One way to aid increasingly busy, stressful (and toxic) lifestyles in Asia's cities? A rediscovery (and 2014 reimagining) of traditional herbal products and practices to promote health, wellness and balance. Featuring Herborist, Hyatt on the Bund, Habu and more.

1. trendwatching.com
March 2014 ASIA Trend Bulletin
HIP HERBALS
Why Asian consumers are seeking a modern twist
on herbal health and beauty.

2. DEFINITION
HIP HERBALS: Many inhabitants of Asian cities are subject
to increasingly stressful lifestyles, and ever more aware of
toxic environments. But plenty remain determined to cram
even more – productivity, fun, connection – into their daily
lives. One answer? A rediscovery (and 2014 reimagining)
of traditional herbal products and practices to promote
health, wellness and balance.
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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3. DRIVING THIS TREND:
1. Tradition reimagined
Heritage mindset meets contemporary lifestyles.
2. Cultural confidence
Local takes priority.
3. Fear factor
Awareness fuels concern fuels action.
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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4. 1
Tradition
Reimagined
Heritage mindset meets contemporary
lifestyles.
Yin and yang, chakras and Zen: Asian philosophies are inextricably
linked with harmony and balance. But many consumers fear that
contemporary urban lifestyles mean they have lost touch with these
values.
However, sophisticated urban consumers won’t stop CRAMMING
more into their lives. One result? They’re embracing tradition-inspired
products that help them restore balance and keep up the pace.
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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5. 90% of urban female consumers in China
prefer products with natural ingredients,
rising to 94% of those who earn over RMB
10,000.
- Mintel, March 2013
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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6. 2
Cultural
Confidence
Local takes priority.
Yes, affluent Asian urbanites expect endless choice. But
within this context, there is an increasing emphasis on local.
With rising affluence driving up cultural confidence, many
Asian consumers are looking to local and heritage-inspired
consumerism that eschews the wholesale import of foreign
ideals – about which they’re increasingly skeptical.
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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7. US cosmetics firm Avon reported a 67%
decline in revenue in China during Q3
2013.
- Avon, October 2013
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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8. 3
Fear Factor
Awareness fuels concern fuels action.
Scandals over environmental and food-borne toxins, and increasing
access to new, trusted, non-governmental sources of health and safety
information, are prompting many Asian consumers to re-think the
health implications of their consumption.
Little wonder then, that consumers are turning to recognized, natural
and traditional health and wellness. Just one angle on MADE
LIVABLE IN CHINA.
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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9. For 80% of Chinese and 75% of Indian
millennials, pollution is a stress
factor. Meanwhile, 79% and 70%
respectively express concern over
food safety.
- Meet the BRIC Millennials, JWT, September 2013
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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10. 90% of Chinese urban female consumers
say they are increasingly concerned
about the safety of skincare products.
- Mintel, March 2013
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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11. examples
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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12. Herborist: Cosmetics based on traditional Chinese medicine.
Based on traditional Chinese medicine, Herborist uses all natural, herbal ingredients for its line of cosmetic products aimed
at modern Chinese consumers. Available in 1,000 boutique stores across China, the brand’s design identity and packaging
strongly reflect stylized Chinese aesthetics, with yin-yang graphics and intricate brocade and jade dragon motifs.
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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13. Best Western India: Hotel partners with Ayurvedic hospital.
In April 2013, Best Western Hotels announced the launch of the Arogya Resort and Spa in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. The resort
is a tie up between the hotel chain and the AVN Arogya & Ayurvedic Hospital, and offers 21 cottages with private therapy
rooms attached for Ayurvedic medical treatments.
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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14. Sulwhasoo: Beauty products made from herb and plant extracts.
Launched in Malaysia in June 2013, Sulwhasoo products are formulated in accordance with the Korean philosophies of
Sangseng, promoting harmony between body and mind. Herbs and plants are extracted using a traditional Poje method.
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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15. ITC Grand Chola Hotel: Restaurant adheres to traditional herbal principles.
In April 2013, ITC Grand Chola hotel opened India’s first high-end vegetarian restaurant, with all seasonal dishes prepared
according to Indian herbal or Ayurvedic principles.
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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16. Coca-Cola Thailand: Soft drink infused with cooling herbs.
In Thailand in August 2013, Coca-Cola launched Habu: the brand’s first herbal beverage. The soda is intended to provide
reprieve from hot weather and fast-paced lifestyles. It’s infused with traditional cooling herbs: roselle, luo han guo, licorice
and cogon grass.
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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17. Kousoyokuen Leaf: Beauty salon offers traditional sawdust treatment.
In March 2013, Tokyo beauty salon Kousoyokuen Leaf introduced a fermented sawdust bath treatment, which replicates a
traditional practice from Hokkaido dating back to the 1940s. Participants immerse themselves in a bathtub of finely ground
sawdust made from the Yoshino cypress tree, which is then naturally heated to 40-80°C.
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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18. Channel NewsAsia: Documentary on D.I.Y herbal treatments.
During Q3 2013, Channel NewsAsia announced plans to broadcast Grow Your Own, a BBC-produced series featuring
Singaporean-born ethnobotanist James Wong. The series demonstrates how to grow and transform familiar plants into
modern, simple DIY natural remedies for your ailments. Most of the DIY remedies come from his grandmother.
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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19. Hyatt: Mooncake selection inspired by traditional Chinese medicine.
For the 2013 Mid-Autumn Festival in September, Shanghai’s Hyatt on the Bund hotel launched a mooncake selection
inspired by Chinese traditional medicine and the belief of eating the right foods during the right season. The range included
Longjing Tea for spring and Green Tea with Hazelnut for summer.
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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20. NEXT
Brands seeking to tap into the HIP HERBALS trend must keep
in mind a paradox increasingly typical of Asian consumerism:
rising interest and engagement in tradition on the one hand, and
an ongoing desire to CRAM more into contemporary lifestyles
on the other.
So think:
• Time: Consumers who want to re-engage with tradition
will often bring an instant gratification mindset, and want
products and services that fit seamlessly into lives as they are
lived now.
• Transparency: Simply saying ‘natural’ or ‘traditional’ isn’t
enough. Where it is from, what is in it, how it was made?
Consumers will expect to know everything.
• Taste: An emphasis on tradition doesn’t mean lower
expectations when it comes to product finish, packaging
design, customer experience, and more.
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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21. apply
Whatever your industry, sector or brand, how are Asia’s paradoxical
(tradition-engaged, CRAMMING obsessed) consumers reimagining
your offering?
To help arrive at the answers, try unpacking the HIP HERBALS trend
using our Consumer Trend Canvas tool:
www.trendwatching.com/trends/consumertrendcanvas
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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22. CONSUMER
TREND CANVAS
TREND:
1 . ANAL YZE
Basic Needs
Which deep consumer needs & desires does this trend address?
2. A P PL Y
Drivers of Change
Innovation Potential
Why is this trend emerging now? What’s changing?
Shifts: Long-term, widespread macro changes
How and where could you apply this trend to your business?
Triggers: Recent, short-term changes or technologies
Emerging Consumer
Expectations
Who
Inspiration
What new consumer needs, wants and expectations are created by the changes identified above?
Where and how does this trend satisfy them?
How are other businesses applying this trend?
Which (new) customer groups could you
apply this trend to? What would you have
to change?
Download a blank worksheet at trendwatchingpremium.com
www.trendwatching.com/asiapacific/trends/hipherbals
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