Comparing Clean Beauty Badging Criteria: Are Your Products Missing Out?

Monday, July 8th, 2024

by SmarterX

In the competitive world of consumer goods, badges play a crucial role in boosting product visibility and credibility. Clean beauty badges from major retailers like Sephora, Target, and Ulta not only enhance consumer trust but also drive sales. However, ensuring that your products are accurately badged is essential for leveraging these benefits. This blog post compares the badging criteria of different clean beauty programs and examines how many products meet the criteria but aren't labeled.

Comparing Badging Criteria

Using the SmarterX Platform Badging Tool, we conducted an in-depth analysis of the criteria for each of these clean beauty programs to see how products measure up.

Looking at a selection of products from our database in relevant categories, here's what we found:

Sephora Clean at Sephora:

Criteria: Products must be free from a list of over 50 ingredients including sulfates, parabens, and formaldehyde.
Total Products Analyzed: 390
Percentage of products that meet criteria but aren't labeled: 78.72%
Percentage of products labeled but don't meet criteria: 21.28%

Takeaways:

For Sephora, we found that out of 390 products marked as clean, 54% contained some type of fragrance, and 22% contained Phenoxyethanol, which must be 1% or less of the total formula. Despite Sephora's guidelines, many products lacked detailed breakdowns of these ingredients, leading to potential compliance issues. If this is your brand - you can use this insight from Smarterx Badging Platform to make sure you add some details in your product description so customers aren't second guessing your products.

Note:

The 78.72% of products that meet criteria but aren't labeled could include products that aren’t sold at Sephora - but with our badging platform, you can quickly scan through your catalog to see what is viable and focus your attention on getting those on specific shelves or in specific programs. It can also be used on products that are still in development.

Target Clean:

Criteria: Products must be free from certain chemicals and meet Target's clean ingredient standards.
Total Products Analyzed: 3850 (across hand and body lotions, bath soaps)
Percentage of products that meet criteria but aren't labeled: 4%
Percentage of products labeled but don't meet criteria: 4%

Takeaway:

Brands like Being Frenshe, Beloved, and Jergens frequently include excluded ingredients. smarter-1’s data enrichment capabilities revealed that some products had different ingredient lists across different retailers, further complicating accurate badging.

Ulta Conscious Beauty:

Criteria: Products must be free from harmful ingredients and adhere to Ulta's sustainability guidelines.
Total Products Analyzed: 7500
Percentage of products that meet criteria but aren't labeled: 7.67%
Percentage of products labeled but don't meet criteria: 2%

Takeaway:

Out of 7,500 products analyzed, 7.67% could qualify for the badge based on Ulta’s criteria but were not labeled as such. Conversely, 2 out of 100 products that were already badged under “Conscious Beauty” violated the badge criteria, including popular items from L'Oreal and Estée Lauder.

Implications for Brands

Our analysis highlights significant gaps in the current badging programs. Many products that meet the criteria are missing out on the benefits of these badges, while some products are inaccurately labeled. For brands, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity.

Bring Your Data with You

Brands should proactively bring their data to retailers to ensure their products are accurately represented. By doing so, you can:

Increase Visibility: Products with the correct badges are more likely to be featured prominently online and on shelves.
Boost Sales: As discussed in our previous blog post, badges significantly increase consumer trust and drive higher conversion rates.
Enhance Credibility: Accurate badging builds trust with consumers and strengthens your brand’s reputation.

Next Steps for Brands

Review Criteria: Ensure you fully understand the criteria for each badge.
Audit Your Products: Conduct regular audits to verify which of your products qualify for these badges.
Collaborate with Retailers: Work closely with your retail partners to ensure accurate labeling and representation of your products.
Utilize Data-Driven Tools: Leverage platforms like SmarterX™ to automate the validation process and ensure compliance with badging criteria.

Accurate badging is essential for maximizing the benefits of clean beauty programs. By ensuring your products are correctly labeled, you can enhance visibility, boost sales, and build consumer trust. Brands that proactively manage their badging data are better positioned to succeed in the competitive retail landscape.

Ready to ensure your products are accurately badged? Sign up for the SmarterX platform to see how your products stack up against popular badging programs.