What the Future Holds for Organic Products in India The market for organic products in India is currently estimated at INR 40,000 million. It is projected to increase to INR100,000 million - INR120,000 million by 2020

Once upon a time, grandma's natural beauty recipes and tips were held in high regard. Still, people sought something ready-made that could give quicker, more effective results. As new innovations and "better" beauty solutions came along, people started running towards products that offered instant effects, leaving behind those natural remedies that were once all they had available. These beauty products, emphasizing solely upon the appearance, unleashed damage on the skin as well as the environment.

Nature Comes to the Rescue

Our idea of what is good, has since transitioned from what appears flashy to something more sustainable. We are more aware of the implications of the products that we use on our bodies as well as the environment. With higher environmental awareness and increased beauty consciousness, we are back to where we started- Natural beauty solutions.

Beauty brands are coming up with products that have long term benefits instead of just short-lived ones. Everything that comes from nature is in trend today. However, today's customer doesn't just stop at asking whether the ingredients of the products are natural. They demand a stamp of assurance that these natural ingredients were raised without pesticides in a fully organic manner. Organic, therefore, is the new buzzword in the global beauty industry. Where is the industry headed? Here's looking at the future of organic products in India.

Organic Products Amidst Natural Solutions

Under the beauty solutions, which use natural ingredients, there are four different sub-categories of products: organic, herbal, ayurvedic and natural. Though these segments are flooded with different products, consumers need to distinguish between them to make better-informed choices.

Herbal, ayurvedic and natural, all boast natural ingredients in their products, however, these do not claim to be 100per cent free of any harmful contents. Organic beauty solutions are an exception to this. These go beyond listing natural ingredients to ensure that they were grown organically or without chemicals or pesticides. This method of growing integrates cultural, biological, and mechanical practices. Mostly organic products also exclude genetically modified ingredients or petrochemicals. Organic products do not undergo any animal testing and are minimally processed unless the law permits otherwise. If a product is labelled "made with organic ingredients', it implies it has at least 70per cent organic ingredients.

Thus organic products are most preferred among beauty conscious cutomers. Companies are identifying high business potential in this preference and coming up with different ranges of organic products.

Brands Changing Their Outlook

"Organic' has become a catch-word in today's beauty industry and companies are making big investments to bring it in their products. Companies that earlier relied on parabens, synthetic colours and phthalates, are now ditching these harmful chemicals and turning to plant extracts and other natural ingredients. These are costing companies more and have a shorter shelf life than the synthetic options that are cheaper and last longer. But, seeing customers' enthusiasm for safe and natural beauty solutions, companies are more than willing to make the switch.

Addressing Different Issues

Organic beauty products aim at going beyond outward appearance to address deeper issues. They have properties like antioxidant capacity, pigmentation inhibition, and antimicrobial activity. These solutions do not cause hormonal imbalance, reproductive issues, and other diseases, unlike the chemically loaded ones. Organic solutions instead focus on detoxifying the body to increase and sustain the skin's glow.

Thus more people are turning to them to address their beauty needs and giving a big push to the organic beauty product market.

Higher Availability of Quality Products

As an increasing number of global brands enter the Indian market, the competition between organic brands will intensify. Companies will work on raising the bar in terms of the quality of their organic products. While many established brands offer FDA-approved products, there is still scope of developing a common platform that performs standardized quality checks for beauty products.

This will lead to the high availability of top-quality products in the Indian market as more brands will try to match global standards.

Expected Growth

As organic products are set to rule the beauty segment, they will influence other segments such as food and beverages, health and wellness as well. The market for organic products in India is currently estimated at INR 40,000 million. It is projected to increase to INR100,000 million — INR120,000 million by 2020. The organic beauty segment specifically is expected to grow at a rate of 17.27per cent CAGR between 2017–2022.

This increase will drive the agriculture industry in the country to make a shift to organic farming practices. This will lead to higher sustainability and promote ecological balance. Further, this will empower present generations to make way for a better, more sustainable future.