"All natural ingredients" are gimmicks
Experts recommend choosing pet detergents carefully
□ Liu Yuan, an intern reporter of this newspaper
Bathing your pet, if you prefer the latter among ordinary detergents and products marked with "all natural ingredients", it is likely to pay an "IQ tax". "Products with slogans like 'all natural ingredients' and 'no chemicals' are manufacturer gimmicks." Senior industry experts recently said in an interview that consumers should be careful to identify the exaggerated propaganda of manufacturers when purchasing and using pet detergents.
The current product line in the field of pet detergents is very rich, covering pet body cleaning (such as shampoo, deodorant, etc.), environmental cleaning (disinfection spray, cat litter deodorization, etc.), supplies cleaning (food utensils/ clothing / bedding special detergents) and so on. The reporter searched for "pet bath liquid" on the e-commerce platform and found that most of the products on the market are currently advertised with keywords such as "natural ingredients", "no irritation", "suitable for pet sensitive skin" and so on. According to the data released by Mintel, in the global market pet shampoo product promotion concept in 2021, the products that claim to be "plant-derived" are the most, accounting for 45.61%; followed by products with the keyword "neutral formula", accounting for 26.32%.
It is not difficult to see that "natural ingredients" and "no stimulation" have become the selling points of many merchants. According to iResearch data, the consumption scale of the pet products market in 2020 reached 28.1 billion yuan, accounting for 13.6%, an increase of 1.9% over the consumption structure in 2019. Forum data show that last year, China's cat, dog beauty cleaning products online sales reached 4.87 billion yuan, beauty cleaning products three-level fine classification of 6 items such as shampoo bath liquid, perfume deodorant, etc., each item has 3-4 different types, if classified by function up to more than 30 kinds.
In fact, in the market, consumers are also keen on products that contain words such as "natural", "mild", "suitable for sensitive skin of pets", and products with the core design concept of "safe and gentle" and "multi-functional" have become the primary factors for consumers to consider. The "2020 China Pet Industry White Paper" shows that in the ranking of consumer decision-making factors for pet shampoo bath liquid products, "whether the ingredients are mild" is the main factor affecting consumer decision-making, accounting for 37%; followed by focusing on product functionality, such as sterilization and whitening, accounting for 27.9%. In addition, the factors influencing consumers' decision-making are the type of fragrance and fragrance, brand awareness, and cost performance.
So can pet detergents really be "all natural ingredients"?
Experts said in an interview: "'Pure natural ingredients' is an irresponsible statement of the business, just like 'no chemicals', some flavors or individual additives can be pure natural extraction, the main washing raw materials are made by natural sources through chemical processes, can only be regarded as 'natural sources', in the purchase process also need consumers to be careful to identify." ”
On the other hand, at the current level of technology, the two product characteristics of "pure natural ingredients" and "long shelf life" are incompatible. In general, products with pure natural ingredients tend to have a short shelf life, while the average shelf life of common pet detergents on the market is in years.
For how to scientifically choose pet detergents, experts give several suggestions for consumers' reference. First of all, pet washing products with mild ingredients and subdivisions of cleaning and nursing functions and professional functions should be selected for different ages, breeds and colors of pets. For pet washing products with some professional functions, they can be selected according to the relevant formula table and instructions in combination with veterinary recommendations. Secondly, consumers are best to choose well-known brands or brands that have been precipitated in the market for many years. Then, consumers should be careful to distinguish between the exaggerated propaganda of the manufacturer, and do not be confused by the manufacturer's gimmick "pure natural ingredients" and "do not contain any chemicals" slogans. Finally, the correct way of washing is also very important. Consumers should use and store washing products correctly according to the instructions to avoid the harm caused by excessive cleaning to pets.
At the same time, from a professional point of view, whether it contains "natural ingredients" is not a measure of the quality of pet detergents. Shi Shuai, Head of the Asia Pacific Care Chemicals Strategic Project of Evonik Specialty Chemicals (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., pointed out at the inaugural meeting of the Pet Cleaning and Care Branch of the China Washing Association and the Pet Cleaning and Care Development Forum that the natural source of the product, the safe and gentle formula and even the production process are very important to the environment, and a single "natural source" cannot guarantee product safety. A truly good pet wash product should follow the principles of formulating formulations that use high-quality ingredients, have a pH that is appropriate for the surface of the animal's skin, contain soothing and anti-irritating agents, and even actively or passively strengthen the skin barrier.