Beauty-from-within: Innovations in collagen, probiotics, and botanicals

Nutrition experts recommend brands develop beauty-from-within solutions in convenient delivery formats to stand out in the booming nutricosmetics market. Health-conscious consumers are increasingly interested in natural and environmentally sustainable solutions but demand proof of products’ efficacy.

Nutrition Insight discusses ingestible beauty ingredients, science, and formats with Lubrizol Life Science, Rousselot, Balchem, and ADM. 

Isabel Gómez, global marketing manager, Nutraceuticals at Lubrizol Life Science, says that brands can drive sales, diversify revenue streams, and grow market share in the ingestible beauty market by “building trust through the development of innovative beauty supplements that deliver proven results, particularly with minerals, vitamins, botanicals, and pre/pro/postbiotic ingredients.” 

In addition to developing robust, reliable scientific evidence to foster consumer confidence, Gaëtan Noiret, global director of Health & Nutrition at Rousselot, says that seamless ingredient integration is vital for nutrition and supplement manufacturers. This will help them create convenient delivery formats, which are increasingly popular among consumers. 

“Versatility helps brands quickly meet consumer demand with diverse, appealing product formats.”

“Ingredients such as Peptan collagen peptides, renowned for their excellent sensory properties and superior solubility, simplify formulation and enable effortless incorporation into a variety of formats, including capsules — the leading delivery format for beauty-from-within supplements — powders, bars, beverages, and even gummies.” 

Validated ingredients

Gómez notes a renewed interest in vitamins and minerals with well-known, health-validated claims and expects increased demand for new product development with these ingredients. 

“Examples include vitamin C, iron, and zinc, which support immune health while enhancing external beauty. There is also growing interest in botanical extracts, such as Ayurvedic ingredients like curcumin, known to have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can benefit the skin, among other health benefits.” 

In addition, Gómez points to the emergence of probiotic beauty supplements, capitalizing on the growing understanding of the importance of healthy gut microbiota for digestive and skin health. 

Gómez expects an increased product development using ingredients with well-known, health-validated claims.Jessica Arnaly, senior marketing and business development manager at Balchem Human Nutrition & Health, adds that “skinification” drives an ingredient-driven approach to beauty. “Skinification is the incorporation of ingredients trends, benefits, and claims originating from facial care across the wider beauty and personal care industry.” 

She says collagen, vitamin C, and vitamin E are popular ingestible beauty ingredients that promote skin elasticity, brighten skin and protect against oxidative stress. 

“Carotenoids and fatty acids are also gaining popularity for their anti-inflammatory and skin-nourishing properties. Additionally, biotin is celebrated for its benefits in strengthening hair and nails, while hyaluronic acid is prized for its hydrating effects, enhancing skin moisture from within.” 

“These ingredients collectively highlight the industry’s shift toward comprehensive beauty care that works from the inside out,” she says. 

Convenient delivery formats

The experts note the importance of offering convenient, ingestible beauty options that consumers can integrate into their daily routines. Vaughn DuBow, ADM’s senior director of Product Portfolio Marketing in Health and Wellness, highlights gummies, snack clusters, and beverages with biotics and botanical extracts as emerging formats. 

“Ingestible beauty products are challenged by harsh formulation environments, and many functional ingredients may degrade during processing or lose potency over time. Resilient solutions like spore-forming probiotics and postbiotics, as well as quality botanical extracts, can solve these challenges,” says DuBow.

“Leveraging sophisticated extraction technologies to mitigate off-notes from functional ingredients like botanicals, alongside flavor modulation technologies and bold flavors like citrus, can improve the sensory appeal of ingestible beauty applications,” he adds. 

Meanwhile, Balchem developed protein-focused ingredients to meet consumer demand for convenient functional food options. DuBow points to gummies, snack clusters, and beverages with biotics and extracts as emerging formats (Image credit: ADM).

“One notable product line is Z-Crisps, a range of protein-centric crisps designed to enhance the nutritional profile and texture of various food applications,” details Arnaly. 

She adds that Balchem expanded on this innovation by introducing a portfolio of collagen crisps, addressing the sensory and health-related preferences of health-conscious consumers. 

“These crisps combine pea protein and collagen, creating a formulation ideal for multifunctional, high-protein snack bars. In addition to their textural appeal, including collagen offers added skin health benefits, appealing to consumers seeking functional foods that support overall wellness.” 

Sustainable sourcing

Experts note that natural and environmentally sustainable options are becoming increasingly important for beauty shoppers. 

Rousselot’s Noiret says that consumers’ interest in natural and responsible solutions translates into a strong preference for natural beauty ingredients with practices aligning with the circular economy and responsible sourcing. 

“Consumers seek products that provide full transparency on ingredient origins, ethical manufacturing processes, and overall environmental impact,” says Noiret.

Noiret says consumers look for supplements with transparency on ingredient origins, ethical manufacturing, and environmental impact.He says that sustainability presents a significant challenge. “Certification and transparency in sourcing and production are crucial for brands to meet consumer expectations.”

“Collagen sources that align with sustainable practices gain traction in this competitive landscape. For instance, Rousselot’s Friend Of the Sea-certified collagens cater to eco-conscious consumers.” 

DuBow from ADM adds that products promoting environmental sustainability and conscientious claims with familiar ingredient lists will likely attract consumers to the ingestible beauty segment. 

“When crafting gummies, stick packs and sparkling waters targeting skin care support, beauty brands should lean on recognizable plant-based ingredients and botanical extracts. Consumers want highly sought-after solutions like vitamins C, D, and E from ‘closer-to-nature’ sources,” says DuBow.

He highlights that botanicals, plant extracts, and other naturally derived ingredients can support short- and long-term skin health while addressing clean label demands. 

“For example, natural sources of vitamins, such as our Novatol plant-derived vitamin E and vitamin C-containing acerola powder, can elevate ingestible beauty products tailored to support healthy aging. Vitamin C and E can contribute to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.”