Cosmetic Products and Fair Trade: An Analysis on Cosmetic Certifications and Product Ingredients.

Abstract

Starting with an overview of the European cosmetic industry this thesis spaces through the mandatory certifications required by cosmetic products then moves to fair trade certifications. The focus is to compare fair trade products with non - fair trade products in order to understand why they are not as successful in the market. The analysis is based on a survey and on the comparison of the ingredients of the products under study. The focus of the survey is to understand what consumers are looking for in a cosmetic product and if fair trade products better respond to consumer needs. The object of the ingredient comparison is to understand, if products with fair trade certifications are of a better quality than those without it and why consumers seem to not prefer them.