Southeast Asians want “lasting” beauty.
The majority of Southeast Asians want sustainable beauty products, according to a May 2022 study by consumer data and analytics company Milieu Insight.
In its “Sustainable Beauty” study, Milieu Insight asked Southeast Asian consumers a series of questions to determine their likelihood of choosing more ethical options. Its team interviewed 1,000 beauty product shoppers each in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
Most respondents are likely to choose products that are chemical and toxic-free (93 percent), use completely recyclable packaging (87 percent), are cruelty-free (84 percent), have refillable options (83 percent), and are waterless as compared to conventional bottled products (73 percent).
Among the different nationalities, Filipino consumers particularly are the most likely to choose beauty products that have completely recyclable packaging (96 percent), are cruelty-free (90 percent), and are vegan (85 percent).
Moreover, shoppers in the Philippines are least likely to trust sustainability claims on beauty product packaging (17 percent) and are most likely to research more about these to probe their actual impact (83 percent).
The price is right
Affordability, however, still emerged as the top criterion among consumers. It beat out other criteria like natural, clean (chemical-free and nontoxic), organic, cruelty-free, aesthetically packaged, 100-percent recyclable, endorsed by relevant people, refillable, reusable packaging, and vegan.
In fact, four in five respondents said they were willing to pay more for sustainable and ethical beauty products only if prices stayed within the comfortable range.
“New beauty brands have emerged in recent years to cater to a growing market of consumers—environmentally-conscious shoppers who are looking for beauty products that are good for them, and good for the Earth,” Milieu Insight wrote.
The firm observed that even large industry players are joining the trend of introducing and even aggressively marketing sustainable products or product packaging.
Photo by Sara Scarpa on Unsplash
