Every cosmetic ingredients supplier should create vegan oral care products

Vegan and plant-based lifestyles are one of the biggest buzzes in the food and beverage industry right now. Health-conscious consumers are looking to extend these principles to every aspect of their routines, including personal care. Every cosmetic ingredients supplier should pay attention to this shift and create solutions accordingly.

An important port of call is oral care. After all, toothpaste and other oral care products have an important link to consumables and people will be applying this rationale when studying labels. Using recognizable, plant-based ingredients is a key strategy, even when it comes to old favorites like mint. But before we discuss solutions, we’ll talk more about the environment.

Health-conscious meets environmentally-conscious

Health is the key driver for vegan choices when it comes to food and drink. Consumers want ingredients that they recognize and trust, and that nourish their bodies and promote good health. The same goes for personal care; the tide is turning and synthesized ingredients are out and raw, natural ingredients are in. For instance, Mintel reported that in the US, 37% of BPC consumers look for natural products because they are free from chemical ingredients they wish to avoid.

However, in the BPC space, the other key driver is the belief that plant proteins are better for the environment compared to animal proteins. Vegan claims continue to rise in the BPC space and align with established cruelty-free claims, with a sustainability narrative to appeal to environmentally-conscious consumers.

Every cosmetic ingredient supplier should tap into this powerful movement. Oral care brands are responding to notable interest in natural formulas by increasingly advertising products with botanical claims. Amazingly, the popularity of these formulas sustains even if efficacy is compromised; in China, 60% of oral care product users would choose a toothpaste with more natural ingredients, even if the user experience was compromised (Mintel, 2019).

The two-pronged approach that every cosmetic ingredient supplier should look for

However, this isn’t to say that a natural oral care product has to compromise on efficacy. In fact, there are solutions for brands looking to appeal to both vegan and traditional customers. Mint is an old favorite that has stood the test of time and Provital’s Mint ECO provides the solution that an environmentally-conscious cosmetics ingredients supplier seeks. We’ll explain how.

In several in vitro studies, mint oil has been shown to have antibacterial effects against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, along with bacteriostatic action against Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus (Gardiner, P., 2000). Therefore, mint has naturally antibacterial properties that are perfect for an oral care product. 

Meanwhile, mint extract has also been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, useful for calming gums and maintaining overall oral health. In a pre-clinical study, A dry 80%-ethanolic extract from mint leaf showed anti-inflammatory activity against acute and chronic inflammation (ESCOP, 2003).

Meanwhile, Provital’s Mint ECO is 99.4% natural in origin with Vegan Society approval. This enables a cosmetic ingredients supplier to make authentic vegan and natural claims, meeting the demands of the health and environmentally-conscious consumer who is increasingly influencing the mainstream market.