“Feeling good is looking good”: Opportunities spotted in evolving beauty-from-within market

08 Jun 2023 --- The nutricosmetics market benefits from a growing demand for products that boost overall well-being and holistic health. NutritionInsight speaks with professionals from Nexira, Bioiberica, Lubrizol Life Science and Fonterra about the opportunities in scientific evidence and technology and the importance of consumer education on product use and benefits. 

Innova Market Insights reports that beauty-from-within and skin health claims in supplements and functional nutrition product launches grew 22% from 2018 to 2022, with supplements accounting for 81% of this product group. 

“We are seeing a growing interest in holistic self-care supplements providing at the same time targeted beauty benefits and other health needs. Beauty supplements with additional health claims are gaining ground,” says Clara Fontaine, digital communication manager at Nexira. 

She shares Innova Market Insights data that supplements with skin health plus brain and mood claims increased 67% annually from 2017 to 2022. Launches with an additional digestive health claim grew 48% between 2016 and 2021, while those with an immune health claim rose 38%. 

“Consumers are becoming more skeptical of the health and wellness industry,” warns Isabel Gómez, global marketing manager at Lubrizol Life Science. “They demand products that offer maximum efficacy and scientific evidence of the claims on the pack.” 

There is a growing interest in holistic self-care supplements that provide targeted beauty benefits and health needs, says Fontaine (Image credit: Nexira).“Wellness nurtures natural beauty” 
There has been a marked shift in consumer attitudes toward skin and beauty health, explains Antonio Vendrell, marketing director at Bioiberica. 

“For example, there is the emerging belief that feeling good is equivalent to looking good or that one’s overall wellness nurtures natural beauty. As such, lifestyle-focused beauty represents a clear opportunity for brands looking to differentiate.” 

“There is a growing focus on preserving natural beauty rather than enhancing it. Consumers are therefore investing more time in self-care to support healthy aging and beauty-from-within solutions are progressively viewed as part of this.”

To cater to today’s health-conscious consumer, Vendrell suggests companies highlight added benefits on mood or stress, sleep, gut health, vitality, weight management, active lifestyle, detox or environment together with product positionings that detail the direct impact of the product – e.g., skin wellness, hair and nail strength, contouring or firming effects. 

“A critical growing area is developing products to prevent the signs of inflammation – called immuno-cosmetics,” adds Gómez. “This translates into beauty products evolving into immunity-supporting preventative wellness products that factor skin, mind, immune system and body as one holistic entity.” 

To continue developing this growing market, we expect to see more companies pairing topical products and launching them with nutricosmetics that provide science-backed solutions to consumers seeking skin benefits from the inside out. 

Gómez advises brands to bring a mindful and scientific combination of crucial micronutrients that enhance immunity with scientifically substantiated evidence. 

“Thanks to science, it has been shown that poor skin health can be a sign of a weakened immune system. Dietary deficiencies of essential nutrients such as vitamins A, B, C and E and minerals such as iron and zinc can lead to skin problems.”

Role of scientific evidence 
Fontaine explains that consumers want credible and effective products and scientific evidence to provide the confidence they need before making a purchase. 

She adds that Nexira has developed a new methodology called In-Test-Pass, which translates the benefits of bioavailable compounds for the modulation of gene expression in skin. 

This methodology on Nexira’s Hepure formulation of cloves and Immortelle revealed “an activation of gene expression for detoxification enzymes in skin contributing to the protection against pollution, cigarette smoke, UV aging and xenobiotic compounds while providing antioxidant protection for the skin.” 

A clinical study on Lubrizol Life Science’s Curcushine microcapsules found they improved overall skin appearance (Image credit: Lubrizol Life Science).Gómez believes more research is needed at the ingredient level for manufacturing beauty-from-within products, especially determining how to protect the skin from oxidative stress while reinforcing the immune system. 

“When the skin absorbs UV radiation, it leads to increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation leading to the activation of hyaluronidase, collagenase and elastase, which can further contribute to skin aging.” 

She explains that a 42-day clinical study on Lubrizol Life Science’s Curcushine microcapsules determined that the bioavailable and water-dispersible source of curcumin protected the skin from oxidative stress, decreased wrinkle area and volume, increased skin luminosity and decreased skin redness. 

At the same time, Vendrell warns that brands need to make it easier for consumers to distinguish between different nutricosmetic products. 

“Clearly labeling ingredients on packaging and supporting ingredient claims with reliable scientific evidence and valid sources reassures consumers that the product is aligned with their intentions and values.” 

Consumers look for “quick fixes” 
Ensuring that consumers keep taking a product long enough for them to see or feel benefits is one of the key challenges faced by nutricosmetic brands, explains Marshall Fong, senior global marketing manager at Fonterra. 

“Consumers in this space expect objective results they can see and are quick to move on if they don’t see those effects – with consumers often giving products up to 90 days.” 

Nutricosmetic brands need to ensure consumers take a product long enough for them to see its benefits, warns Fong. However, he sees that in other health benefit areas that people address with nutrition, they may stick with products they believe work, even if they cannot refer to tangible effects.

According to Fong, meaningfully communicating a product’s purpose and benefits for skin health in the regulatory environment of food and supplements is another critical challenge. 

Vendrell agrees that more work should be done to explain to consumers that nutricosmetics are as effective as topical ones. 

“Although a growing number of consumers are aware of the longer-term benefits associated with dietary supplementation, some are still highly focused on quick fixes. Education on beauty-from-within ingredients and their role are key to overcoming this, to ensure the category continues to expand.” 

Data-driven technology 
Technological advancements in personalized and customized beauty products, including artificial intelligence, are expected to boost the market, foresees Nexira’s Fontaine. 

“Technology enables the collection and analysis of large amounts of nutrition, lifestyle and health data. These data can be leveraged to gain insights into the effectiveness of beauty-from-within approaches, identify patterns and develop evidence-based strategies for improved outcomes.”

Vendrell from Bioiberica adds that tech-driven personalized nutrition products can help consumers reach their health goals. 

“Parallel to the emerging personalized nutrition space, the future could bring greater demand for personalized nutri-beauty products, especially given the breadth of skin concerns experienced by consumers: from psoriasis to eczema.”

There is a growing focus on preserving natural beauty rather than enhancing it, notes Vendrell (Image credit: Bioiberica).“Technological innovation in formats is also progressing,” he continues. “In coming years, we expect to see innovations come to the fore in the beauty-from-within category – such as powders, melts, dairy products and shakes.” 

New and old ingredients for skin health 
Gómez notes that Lubrizol Life Science sees a renewed interest in vitamins and minerals with well-known health-validated claims, for which she expects increased demand in new product developments. “An example of these could be vitamin C, iron and zinc which support immune health while improving external beauty.”

“There is also an increasing interest in botanical extracts such as Ayurvedic ingredients like curcumin or micro-algae extracts like astaxanthin. These ingredients are well known to have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can benefit the skin and the immune system, so they are considered promising ingredients to support the growing category of immuno-cosmetics,” she adds. 

Gómez highlights that newly emerged probiotic beauty supplements tap into the increased understanding of the importance of healthy gut microbiota on digestive, skin and immune health. 

Fong shares that Fonterra’s “Nutiani HN301TM probiotic strain was shown in a clinical trial on people with atopic dermatitis to reduce itching, dryness and redness of the skin, supporting clearer skin and smoothness.” 

Bioiberica offers a hyaluronic acid matrix ingredient for skin and beauty, Dermial, which helps to address aging skin. “The importance of hyaluronic acid to skin health can’t be overstated. As we age, levels of endogenous hyaluronic acid in our skin decrease, leading to changes that include a loss of elasticity and progressively fragile skin,” notes Vendrell. 

“We are also seeing a driven demand for products positioned around healthy aging, such as vegetable alternatives to collagen,” adds Fontaine. Nexira offers several plant-based alternatives to boost collagen that contain vitamins and minerals the body needs to produce collagen, such as acerola and purified seawater extracts. 

By Jolanda van Hal