Riding the Wellness Wave with Cacao: A Missed Opportunity for All-Natural Luxury Skin Care Brands

Ironically, of all the very odd things I have shopped for during the Covid19 quarantine- something as simple as a body lotion turned out to be a surprisingly difficult task.  Three basic filters: All natural ingredients, a creamy whipped texture, and cacao aromatherapy transformed what should have been a quick and simple search into a full blown quest for an elusive rarity.

The origin of this criteria (and thereafter fascination with cacao and beauty) was a body lotion I bought at the Choco-Museo in Lima. That’s right, a chocolate museum.  A small, local chocolate brand created a simple and effective all- natural cacao based beauty line, and my assumption was that an abundance of spectacular offerings would be easy to find among actual skin care brands.  Yet despite many relevant industry trends, along with the notoriety of cacao as an essential for body care, wellness, and aromatherapy- I was wrong.

The industry trends that would make cacao a safe bet for all-natural beauty innovation

1) Increasing demand for all natural, simplistic ingredient skincare is still on the list of top 2020 beauty trends
2) Body care was reported to be the fastest growing subcategory for 2020. Consciousness of anti-age care for the body is also increasing.   
3) Concepts that merge skincare with wellness (ie: aromatherapy) are on the rise.
4) The superfood infused trend with stars such as the reishi mushroom, chia seed, goji, and kale.  The list keeps growing as any highly antioxidant edible works, and the weirder and more exotic the better.

5) The New Age wellness trend of sacred cacao ceremonies.

The association of cacao with wellness now goes beyond its quality as a superfood, as sacred cacao ceremonies are trending as a gateway to spiritual and emotional well-being with metrospirituals (otherwise known as holistic hipsters seeking inner bliss and the allure of ancient ancestral rituals). Click the link to see more detail before you judge, because you may just be one yourself :-).   They also happen to be the key consumer segment for luxury all- natural, and luxury clean beauty.

Why then, are there so few options on the market? Is good old fashioned raw and organic cacao too ordinary and accessible to make the grade for all natural skin care marketers?

Ordinary or not, I would choose cacao any day over the next new Amazonian superfood.   It has 20 x more polyphenols than green tea, and the sum of the properties cover hydration, inflammation reduction, collagen production, and protection from
environmental aggressors- including UV rays.

And while all that is great, the true stellar quality is the scent. Raw cacao and cacao absolute promote relaxation, joy, sensuality, and are known for opening the heart chakra.  This appeals the most to consumers who view beauty as holistic rather than cosmetic, but also to those who appreciate products that are naturally scented and want their body care to be a full ritual for the senses.

The only conclusion I can amass is that marketers believe the scent to be divisive and feel safer with other scents, diversifying the notes just as a perfumer would.  And that the newer and more exotic butters like murumuru and moringa and more precious botanical oils such as rosehip perhaps make for a more luxurious ingredient narrative.

But surely there is still space for the appeal of simplicity and earthy sensuality?

It definitely seems so for the brand I found that dared to take the chance.  When I probed Norma Jeanne Leite  (founder of Nalani Botanics) for her thoughts on the subject she shared: “We were actually afraid to launch our cacao body butter.  At the early conventions the feedback was negative. People would say they didn’t want to walk around smelling like a dessert, but in the end this product has exceeded
all expectations and has ended up being the best seller of our entire brand.”

Nalani Botanicals Cacao Body Butter

This product expertly succeeded in finding the delicate balance of the three key elements of raw cacao (butter, powder, absolute) among other skin care hero ingredients for an all in one texture, nourishment, and aroma therapeutic treasure.

Features|Cruelty free, All natural, Plant based, USA-made

Price| $26 8oz

Available|www.nalanibotanics.com   

Ingredients: Organic Shea Butter, Organic Mango Butter, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, , Organic Vegetable Glycerin, Organic Cocoa Butter, Cacao Absolute, Raw Cacao Powder, Organic Jojoba Oil, Aloe Vera, Purified Water, Organic Raw Honey, Tocopherol, Rosemary Seed Extract. 

The truth is, I did find other all natural cacao butter products, however, few capitalized on the scent of cacao.  And those that highlighted it, had stiffer textures meant to melt on contact rather than a creamy texture.  I was at least able to find a second product matching the criteria to compare with Nalani.

Timeless Organics- Body Whip Cacao Butter + Vitamin E

If you are looking for Eco-Luxe in addition to all natural + organic, this brand passes the test with flying colors. The website is professional, including a well presented ingredient transparency page for all the ingredients used across the brand.  The products bear the USDA Certified organic seal and Leaping bunny cruelty-free certification, packaging is in line with Eco-friendly guidelines.  As expected, the packaging and certifications drive the cost up and is reflected in the retail price.
Features| Vegan, Cruelty Free, Eco-Conscious, USA-made

Price |$20 4 oz

Available: https://www.timelessorganicsskincare.com/

Ingredients: Water, Cocoa Butter*, Coconut Oil*, Emulsifying Wax, Glycerin, Sweet Orange Peel
Oil*, Vitamin E, Sunflower Seed Oil*, Rose Ether, White Willow Bark Extract*,
Neem Seed Oil*, Rosemary Leaf Extract*, Organic Alcohol*, Xanthan Gum. *Certified Organic

Although both products are a Cacao body butter and have 6 out of the of 15 in common, they are pretty different- forced me to delve into the significance of amount of water in a formula and emulsifiers.

1)  The texture of Nalani is rich and very creamy vs a harder texture very close to actual butter of Timeless Organics.  This is because cacao butter, even when “whipped” has a more solid texture than the shea and mango butters that are blended with cacao in Nalani’s. 

2)  Water is the first ingredient in the formula, which requires an emulsifier to thicken it (emulsifying wax is ingredient #4)
Nalani Botanicals has no wax, water is #11)  
3) The fragrance of Timeless is pure and simple cacao butter, identical to dark chocolate.  Nalani’s is richer and more complex, as the cacao powder and cacao absolute (essential oil extracted from the seed) complement the cacao butter for a nuttier, earthy touch.

4) Nalani’s Botanicals can also be used as a hair mask. I don’t have particularly dry or damaged hair, but it was helpful for shine and softness.

Both are quality products, so in the end it all comes down to personal preference for fragrance, price, packaging, and brand validity perception for its promise.

So there you have it.  A total of two geographically accessible products after sifting through the top all natural beauty blogs, the top on-line natural beauty retailers, top “all natural” lists, Etsy, IG. Three, if I count one from Australia (wasn’t a viable option for trial due to shipping constraints). In sum, I spent an inordinate amount of time to find the sweet spot where authenticity and inconspicuousness meet on the internet.

And with that investment, I was happy to discover a certain validation of the all natural + organic category.  It has become so mainstream that Cosmopolitan and Elle now tout 2020 lists of  “Top All Natural Body Care.” Unfortunately, those lists weave in brands who do not fit the bill alongside the legitimate, smaller brands who are not likely advertising income contributors.
Sadly, this practice delegitimizes their efforts and contributes to the increasing confusion and misinformation
that surround the terms natural, organic, clean, and “non-toxic” beauty- no legal definitions for any of them, and all open to a wide spectrum of interpretation as the usage is not regulated.

But as I like to say: Progress, not perfection!  I have hope that clear subcategories related to “clean beauty” will continue to develop, and that clarity and ingredient transparency will prevail.  In the meantime, I’ll continue to do my best to navigate through the chaos to find
the little gems that deserve some praise and attention, and to keep finding the market gaps for the type of products I love.

PS- The best objective and legitimate blog I came across for top all natural + organic beauty products was the Skin Care Ox out of Colorado. Her post on The Best Organic Body Lotions, Butters, and Serums of 2020 has fantastic products, including many iconic brands in the luxury all naturals segment.

The product from Australia that I mentioned, was by Ananda Life Byron Bay- Luxe Body Butter Intensive Cacao found on Natural Beauty Collection , an Australian online marketplace for certified organic and safe natural ingredients.

REFERENCES

15 Trends Changing The Face Of The Beauty Industry In 2020 by CB Insights

The physical and spiritual benefits of cacao The National AE

Here’s How Cacao Benefits Skin -  It’s time to add cacao to the list of superstar skin care ingredients. By Skinsei.com