by Jill Failla
Commonly used in hospital emergency rooms to prevent the absorption of certain toxins in the gastrointestinal tract, charcoal is now growing quickly in a variety of retail product lines, marketed with the ability to bind to unwanted substances so they may be eliminated from the body. SPINS' Product Library has had an eye on charcoal for a quite a while now in supplements, oral care, and as an emerging presence in body care categories.
With continual enhancements to the Product Library, SPINS now tracks charcoal as a functional ingredient in six additional subcategories within our BODY CARE group—and it’s showing 120% sales growth over last year! Here’s a closer look at this trend and a few products making use of this hot ingredient:
HASK Purifying Charcoal Collection of hair care is marketed as a hair detox where charcoal is combined in a synergistic application with lemon and grapefruit oils. The citrus-scented shampoo and conditioners are non-staining and safe for all hair types.
Body wash products featuring charcoal grew 188.5% in sales over last year.
SPINS sees that body care products marketed to men are also performing well, which makes this next product an interesting example of a few emerging trends. As one of just a few body washes we’ve seen to feature the key ingredient charcoal, Nivea Men’s Active Clean Deep Cleansing Charcoal Body Wash claims to “draw out dirt, oil, and sweat like a magnet,” while providing an eight-hour fresh scent.
Charcoal product sales across all segments of skin care have grown 113.3% over last year.
Little Seed Farm’s Activated Charcoal Farmstead Milk Soap is handmade in Tennessee with goat’s milk – another interesting ingredient SPINS’ Product Library tracks in the segment – and organic oils. Marketed for sensitive skin, it’s also gluten-free, GMO-free, paraben-free, and unscented.
As a small but promising subset of the greater segment, oral care products containing charcoal grew a tremendous 7020.3% since last year!
Heritage Store offers a mint-flavored Activated Charcoal Whitening Toothpaste that’s meant to absorb odor and lift stains. It’s free of fluoride, gluten, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), and artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners. As a paste instead of a loose powder, some customers find it easier to use without making a mess.
Want to know more about charcoal? Contact your SPINS rep or spinsinfo@spins.com to dig deeper into the data on this and other hot ingredients in your segment of the market!
SPINSscan Natural and Specialty Gourmet (proprietary), SPINScan Conventional Multi Outlet (powered by IRI), 52 weeks ending 2017-May-21.
