Reasons for growth of the cosmetic industry
Since the times Indian women have been crowned at various beauty pageants, the cosmetic industry in India has come much into limelight. It has witnessed a steady growth over many years and the increase in fashion consciousness and purchasing power of the people is going to add to this growth momentum.
With the demand for beauty products rising day by day, India’s cosmetic industry is poised for a big boom. Awareness about the beauty products has increased due to the print media as well as the electronic media who have and are playing a major role in this context. Advanced communication systems and the Internet bombard the consumers about new cosmetic products which are far superior to earlier standards. The consumer of today’s times is more knowledgeable about the ingredients that make up the products and are opposed to synthetic beauty chemicals which can cause side-effects. This has led to the popularity of Indian herbal cosmetics within the country as well as all over the world.
Scope of Herbal Cosmetics Market
The herbal cosmetics industry is experiencing a rising graph for its market and products which are being sold the world over. Herbal beauty products were first introduced to the world way back in the seventies by beauty expert Shahnaz Husain; today, however, there are a plethora of brands in the herbal cosmetics market. Yet, the market is still growing and there is scope for new entrants who can deliver quality natural based products that will satisfy the consumer’s requirements.
The rural population who is being greatly exposed to the beauty industry offers a vast market just waiting to be tapped to its full potential. The age-old obsession for fairness coupled with the need of the modern woman for natural alternatives to enhance the beauty quotient has laid open the vast treasures of Ayurveda to be put into good commercial use. The herbal extracts used in the herbal cosmetics business contain bioactive ingredients or phytoconstituents which can do magical wonders to an individual’s skin as well as other body parts. Herbal cosmetics scores over the synthetic beauty products mainly on this point.
Phytoconstituents add value to skin cosmetics
Photoprotective phytoconstituents have properties to protect and rejuvenate the skin from damage due to UVA and UVB radiations, environmental pollution, atmospheric temperature fluctuations, wrinkling and inflammation. The phytoconstituents act as:
• Natural sun blockers
• Natural sources of antioxidants
The natural sun screen of an individual’s skin is its absorbing lipids, proteins and nucleotides. Plant or herbal extracts contain high concentration of these substances and provide easy and better protection to the peptide bonds of the skin’s proteins as well as the sensitive lipids and nucleotides.
Free radicals are one of the major destroyers of skin and to combat them are needed powerful anti-oxidants. Naturally occurring bioactive compounds like flavonoids, phenolic acids prevent the adverse effects of UV-radiation and stimulate the skin’s blood circulation and repair. It is essential to select the right combination of photoprotective phytoconstituents to deliver the results.