Superfoods and customisable beauty have been two of the key trends over the past year. The concept of superfoods has emerged from consumers’ growing interest in natural ingredients in all areas of the marketplace; food, clothing, as well as cosmetics.
There is an understanding now that plants can deliver chemical compounds unmatched by laboratories in their potential benefit to people. The principles of folk medicines across the world have always been based on the restorative power of natural ingredients, and there has been a steady return to these old ways and beliefs.
Rather than a remedy to a specific ailment, the trend of superfoods has been something of an antidote to the stresses and strains of modern life. With long working hours, job insecurity and increased family pressures, people naturally feel sluggish and drained. Superfoods have been presented as a quick fix; natural elixirs to restore health with vibrant and sometimes exotic foodstuffs. Nutrient-rich foods suddenly get highlighted for their benefit to health and wellbeing on social media and then appear everywhere in new, inventive ways in smart independent cafes, and then across multiple chains.
According to Mintel, 50% of UK consumers want products containing natural ingredients. This leads to spikes in on-trend ingredients; for instance safflower oil use has increased 20% every year for the past decade. Also, products containing pineapple have doubled in the past two years.
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