The global market for natural personal care products increased by nearly 10 percent in 2014, according to a report published by market research firm Kline & Company.

The Natural Personal Care Global Series report predicted that growing consumer awareness of synthetic chemicals and increasing demand for truly natural products will propel the global natural personal care industry at a compound annual growth rate of 10 percent over the forecast period until 2019.

The report found that products claiming to be natural and yet containing a high proportion of synthetic ingredients had dominated the global natural personal care market in 2014, accounting for nearly 75% of the total market share. These natural-inspired products were particularly popular in less mature markets, such as Brazil and some Asia-Pacific countries, where disposable income and consumer awareness regarding product ingredients is lower.

Kline also noted that growing interest, particularly among Western consumers, in purchasing cosmetics containing predominantly natural ingredients is leading brands to reformulate their product lines.

Brands in Europe and the US were rated on a scale of 1 to 10 according to their ‘naturalness,’ with 10 being completely natural. The ratings system uncovered shifts in the natural positioning in several US and European brands, including Avalon Organics, Jāsön, Annemarie Börlind, and Melvita, all receiving higher ratings in 2014 when compared to prior years.

Agnieszka Saintemarie, Project Manager, Consumer Products at Kline & Company, commented, “These reformulations are the next natural step for companies aiming to establish strong natural concepts with high importance given to the trust between the brand and the consumers. Moving upward in the natural ratings is a great way for natural brands to gain acceptance from a larger consumer base in the mid- to long-term.”