Although it still represents a smaller market share compared to the whole cosmetics market, natural cosmetic consumption in Europe is increasing rapidly due to the high interest of consumers, who consider natural products as more safe and healthy in spite of a rigorous risk management framework in the EU for all cosmetics.

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In addition, the conventional cosmetics still use large quantities of natural ingredients, therefore its impact on demand for natural ingredients remains significant. Nevertheless, due to the economic crisis in Europe, imports of natural ingredients slightly decreased in recent years.

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However the trade in extracts did not suffer substantially. Imports of natural ingredients by main European producing countries for cosmetics (France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Spain and, increasingly, Poland) are expected to increase with the recovery of the economy.

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Market opportunities for exporters lie in innovation, performance and provenance, sustainably produced ingredients or natural fragrances that offer alternatives to synthetic ones.