The importance of intracellular pH for the informed consumer and how to restore it with natural products

After the events of 2020, BPC brands might discover what used to be complex concepts such as the intracellular pH are no longer considered claims that appeal to a minority consumers. Increasingly informed consumers are enthusiastic about learning how science-based products enhance their wellness and self-care. Companies that address these new concerns will seize an opportunity for growth and attention.

We analyse the role of the pandemic in generating new consumer behaviours around data-driven, science-based beauty products and how targeting intracellular pH balance might interest this new consumer profile.

How to meet new consumer behaviours around purchasing 

Developing any personal care or beauty product today must take into account the profound shifts in consumer behaviour that have been caused by the pandemic. 

It can be claimed that COVID-19 has accelerated a rearrangement in how consumers prefer discovering and purchasing products and the rise of increasingly informed consumers that are concerned about product formulas and ingredients (including information about supply chains and ingredient sourcing).

As identifying and determining consumer behaviour trends is vital to succeed in any market, brands must take into account the following characteristics of the new “informed consumers”: 

• They demand a digital omnichannel experience. Potential positive experiences include online beauty and self-care consultations with experts, which also respond to an increasing demand for personalised treatments. 
• They’re increasingly concerned about health issues, as well as specific skin conditions related to frequent mask wear: rise of skin sensitivity, acne, dryness and irritation are some common issues that consumers have been experiencing during the pandemic
• A shift for data and science-based products. For instance, 45% of Italian consumers would be willing to share their personal biometric data (eg DNA, skin type) with beauty brands, according to data gathered by Mintel. This translates into particular trends where beauty and science merge, such as the use of plant stem cells or the study of how neuroscience and beauty might coalesce.
• Safety has become a key concept and its linked to familiar, natural ingredients. Consumers prefer products that are considered as safe, with 44% agreeing that natural ingredients are safer than their mainstream synthetic counterparts (Mintel, 2019)
• A new, data-based focus on wellbeing. A holistic vision of beauty is shared among this new consumer type, where physical beauty and mental well-being converge. 

Identifying this shift and taking the steps to address it creates growth opportunities for BPC brands to stand out in an increasingly competitive and saturated beauty market.

Some of the key movements that brands should undertake in order to anticipate what the “informed consumer” needs include: 

• Hand over information and education. Concepts like skin pH balance or intracellular pH are no longer avoided by consumers who actively seek out further information on ingredients and their science-based effects. Facilitating their learning also means building their trust.
• Generate self-explanatory tags. Encourage consumers’ learning through packaging messages that enhance the products’ ingredients and proven results. 
• Collaborate with trustworthy influencers. Informed consumers use social media to follow beauty influencers that help them get educated, as well as reading product experiences and reviews. Make sure your products are visible on such platforms and online communities.
• Educate consumers on which products are useful for each stage of their skin rituals. While cleansing is considered one of the most important parts, the need for balancing the skin’s intracellular pH appears after this particular process. 

Restoring intracellular pH for the informed consumer 

Provital’s SEA MINERALS EXTRACT H.G. targets intracellular pH while restoring the ionic balance of skin for, two issues often considered by information-hungry and increasingly expert consumers.

This extract is composed of a blend of algae (mainly fucus vesiculosus) and sea salt, a mixture of natural ingredients that provides science-based results by targetting intracellular pH and creating a balance. 

The main benefits of this water-soluble extract include:

• Restoring activity on skin homeostasis, directly linked to intracellular pH. Skin homeostasis mechanisms are the auto-regulatory phenomena that maintain the skin’s constant composition and properties of the intracellular and extracellular environments in the epidermis. Besides improving skin moisture, the extract generates a balance in the ions-driven fluid movements between intracellular and the extracellular compartments.
• Improving skin brightness and fresh color. It targets blood microcirculation, which in turn provides brightness and a fresh color to the skin.
• Anti-inflammatory activity. The polysaccharides from fucus aqueous extract showed bio adhesiveness effects in ex-vivo tests.
• Anti-aging activity. Applications on human cheeks of a gel formulation including 1% fucus aqueous extract (twice daily for five weeks) was found to reduce skin thickness and to improve skin elasticity.

All in all, the SEA MINERALS EXTRACT H.G. promotes skin health by balancing intracellular pH levels, thus appealing the “informed consumer” archetype.