The secret is out. People want to buy products that won’t harm their health. Today we released What Shoppers Want: Safe & Healthy Products, a survey we conducted with our partners at Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families. The results are a big signal to companies and retailers everywhere: Shoppers surveyed prioritize the health & safety of a product and products being “free of certain toxic chemicals” over environmental impact, performance, and even price.
But with confusing ingredient lists and rampant greenwashing, myriad articles and sources cite that people struggle over how to buy better when it comes to avoiding toxic chemicals in consumer products, including NPR, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal.
So where do they turn? Our results show that a whopping 93% of people surveyed are more likely to buy products with independent third-party seals of approval. People trust certifications to guide their buying decisions.
As the first and only human health-focused nontoxic certification to apply to products across store aisles, we’re proud that the MADE SAFE seal is a clear signal to shoppers that products are made with safe ingredients to use on their bodies, with their families, and in their homes.
Why is this significant? We have an enormous amount of economic power. Companies watch what we’re buying, and they make changes to their products based on demand. Signals like the MADE SAFE seal help shoppers buy by their most important value—their health—which rewards the companies making safer products and ultimately drives the market away from toxic chemicals.
Imagine a world where every product on the shelf is made without chemicals linked to cancer, fertility problems, learning disabilities, and other serious health problems. Our survey results show that we can get there—if shoppers know which products to buy.
Retailers also play a big role in helping us get to this vision of a nontoxic world, and our economic power applies there in a big way, too. What Shoppers Want reveals that 84% of people are much more likely to shop from retailers that have taken steps to eliminate toxics from products they sell, and 14% are more likely. That’s a grand total of 98% of people surveyed who prioritize shopping from stores that have committed to protecting their health by stocking healthier products.
The bottom line is that we are using our economic power to drive change for the healthier. The natural, organic, and safer products market space has grown exponentially in recent years, thanks to consumer demand. Our results show that the vision for a nontoxic world is in reach—if companies and retailers respond to what shoppers want.
Download the fact sheets below for more key findings.
Find MADE SAFE certified products here. If your favorite brands aren’t on this list, let them know you want them to be!
Learn more about Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families’ Mind the Store campaign.