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When consumerism is a shade of green
Natural products are finding an increasing number of takers.
"RETURN TO NATURE'' is a mantra that seems to have captured the imagination of the younger generation in the city. If one were to go by the range of natural products lining the shelves of exclusive outlets and supermarkets, the concept appears to have caught on.
As customer preference shows a clear shift from synthetic to natural goods, branded items are slowly making way for locally manufactured products. Obviously, brand loyalty does not matter when it pays to be seen as a member of the Green Brigade.
With market trends indicating a preference for green goods, major manufacturing companies including multinationals are emerging with a line-up of natural products, mostly cosmetic.
Apart from the array of beauty-care products like herbal soaps, shampoos and face-packs which greet shoppers at any department store in the city, the market is flooded with a range of green foods like honey, jaggery, dried grapes, arrow-root powder and nuts. Quite a few exclusive outlets sporting ethnic names have also sprung up to cater to the demand.
Consumers aver that the craze for natural goods is driven by the heightened awareness about traditional systems of medicine and dietary habits. The resurgence of Ayurveda and nature cure is a pointer to the trend.
Many youngsters today prefer herbal bathing powders to soaps and medicinal plant extracts to chemical shampoos. Refrigerated soft drinks are also being replaced with herbal drinks in a number of health conscious families.
Customers admit that it is difficult to differentiate between a genuine natural product and one that packs a chemical punch. Most herbal products are accompanied by information leaflets listing out the herbs, extracts and natural compounds which go into its composition.
Ancient Ayurvedic texts like Sahasra Yoga and Charaka Samhita are liberally quoted. Particular care is taken to declare that chemical components are avoided. Green is the dominant colour for most brands of natural goods. For the time being, synthetic is out, `going green' is the in thing!
By Nandakumar T.
Photo: S. Gopakumar
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Life
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram
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