It's a first for this podcast to talk about green makeup, but rest assured we've been thinking about it for a long time. Behind the scenes at Formula Botanica, our R&D team is working on an organic makeup formulation course. A question we asked ourselves at the start was whether green makeup could take on mainstream colour cosmetics as a viable alternative?

The natural beauty industry has been dominated by skincare. The global colour cosmetics market size though is expected to reach $9.9 billion by 2024 - rising at a market growth of 7.6% (CAGR) between 2018-2024. No doubt, the green colour cosmetics' segment will rise on this tide too. Key growth in the colour cosmetics market is forecast to come from Asia-Pacific and Latin America, which is interesting given our podcast discussion covers also green makeup's role in inclusivity.

As we learned in conversation with our podcast panelists, consumers are demanding greater transparency on the ingredients in colour cosmetics and not just those in their skincare products.

You may have come across the much-quoted factoid that women eat about 3kg (around 7lbs) of lipstick in a lifetime. Whether fact or myth, figures like this went viral and startled beauty consumers into taking a closer look at exactly which ingredients go into their colour cosmetic products.

Meet Our Green Makeup Discussion Panel

Today, the naturals' sector is occupied with more reality checks; this time on the efficacy of green makeup. Can natural colour cosmetics offer the same palette, applications, textures and performance of mainstream makeup?

The answers to these questions lie not just in how green makeup is formulated in the lab, but also in our perceptions and expectations as consumers.

Our two expert panelists in this episode - one a green makeup entrepreneur and brand owner; the other an accomplished makeup artist and blogger - respond to the criticisms leveled at green colour cosmetics. Their own paths and stories are encouraging as they show us just how far green makeup has come in a few years. Listen in to hear also how they feel green makeup can be a force too for inclusivity in the cosmetics' industry.

Kim Roxie is the Founder & CEO of LAMIK Beauty, a clean beauty brand that caters to multicultural women. After opening her own bricks-and-mortar makeup shop at age 21, in Houston, Texas, on a $500 investment, Kim ran the store for 14 years. She was also the youngest African-American woman to have her products carried in a major department store. In 2019, Roxie pivoted her business and launched LAMIK as an e-commerce beauty company. Roxie was featured in CEW, CNBC, and MarthaStewart.com for her rapid growth since the launch of LAMIK 2.0 in March 2020.

Canadian-born Samantha Kolk, aka 'hullosam', has been a content creator in the green beauty space for over five years and has a background in makeup artistry. Her goal is to make her clients feel as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside. Sammie has hosted makeup masterclasses and other fun beauty events where she educates on the brands and ingredients being used, as well as giving makeup 101 tips. She spent most of her life with sensitivities and intolerances. Her passion for all things 'green' arose when she realised that she not only wanted to put healthy, pure and safe things in her body – but also on her body. Sammie believes that if the health of our skin is nurtured, it will help promote full health to the body and mind.

In this Podcast on Green Makeup, you will:

• Hear why our panelists believe that by swapping to green makeup, you needn't compromise on applications, colour ranges, textures and performance.
• Learn that formulating green makeup is liberating once you shift mindset and explore the exciting green, all-natural ingredients on offer.
• Discover how indie cosmetics' brands can be quicker and nimbler in responding to consumers' desire for natural, colour cosmetics as they are generally founder-led and more in touch with their customers.
• Hear how green makeup brands can lead by example and be a clear voice for inclusivity in the beauty industry.
• Hear some insightful predictions on where green makeup is going next.

Key take-aways include:

• Our panelists point out that green makeup should not be another elite segment of beauty by excluding consumers on the basis of price, culture or choice. It would be a hypocrisy to have green colour cosmetics create more exclusivity.
• Green makeup actually looks to mainstream cosmetics to push itself to innovate as it aims to create products consumers desire but to formulate them as truly high-performing green alternatives.
• Women of colour spend up to 80% more on makeup than other beauty consumer segments so it is high time that cosmetics' brands see them as regular customers, not a segment, and formulate comprehensive colour palettes.
• Consumers these days are savvy researchers and are an indie, green beauty brand's best resource.

Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica: Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher so that more people can enjoy the show. Don't forget to follow and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.