The Soil Association has launched its 2016 Organic Market Report, revealing that UK sales of certified organic health and beauty products soared 21.6 percent to £54.2 million in 2015.

The Soil Association now has 214 licenced health and beauty symbol holders, with shoppers spending an extra £800,000 per week on these brands last year.

The Soil Association has credited the rise in sales to renewed interest in wellness and wellbeing, as well as increasing consumer awareness of organic beauty thanks to marketing drives such as Organic Beauty Week, fronted by high profile wellness gurus such as Hemsley + Hemsley.

Figures from Organic Monitor reveal that this awareness is an important factor in the industry’s continued rise – some 31 percent of consumers first made a foray into the organic beauty aisle because of increased awareness of labelling, while 43 percent look for a certification symbol when they buy natural of organic personal care products.

Growth is also driven by the increasingly diverse range of products available, such as sun care and anti-ageing products as well as a marked rise in online sales, up 9.1 percent for the organic market as a whole, to £1.95 billion.

Clare McDermott, Soil Association Business Development Director, said, “The organic beauty market is flourishing with increased sales, product launches, availability and greater consumer engagement within the sector. Organic beauty continues to thrive and the next 12 months look to be even stronger.”