concept. StowAway’s half-sized cosmetics are meant to be carried daily and are also more likely to be used up by the expiration date.
The forthcoming H&M product grouping plays on other very current trends, certified organic and natural chief among them. "Conscious, which includes around 30 products for skin, hair and bodycare, is Ecocert-approved with organic certification,” according to a piece on huffingpost.ca. This means the products are 95% natural and, at minimum, 10% organic.
H&M also includes genderless fragrances, which are gaining in popularity and an aluminum-free roll-on deodorant, appropriate for wellness shoppers.
Sustainable brand
Just last week H&M was listed among the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World by the Toronto-based media and investment advisory company Corporate Knights.
The ranking is done carefully: “Qualifying Global 100 companies are scored on a percent rank basis against their global industry peers on a list of twelve quantitative key performance indicators that run the gamut from energy and water use, to employee compensation and corporate tax strategy,” explains the group’s methodology.
The retailer takes pride in having been included on the Global 100 list for six years now. “Working with sustainability is a natural part of our business, integrated in everything we do, and it is a prerequisite if we are to grow in the future,” says Anna Gedda, H&M’s sustainability manager. “With our size and the impact we have, we are able to influence and create change, not only for H&M but for the industry as a whole.”
This year’s list of sustainable corporations also includes L'Oreal and Natura Cosmetics.