Consumers have elevated virtuous beauty – encompassing the notions of “clean beauty” or “green beauty” – to a new standard. But for them, virtuous beauty goes beyond formulation, product naturalness and respect for the environment. They see it as an experience in its own right.
NellyRodi’s Virtuous Beauty study – based on a social media listening analysis of nearly 2.5 million online conversations – reveals that virtuous beauty is a more emotional topic than so-called “normal” beauty. The analysis shows that 55% of conversations have a positive tone, up +4 points on 2020. And when consumers talk about virtuous beauty, they do so in a spirit of benevolence.
The study also reveals that online communities associate virtuous beauty with notions of well-being: analysis of their conversations shows that stress is the emotion most present when it comes to virtuous beauty, 1.3 points more than conversations around “normal” beauty. Behind the notion of “stress”, the notions of “recognition” and “trust” emerge from the conversations. Indeed, consumers welcome the initiatives proposed by virtuous beauty because they respond to emotionally-charged skin issues.
Beyond this emotional involvement, analysis of online conversations reveals that consumers want to be more active in their virtuous beauty experience. Among the notions that stimulate their attachment to brands, 11% of conversations evoke the use of recyclable packaging and 9% the idea of DIY, do-it-yourself products. Consumers want to adopt a proactive approach to beauty, and their conversations express the desire for brands to give them the keys to take action, to act concretely on their own scale.
This analysis of consumer expectations can inspire a strengthening of the range of experiences offered by brands. In this way, they can evolve from a product-centric brand to a service brand, responding to consumers’ demand for active, emotional experiences. For example, the Lush brand is actively engaged in supporting its customers towards greater well-being and benevolence, through various actions. In 2021, it left Instagram and Facebook, considering these platforms harmful to its customers. Since then, she has developed other channels for connecting with her community, through podcasts, playlists or wellness programs. More recently, she has created a digital bath ball called Bath Bot that offers an immersive experience, adaptable to her moods (light and sound ambience), putting the emphasis on experience.
Consumers are turning virtuous beauty into a global experience, combining community, well-being and active involvement. Above all, they are looking for emotional involvement, eager to live a caring beauty experience.
NellyRodi
Forecasting specialist NellyRodi is an expert strategic consulting agency for the creative industries. We help businesses, their deciders and their teams – from defining their brand strategy all the way to operational deployment.
We can meet clients’ objectives for results and use our creativity, engagement and conviction to help brands. In this process we apply rigorous, finely-tuned methods, putting our consumer expertise and passion for the creative industries to work enhancing brands’ desirability.
