It’s often been said that every artist is a cannibal and every poet a thief. Given the vast number of new ingredients at a formulator’s disposal, and how quickly brands move to incorporate them into their next product, it’s easy to see how this sentiment can apply to beauty. Yet even now, in beauty’s hyper-focused phase of something for everyone, ingredient stories and discoveries still dominate the consumer search for that ‘next great’ product because ingredients are still the star of the show. How they work (or don’t); what benefit(s) they provide; proof of efficacy…what trends are driving ingredients and what are beauty consumer’s looking for in ingredients in 2025? To get these answers, TBC asked over 3,000 US beauty consumers to dish up their thoughts on ingredients.
Like a chef seeks out the perfect ingredient to create a culinary masterpiece, consumers seek out products with their preferred ingredients that they believe are the best choice to help them address their skin and beauty concerns. Sixty five percent always or most of the time read ingredient labels (when shopping for skincare or beauty/wellness products), and 62% look for ingredients they both want and don’t want in their products. Of all age groups, Gen Z is the most attentive to using ingredient labels to seek out ingredients they don’t want (24%), followed by Millennials (19%).
In addition to the ingredient list, consumers read labels to gather a trove of other information, including understanding specific benefits, cruelty-free certifications, allergen info, and where products are manufactured, amongst others.
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