The perception of naturalness

Understanding naturalness: what it is and why it matters

When it comes to naturalness, there is a difference between the concept in literal terms and how it’s perceived by consumers.

People may talk about trends and claims that encompass naturalness, such as clean label, non-GMO, grass-fed, sustainable, organic, vegan and no artificial ingredients. But when it comes to it, naturalness means different things to different people.

What defines naturalness for today’s consumers? 

Some people think a no-sugar claim means natural while for others, naturalness must include as many of the claims mentioned above as possible.

Because of these perceptual differences, naturalness is a broad concept. There’s an overarching theme for naturalness, but it becomes quite nuanced at a brand level and — more importantly — at a consumer perception level.

These nuances mean that brands creating ‘natural’ products don’t actually need to be 100% natural. Instead, they can home in on one or two claims that fall into the naturalness category. For example, a bovine collagen can be grass-fed; a marine collagen can be wild-caught; a protein powder can be plant-based; or an energy bar can use maple syrup instead of artificial sweeteners.

Grass-fed: a unique claim in the naturalness debate

Speaking of grass-fed as a natural claim, this is a tricky one when it comes to naturalness as some people may not think that grass-fed means natural because it relates to cows instead of vegan alternatives. For others however, and especially in the US, grass-fed is a reflection of cows being treated better; being fed from a natural source, and not being pumped full of steroids and hormones. So, in this context, grass-fed certainly fits the bill for being a natural claim.

Again, it depends on what you perceive natural to be.

Finding balance with consumer expectations

Our hunch is that, for the people who want products to be 100% natural, most brands aren’t going to cut the mustard. But overall, we think that the majority of people appreciate that it’s a hard thing for brands to go all in on naturalness unless that is what the brand stands for to begin with. For this group of consumers, they’ll be happy with products that include some natural aspects in the processing, manufacturing and ingredients. 

If brands can at least tick some of the ‘naturalness’ boxes, that’s a good thing, and we think most consumers understand this. And for the consumers who want 100% natural, there are brands out there.

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