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Unmasking skincare: What women want to know

By LLM Reporters   |  

More than a quarter of women are seeking greater transparency in what they put ‘on’ their skin, finds new research.

Every stage of a woman’s life calls for a different skin care routine. During pregnancy and menopause, women often re-evaluate the products they use in response to their hormonal and skin changes.

Although troublesome skin is most commonly associated with teenage years, recent data from Google has shown that amongst women over 25, their number one search term is “acne”. And when it comes to pregnancy, while most women are aware of what they need to put in their body, many may not consider that what they put on their body can also affect their baby.

It is increasingly important to uncover what is in our beauty products as we go through the different stages in our life – new research by Garnier has now revealed that nearly half of women admit to becoming increasingly conscious of how ‘natural’ their lifestyle and the products are in the last five years.

But just how easy is it to investigate how ‘natural’ we are –and are we able to decode the ingredients that go into the skincare products we use every day?

women beauty face
More than a quarter of women are seeking greater transparency in what they put ‘on’ their skin, finds new research.

Despite nearly a quarter of women admitting to reading the back of food packaging to check on additives, only one in seven scan the back of beauty products they potentially use every day, shows the research. Yet over a quarter of women wish beauty packaging was more transparent and easy to understand.

So where the decoding process start, and what should is it that we actually want to know more about? Research shows that consumers want to know how and where the ingredients in their products are sourced and whether those sources are sustainable and ethical.

In response to this growing culture of curiosity, Garnier is taking the essential steps to outline more clearly on its packaging where the ingredients come from.

“We’ve taken steps to help clarify by decoding the ingredients on the back of the pack and really explaining where our ingredients come from and how they are sourced,” said Karen Flavard-Jones, General Manager of Garnier UK & I.

Transparent and easily understood packaging seems to be the next step towards giving people the knowledge and understanding to make more informed choices.

“It is important that people know what is included in their skin care products so they feel comfortable with what they are using, and there is nothing hidden,” says Dermatologist Dr. Justine Kluk.