IRI figures show we’re going nuts for coconut-inspired beauty products to the tune of more than £12m per year

- Reflects growth in coconut food & drink as gap between internal and external health closes

Coconut is the ingredient of choice for today’s shoppers looking for inspiration when buying health and beauty products, according to the latest data from IRI, the provider of big data and predictive analytics for FMCG manufacturers and retailers. Figures show 23% growth in value sales over the last year (52 w/e 10 June 2017) of coconut products in Health Beauty & Accessories (HBA) now worth more than £12m a year to UK supermarkets, high street chemists and independent pharmacies, and corresponding with the growing popularity of coconut-inspired food and drink products like coconut milk and water.

IRI’s data shows particularly strong growth in the haircare and personal care categories, with combined sales of more than £11m a year. Coconut haircare products have grown by 29% over the last year, driven largely by coconut oils and milks to help condition hair, with conditioners growing by 50% to £3.5m and shampoos by 31% to £4.1m. Value sales of personal care products have also grown by 31%, driven by an 11% growth in liquid soaps (to £15.5k) and 7% growth in shower products (to £3.7m).

“Looking at our data, we can see that coconut as an ingredient has really been gaining in popularity since January of last year, which corresponds with figures showing that coconut-related web searches have been on the rise over the past couple of years,” comments Kaajal Bhatti, Retail Insight Manager, IRI. “I think what we’re actually seeing is something of a coconut revolution, rather than just a fad, as the gap between food and drink and health and beauty closes, suggesting that more and more people are looking to products and ingredients that look after both their internal and external health. There are a few ingredients that work well across both sectors, like lemon and aloe vera, and coconut is a great example of this.”

According to IRI sales data looking at coconut food and drink categories last year, coconut water was the standout item with value sales of £60m (52 w/e 26 March 16), followed by coconut milk with sales of £16.4 million, while coconut oil was worth more than £14 million per year.

“Although the trend started in the food and drink industry, it has quickly evolved into health and beauty showing the true versatility and popularity of the ingredient and the opportunities for both manufacturers and retailers in terms of product innovation, range optimisation and promotional campaigns. But we could see it challenged in the future by other new ingredients hitting the shelves, including charcoal, which has been creeping into a number of products like face masks.”

All HBA figures quoted are from IRI Infoscan HBA/OTC databases, All Outlets. 52 w/e 10 June 2017.

Notes for editors:

5 interesting coconut facts:

· Every bit of the coconut is used. As a result, coconuts are called the “Tree of Life” and can produce drink, fibre, food, fuel, utensils, musical instruments, and much more.

· When intra-venous (IV) solution was in short supply, doctors during World War II and Vietnam used coconut water in substitution of IV solutions.

· In the 16th century, Sir Francis Drake called coconut “nargils”, which was the common term used until the 1700s when the word coconut was established.

· It takes 11 -12 months for the coconut to mature.

· Coconut growing regions are as far north as Hawaii and as far south as Madagascar.

About IRI
IRI is a leading provider of big data, predictive analytics and forward-looking insights that help FMCG, OTC health care, retailers and media companies to grow. With the largest repository of purchase, media, social, causal and loyalty data, all integrated on an on-demand cloud-based technology platform, IRI guides over 5,000 clients globally in their quests to remain relentlessly relevant, capture market share, connect with consumers and deliver growth. www.IRIworldwide.com. Follow IRI on Twitter.

Amanda Hassall, PR Consultant
amanda@eurekacomms.co.uk
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Twitter: @mandyhassall