The Innovation Group’s Latest Trend Report Explores the Return of Natural

We are thrilled to introduce New Natural, a timely new report from The Innovation Group, the trend forecasting unit of J. Walter Thompson Intelligence.

Natural is back.

As consumers grow anxious about an industrial system that appears to be increasingly detrimental to their health, they are turning toward natural products for solace.

Products ranging from makeup to nail polish to perfume and even tampons are being pitched to consumers as natural, and free of additives and chemicals. Bacteria are no longer seen as a nuisance to be scrubbed away, but as part of an ecosystem to be cultivated. Women are even looking for a more “natural” approach to birth control, paying attention to their bodies with a renewed interest in age-old practices, with a modern twist of assistance from apps.

The 79-page original report includes insights from a survey of 1,000 U.S. and U.K. consumers using SONAR™. Original data highlights include:

• 80% of U.S. millennials and 83% of U.S. consumers with children under 6 are willing to pay more for natural and/or organic food and beverages.
• Two out of three millennials in the U.S. are interested in natural wine, beer and energy drinks, and 84% are interested in natural soft drinks.
• You are what you eat—82% of consumers say that what you put into your body is more important than what you put on your skin.
• 69% of consumers say they don’t believe products labeled “natural” are truly natural, suggesting that brands will have to work harder to win them over.

The report also features a 28-page deep dive on the New Natural’s impact on the beauty industry, as well as 10 pages of infographics that reveal consumer attitudes toward natural products, 20 key trends like Zero Waste, Waterless Washing, Farm-to-Face, Natural Feminine Care and more.

— Download the report here.