By Jen Johnston, CHHC, senior marketing services account manager, for the Step into Natural blog series
There’s no governing or independent body inspecting chemicals and ingredients that go into personal care products in the U.S., and consumers are increasingly becoming aware of this. The media continues to report on the dangers of substances such as parabens, heavy metals, and toxic chemicals. Documentaries such as The Human Experiment have also impacted consumers’ points of view. Word is spreading like wildfire over the web – from YouTube to Instagram, green beauty products are trending and people want “clean beauty products.”
Women are the driving force behind this movement. Well + Good highlighted a Harris Poll study done in August of 2015 that 
found “nearly 60% of over 1,100 women read beauty product ingredient labels prior to purchase, and 54% of women claim it’s important for their skin-care products to be all-natural.”
Clean beauty encompasses more than simply make-up. Personal care products in general can all be captured under the clean beauty banner – deodorants, lotions, hair care products, and more.
Mainstream retailers such as Target and Kroger have begun adopting natural beauty brands. New Hope Network describes an independent store that took the following approach to compete with national retailers on the clean beauty front: include in-store experts, offer beauty rewards programs, and host engaging events.
To help connect consumers with natural beauty products, Think Dirty® has created a smartphone app that lets shoppers know if the product they wish to purchase is free of harmful ingredients.
Many consumers are loyal to the conventional brands they have known and love. But what about the growing percentage of your shoppers that want natural beauty products – are there popular natural brands that you could offer? Better yet, are their local small businesses crafting clean beauty products that you could promote? People shop independent retailers for many reasons, and one is because they like to shop local. Why not give them both local and clean beauty products?
Clean beauty is a trend that is showing no signs of slowing, so give it a go with your shoppers!