Consumers are becoming increasingly aware about what they put on their bodies as well as what goes inside. So it is no surprise that natural and organic products are the fastest-growing segment of the cosmetics industry.

According to a London consulting company, sales of natural and organic beauty products are soaring, with revenues projected to approach $7 billion this year in the United States, up $1 billion from last year.

Retail sales have climbed from $51.6m in 2004 to $88.6m in 2006. Projected retail sales for 2008 are $120m.

Interest in natural and organic cosmetics can be attributed in part to social responsibility - preserving the environment using sustainable ingredients and biodegradable packaging.

According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition of women’s public health, and consumer-rights groups founded in 2002, ingredients like parabans, are widely used in the beauty industry. Environmental groups warn of the risks, and manufacturers assure consumers the ingredients are safe in small doses, but now even the big retailers are making changes.

Marketing Insider, of an Ohio firm, Colette Chandler, said:

‘As companies realize this marketplace exists, and that more consumers are gravitating in this direction, all of a sudden they say this is where I need to be, as consumers become more knowledgeable, she added, they want to know what’s in their bodies.’