The first industry-wide survey of Sweden’s natural and organic cosmetics segment shows that the market grew 22.2% in 2017.

The survey of 60 brands is a joint initiative from the trade association NOC Sweden and export group Business Sweden.

Henrik Olténg, founder of NOC Sweden and coordinator of the survey, says that the strong category growth revealed by the survey confirms a “on-going shift in consumer behaviour to more environmentally and health friendly products”.

Gabriella Danielsson, from Business Sweden, adds: “It is significant that the Swedish NOC market has such a high share of Swedish brands and it also shows a huge potential for export. Swedish companies are very competent in producing well-designed, functional and commercially viable products that also can compete in the international market. We encourage and help companies to go for growth by export.”

The survey includes both certified and non-certified brands as the market is not regulated or defined in law in the way that the organic food sector is. Certified brands represent approximately 20% of sales, with Ecocert and Cosmos currently dominating certification among the participating certified brands. Olténg says that the comparatively low share of certified brands reflects the fact that strong local brands do not always feel a need to certify their products, and the still relatively low level of awareness of NOC Sweden’s own certification.

Commenting on the total value of Sweden’s natural and organic cosmetics market, Olténg says: “The absolute market size for the segment is more difficult to estimate than growth as not all brands are included and there’s also a question of the definition of the segment. However, based on the data we collected and what we know about the market, an educated guess is that the NOC market in Sweden has sales exceeding EUR50 million.