Caribbean essential oil exports to the EU grew by 33% last year due to growing concerns about sustainability and ethics in personal care products, according to the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) on July 31.
Caribbean Export reported that the natural cosmetics sector is currently growing at an annual rate of 8-10% in the EU, with a growing demand for natural ingredients, particularly black castor and coconut oils.
“In 2018, Caribbean (CARICOM) countries exported essential oils valued at over €32 million to the EU, representing 8% of all imports into the region,” said Caribbean Export’s Competitiveness and Export Promotion Manager Damie Sinanan.
“We are seeing this demand increase year on year, largely due to the greater concern for sustainability and ethics on the part of European consumers.
“Companies and consumers want to be sure that what they are buying is 100% natural oil and that there are no synthetic components.”
The Caribbean had its strength in producing black castor oil, for example, which was different from castor oil, Sinanan said.
Produced primarily in Jamaica and Haiti, black castor oil was made by roasting, grinding, and cooking castor beans to extract a dark brown oil rich in vitamin E, minerals, protein, and omega 6 and omega 9 fatty acids.
Sinanan said to Cosmetics Design-Europe, on August 7, that the growing interest in men's personal hygiene was also driving demand for Caribbean essential oils.
EU demand was concentrated in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.
In Europe, the cosmetics market is valued at €77 billion (US$1.4T86 billion), making it the largest market in the world, according to Caribbean Export.
Source: OFI Magazine
