Consumers seek out ingredient transparency and natural claims in the personal care and food categories, and, increasingly, household cleaning products, too.

Cleaning Up Home Care

Sustainability. Transparency. Natural ingredients. Clean & safe. These terms describe the majority of growing personal care and beauty brands, and now, these terms often extend to the laundry and home care aisle.

Natural home care solutions have been de rigeur for any clean living devotee, as it is very easy to make clean and effective cleaning products at home. White vinegar, baking soda, and lemon oil are effective, affordable, and accessible cleaning agents, but as more consumers are taking more care about the products that they’re bringing into their homes, there is more room for brands to offer sustainable and safe options that will appeal to a wide range of shoppers, not just the DIY crowd.

One primary consumer concern is that there are no federal regulations that require manufacturers to list the ingredients of their products on their packaging. Consumer advocacy groups try to keep up with monitoring new product releases and providing select products with their stamp of approval, but they struggle to keep up with the influx of available products. Shoppers must educate themselves and follow the guidance of such consumer groups, industry watchdogs, and trusted retailers to help them make their purchasing decisions.

Retailers such as Target are making it easier for consumers to make smarter choices, as they have sections of their websites and brick and mortar stores devoted to Natural Cleaning, as well as their own Clean certification that is only given to brands and products that adhere to their strict requirements.

Within this Natural Cleaning category, shoppers are interested in these claims:

Natural Cleaning Products, right to left: The Laundress Wash & Stain Bar | Tide PurClean Plant-Based Detergent | Seventh Generation Free & Clear All Purpose Cleaner | Ever Spring Multi-Surface Cleaning Wipes

What’s Next for Home Care Trends

In 2018, Mintel predicted the rise of the following trends, many of which we are already seeing reflected in the US consumer space:

• Full disclosure for ingredients and beyond: Consumers want to know the truth about the ingredients in their products and where they come from, promoting transparency from the finished good all the way back through the supply chain. Brands can gain trust by discussing controversial ingredients and giving context to the risks associated with certain ingredients or products.
• The need for ethical parent companies: Small indie brands are on the rise, but once they hit a certain growth point, they are usually purchased by global parent companies that may not be built on the same ethos or values as the child brand. Consumers are more educated than ever before about the brands that they choose to support with their money, and shoppers will research all stakeholders to ensure that they are buying products from a company that they can stand behind. Parent companies need to ensure that they are approaching transparency, sustainability, and ethical decision making with the same importance that small, niche brands do.
• Retailers are requiring advanced levels of transparency: Brands, such as the aforementioned Target, are promoting full visibility into the chemicals that make their way in to personal care, beauty, baby, and cleaning products. The Minnesota-based retailer is working with suppliers and has invested its own money in green chemistry research to help gain trust and authority with the store’s loyal shoppers.
• Ethical claims: The home care industry has fallen behind the personal care, food, and beauty spaces in regard to ethical practices, such as fair trade. Brands need to catch up to consumer standards by focusing on socially responsible ingredients, such as palm oil with RSPO certifications.

Bar Soap & Clean Home Care

Twincraft Skincare is a personal care contract manufacturer, focused on bar soap and premium natural skincare products, and we traditionally do not manufacture products intended for non-topical use. However, given our rich heritage in bar soap and cleaning expertise, we have the capabilities to support our customers in producing certain products that are well suited for the natural laundry and home care space.

Soap is an incredible cleansing agent, and it binds to dirt, oil, and other unwanted materials in the presence of water. When the surface is agitated, by hand or by a machine, the soap removes grime and grease away from clothes or dishes and into the surrounding water. Thoroughly rinsing the clothing item or dish fully removes the stain or food under proper conditions.

Soap shines especially bright as a cleansing agent when compared to traditional liquid alternatives. A liquid cleanser is fairly diluted and contains approximately 30% of cleansing actives in its formula, while bar soap is much more efficient and 70% of its composition is made up by cleansing actives.

Bar Soap for Dish Cleaning

Bar soap is sought after for its intense cleaning power, solid & travel-friendly format, and sustainability claims. Many conscious consumers are switching from shower gel to bar soap in the shower or bath in an effort to reduce their single use plastic consumption, and the same switch can be made for the kitchen sink.

Real Simple shared a bar soap cleaning hack with their readers, focusing on the format’s high foam, non-toxic claims, gentleness on the skin, and plastic-free packaging.

To clean dishes, bar soap works best paired with a wet brush or sponge. Use the brush or sponge to generate a strong foam with the bar, and wash dishes as normal.

Bar Soap for Surface Cleaning

The same approach can translate to using bar soap on surfaces such as kitchen and bathroom counters, and dining tables. Using a wet dishcloth or rag, build up a generous amount of foam from the soap and wipe down desired surfaces, and then wipe the area down with a wet cloth alone to remove soap and grime from the surface.

Bar Soap for Laundry Care

Bar soap is commonly used in many parts of the world to wash loads of laundry by hand or to spot treat smaller stains. It is an affordable and very efficient alterative to costlier detergent, and is a travel-friendly solution to save shirts from stains at dinner. Portable products such as Tide To-Go sticks are purchased for their convenience, but as more consumers look to avoid disposable single use plastics, they are looking for new options to help keep their clothing looking its best on the go.

If this is an area of interest for your product development team, we encourage you to reach out to our Sales Team to learn more about our capabilities and the flexibility of bar soap to clean both the body and the home.

Sources: https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/bar-soap-dish-washing-hack | https://www.mintel.com/blog/household-market-news/home-care-trends-for-2018