Page 29 - HPIC E-Magazine (January-2021)

News from Abroad Cover Story

MASSIVE MARKET POTENTIAL Natural and synthetic alternatives to plastic
Majority of US consumers receptive to products and microbeads

packaging made from plants: Study

Introduction
New research from the Plant The environmental impact of plas-
Based Products Council (PBPC) has tics in numerous consumer goods can
shown that the majority of US con- no longer be neglected due to obvious
sumers are receptive to plant based damages to the world’s ecosystems.
products and packaging, with 54% There are many sources of plastic
viewing them favourably and 59% ending up in the waters and hence in
expressing interest. According to the our food chain: abrasion of tyres, shoe
report, the potential market size for soles, unrecycled waste and cosmetic
plant-based products is estimated to items, just to name a few. An esti-
be over 136 million US consumers. mated 30,000-tonnes of microplastics
– little spheres of plastic less than
The PBPC is a group of like-minded 0.5 mm in size – from consumer products
organisations working to guide the end up in our world’s oceans every
global economy toward more sustain- year. They are too small to be re-
able and responsible consumer pro- moved by sewage filtration systems
ducts and packaging through greater and so end up in rivers and oceans,
use of plant-based materials. where they are ingested by birds,
fish and other marine life. Passing
“There is clear consumer desire up the food chain, they end up on our problem, and a source about which reduce or eliminate microplastics in-
to support and promote innovation in own plates. most is known. volves biodegradable options. The
the plant-based products and pack- idea is that if plastics break down
aging arena,” said Ms. Jessica Bow- (49 percent) also self-reporting as likely first things that come to mind for them Traditionally, a variety of skincare Till recently, manufacturers of faster and more fully, the time frame
man, Executive Director of the Plant to recommend these products to others. are paper and food, followed less com- items have contained micrometric cosmetics and personal care products in which they can cause problems
Based Products Council. monly by clothing, bags, boxes, and con- spheres or beads for different rea- did not need to take into account the gets shorter. Other strategies include
The data showed significant un- tainers. “This awareness gap signifies sons: either as fillers to reduce mass challenges of recycling, and legal bar- use of natural materials and/or inert
In addition to being recep- tapped market potential with only 1 in 5 an opportunity for consumer education and price of gels, creams and make- riers to the use of microbeads were materials.
tive, more than half (54 percent) of (22 percent) reporting strong familiarity not only to grow familiarity, but to in- up products, or as exfoliating beads, close to absent. But the situation has
US consumers are likely to purchase with plant-based products and packag- crease awareness of the positive impact i.e., abrasive particles for a deep now changed: in the United States, Several companies have pre-empted
plant-based products in the next ing. Additionally, when consumers see plant-based products and materials have cleansing effect. the Microbead-Free Waters Act (2015) legislative restrictions and moved
three months, with just less than half plant-based products and packaging, the on the environment,” the report noted. prohibited the addition of plastic par- away to traditional exfoliants from
Plastic microbeads became popu- ticles to most personal care items. In microplastics. Lush, for example, be-
EXPA NDING PRESENCE lar in personal care products in the Europe, the Microbeads (Prohibition) lieves nature provides all the exfolia-
L’Oréal bolsters Asian business with Takami 1990s. Cosmetics companies added Bill of 2019 forbade production, com- tion the face and body needs: nuts,
them to cosmetics, lotions, face mercialisation and export of wash-off including walnuts and almonds, can
acquisition washes, toothpastes, shampoos, sun- cosmetics containing microplastics. be ground into different sizes to suit
screens, shaving creams and exfolia-
In the UK, manufacturers cannot put different products; pumice powder is
tors, among others, as they allowed microbeads in toothpaste or body fantastic on harder areas of skin; and
French cosmetics giant, L’Oréal, the company that markets and dis- Bottle’ by Asian women. The brand greater control over the consistency wash, but it’s still okay to include caster sugar packs a sweetness that
has agreed to acquire Takami Co., tributes Takami skincare products. achieved sales revenue of about €50- of product as compared to natural them in sunscreens and lipsticks. makes it perfect for polishing lips. In

a Japanese company specialising Dr. Hiroshi Takami, who operates two mn in 2019 and continues its growth alternatives. June 2016, bamboo stem extract was
in premium skincare whose peeling eponymous dermatological clinics in this year despite difficult market con- Development of alternatives also introduced to the range for use in
products are wildly popular in Asia, Tokyo, is the founder and owner of ditions due to COVID-19 impacts. Legislative changes The legislative pressure has dri- facial scrubs.
especially Japan and China. Finan- the Takami brand. Though cosmetic microbeads ven the adoption of alternative mate-
cial terms were not disclosed. L’Oréal also renewed a very long- make up only a small proportion of rials to the widely used polyethylene Unilever was also one of the early
Takami is particularly famous for term brand licensing agreement with all microplastics entering the ocean (PE) beads, and spurred innovation. movers away from plastic microbeads

L’Oréal acquired Takami from its iconic product, the ‘skin peel pre- Doctor Takami and signed a collabora- (between 0.01% and 4%), they are – switching to alternative exfoliating
Mr. Yuji Okamura, CEO of Brandlift, serum’, also called the ‘Little Blue tion contract with the Takami clinics. seen as an avoidable environmental Some of the work that aims to ingredients such as apricot kernels,
28 Home, Personal & Institutional Care India January 2021 Home, Personal & Institutional Care India January 2021 29