The aromatherapy market - Germany

1.1 Introduction

Aromatherapy refers to the use of essential oils for therapeutic purposes. It is a very large market consisting of many different products to meet the many needs of consumers. They may look for essential oils for the following main reasons:

• Body Care
• Well-being & relaxation
• Household products (to make the air pleasant).

Globally, the aromatherapy market has grown significantly in recent years. In the period from 2017 to 2020, taking into account the Covid crisis, this market grew by 8% per year. one of the reasons why this market has grown so much is cultural. People are increasingly aware of the dangers of the chemicals contained in conventional medicines and are now trying to avoid them wherever possible and replace them with natural alternatives. The global market for aromatherapy should therefore continue to grow sustainably.

In Germany, the aromatherapy market is growing at a similar rate, but somewhat slower than the global growth rate. Nevertheless, this does not represent a limitation of the market. Consumers of essential oils in Germany for aromatherapy purposes are people of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds. Younger consumers are playing an increasingly important role in this market and are more influenced by all types of advertising campaigns.

The various companies operating in this market in Germany are mainly :

• Large companies such as Primavera Life GmbH (founded in 1986).
• New companies producing sustainable and local alternatives.

Recently, it is this second type of company that has been the most successful with German consumers. They are aware of the impact of the products they consume on their health. Aromatherapy has negative effects if the oils used are of low quality. They are therefore increasingly looking for products that are better for their health. The conditions that are becoming increasingly important to German consumers are as follows:

• Organic products
• Products that can be traced.

On the other hand, aromatherapy is used to alleviate conditions that do not always require drug treatment, such as stress. Given recent studies on the mental health of people in the workplace, it is clear that the market for aromatherapy in Germany is very promising and will continue to grow for many years to come.