It starts with perception.
A clean label means natural. It means made with healthy ingredients, fewer ingredients and ingredients consumers can understand. In fact, according to
FMCG Gurus, in 2023:
· 41% of consumers had heard of the phrase ‘clean label’
· 75% of consumers thought clean label meant natural
· 78% of consumers liked the idea of clean-label products once it was defined
· 63% considered natural products as free from artificial ingredients and additives
· 57% considered natural products as environmentally friendly products
· 65% considered natural products to be products free from synthetic ingredients and non-GMO (genetically modified)
While we agree that all of these factors are great in principle, they might not always be possible or right depending on what the product is.
As such, a clean label should be a non-binary premise. Simply put, a clean label is about giving consumers choices, which forces brands to make the ‘cleanest’ products possible. This isn’t an easy task for brands as consumers expect more from a clean label. It requires proof and authority.
In a world where advertising is so decentralised; there are more products on the market than ever before, and consumers want health autonomy and to minimise their environmental footprint. Just saying you're a clean and sustainable brand doesn't cut the mustard — you now have to prove it.
Brands getting it right
A great example of a brand positioning itself as a ‘clean’ brand is Ora Organic, starting with its unique value proposition: "We make supplements that are undeniably clean— so that you and your family can trust you're getting the highest-quality nutritional products on the market”.
Real Superfoods plays the game of "fewer and simpler is better" Even the basic explanations applied to each ingredient and its associated health benefits underpin its approach to naturalness.
But a clean label is more than ingredients.
There are animal welfare aspects to consider, including sourcing organic ingredients; manufacturing products in an environmentally friendly way; using compostable or recycled packaging, and for animal products, including information on the welfare of the animal sources.
- Does the label say non-GMO; wild-caught salmon; grass-fed beef and free-range chicken?
- Does the label say organic; made from recycled materials and no single-use plastics?
A lot goes into a clean label and the more people learn and care about it — and clean label consumers do care — the more they will want proof that the clean label is what it says on the tin.
Drink Iconic is an animal welfare-approved brand that makes a point of explaining what "truly grass-fed" cows mean:
"happy cows that feed on pasture over 95% of the year, with plenty of room to roam.”
Drink Iconic doesn’t stop at its definition of grass-fed but includes blogs explaining what it means to be animal welfare-approved and the benefits of grass-fed dairy products for health.
Then there is the environment
Clean labels are synonymous with sourcing organic ingredients; manufacturing in an environmentally friendly way; using compostable or recycled packaging, and for animal products, including information on the welfare of the animal sources.
Clean-label goes hand-in-hand with sustainability, and we see brands pioneering clean-label products also taking sustainability seriously. Good brand examples come from Wild Nutrition and Vitable.
Last but not least, first impressions are everything
For instance, if your product is making all of the right clean label claims, but it’s packaged in copious amounts of single-use plastic, people aren’t going to take your claims seriously.
Whereas, if your packaging is made of recycled materials and contains a label stating this before consumers even open the packaging, they’ve taken your clean label claims seriously.
Summary
There’s a feeling of trust associated with a clean label. As well as an increased perception of authenticity.
As we previously mentioned, a clean label should be a non-binary premise. It’s about giving consumers autonomy, and it forces brands to do more. But we must also understand that brands can’t make every aspect of a clean label a possibility. Clean label products can’t always be affordable and brands can’t get everything right all the time.
A clean label means being held to a higher standard. But exactly which standards we’re talking about is up for debate as there are currently no standards–at least regulatory standards–to hold brands accountable to.
Consumers need choice, correct. Brands must be accountable, right. But if a brand is–hand on heart–trying to do better and give consumers the best product possible…we’ll let you decide if that’s enough.
