The cosmetics industry is facing several challenges because of the measures in place to contain the coronavirus. Birgit Corall explains why natural cosmetics are affected even more by this than traditional cosmetics.
The procurement of raw materials is often closely linked to the supplier. Good partnerships make consistently high quality possible. Moreover, many certified
organic raw materials carry certificates confirming the cultivation, harvesting and processing of the plants as well as certification by the authorities. But if suppliers are closed or timelines become short, then it becomes impossible to maintain certified quality. Furthermore, plantbased raw materials have a limited shelf life and need to be processed within a certain time.
Delivery problems
Most of the natural raw materials come from abroad. Deliveries from abroad have been severely delayed in some cases or have become extremely expensive. The cosmetics industry cannot simply pass these price increases on to the client. A further issue concerns packaging. Often glass is used for natural cosmetics. Most glass containers come from China, and their products are sold to wholesalers.
There are winners and losers in sales now: customer numbers are rising in online sales, while sales are falling sharply in bricks-and-mortar retail. Depending on the area, consultations are very difficult to provide. Beauticians were massively affected by the coronavirus crisis. Many of them run small businesses and do not have a large cushion to fall back on. Some smaller institutes are already closing completely.
Slow return?
Gradual opening only helps to a limited extent. A client who visits the hairdresser can wear a protective face covering. However, in a beauty studio this is only possible with foot and body treatments. Nonetheless, many have responded very creatively by contacting their clients and offering advice on skin condition and product selection by video conference and providing a home delivery service. It is important to support beauticians as best as possible. Shipping their client orders directly can help saving the beautician time and money.
Birgit Corall,
executive director,
Cobicos,
Landshut, Germany,
www.cobicos.de