Demand for sustainable cosmetics is little in Germany

By: Trademagazin editor Date: 2024. 07. 04. 09:02

When it comes to the sustainability of cosmetic products, German consumers focus on environmentally friendly ingredients and packaging. They expect products to be produced in Germany if possible and not tested on animals. However, price remains the deciding factor for most respondents, YouGov found in a recent survey.

The consumer survey commissioned by Cosnova seeks to answer the question of whether consumers demand and value sustainable products. The result: one in two Germans consider ethical and sustainable aspects to be important or very important in their consumption decisions.

According to the survey, consumers who are committed to sustainability are particularly concerned that the product they choose does not contain ingredients that are harmful to the environment (42%), is made in Germany, has environmentally friendly packaging (41-41%) and is not tested on animals (36%). The fact that the product is vegan is more important for younger generations, with 14% of 18-24 year olds and 16% of 25-34 year olds paying attention to proper labelling.

However, few cosmetics shoppers are willing to dig deeper into their pockets for sustainable cosmetics: cosmetics are second to last on the ranking with 16%, just ahead of travel and mobility (15%, respectively). They are, however, more willing to spend more on responsibly produced products in case of food (39%), household (24%) and fashion (19%).

According to the survey, 38% of Germans are generally not willing to spend more on sustainable products.

Responsibly produced cosmetics are associated by the public with higher prices and 27% of consumers cited this factor as a barrier.

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