Beauty-from-within shifts to holistic health with focus on gut-skin axis and immunocosmetics

09 Jun 2022 --- The beauty-from-within innovation is expanding to encompass new outcomes, with consumers linking good skin and aspects of overall health. NutritionInsight speaks with industry experts who evidence that wellness and skin care are converging, while immune-enhancing cosmetics such as immunocosmetics are in the spotlight.

“Globally, many consumers are closely considering how different aspects of their physical and emotional well-being, including their sleep hygiene, stress levels and what they’re eating throughout the day, may impact their skin health,” details Vaughn DuBow, global director of marketing, Microbiome Solutions, ADM.

“Beauty-from-within products provide a more holistic beauty solution than topical cosmetic products,” echoes Rajwant Kaur Gill, marketing executive at Gencor.

“The concept of ‘your skin is a reflection of your inner health’ has been taken more seriously in recent years. Across the globe, 66% of consumers recognize the link between inner health and appearance,” she details.

She explains that beauty-from-within products is closely tied to the gut-brain-skin axis, focusing on internal areas of the body that affect skin physiology.

“While cosmetic products target specific areas of the skin, beauty-from-within products work deeper than the epidermis layer of our skin, targeting mood, stress, cognitive function, immune health and overall well-being.”

Immune health and immunocosmetics
The beauty-from-within space is now seeing a shift toward immune-enhancing ingredients as consumers look to protect themselves against future outbreaks of COVID-19, reveals Isabel Gómez, global marketing manager, nutraceutical ingredients at Lubrizol Life Science, Health.

“These ingredients can provide benefits for the skin and the immune system, so they are considered promising ingredients to support the growing category of immunocosmetics.”

Gelita also gives more insight into ingredients that promote beauty and overall health.

“Cosmetics are applied from the outside and intend to provide decorative effects but are not influencing body metabolism or providing any health benefits,” says Oliver Wolf, global marketing and communication at Gelita. 

Consumers’ concerns have evolved from maintaining the skin’s appearance to promoting the skin’s health beyond the epidermis.“On the other hand, beauty-from-within products or nutricosmetics such as bioactive collagen peptides interact with the body and deliver certain health benefits.”

Gencor places emphasis on preventative care, noting that there is “no barrier between skin health, mental health and immune health”.

Tackling inflammation with immunocosmetics
According to Lubrizol Life Science, an important growing area is developing products to prevent the signs of “inflammaging” – a chronic inflammation that develops with advanced age – with immunocosmetics.

“This translates into beauty products evolving into immunity-supporting preventative wellness products – that factor skin, mind, immune system and body as one holistic entity,” says Gómez.

“This is one of the biggest areas of promise for the beauty industry. I expect more ingredients with anti-inflammatory and skin-immune supporting properties to be included in new product launches.”

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

Suitable for the skin and gut
Probiotic beauty supplements have emerged and tap into the increased understanding of the importance of healthy gut microbiota on digestive health and skin and immune health, too, details Gómez.

“Consumers understand more about the correlation between the gut microbiome and skin health as well as mental health,” says Gill. “The nutraceuticals industry has penetrated the cosmetics world as interest in the gut-brain-skin axis gains traction.”

“There is increasing prominence of ‘microbiome’ descriptors, featuring probiotic ingredients, on health and beauty products,” says Jaume Reguant, healthcare director at Bioiberica.

Targeting this outcome, skincare solutions provider Dermala extended its product range to include a second microbiome-powered line of topical and oral products for eczema-prone skin. The new line features “rebalancing” products formulated with microbiome-derived prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics.

Healthy aging and new consumer groups
As the beauty-from-within space welcomes new consumers, specific trends are beginning to take hold. Healthy aging, in particular, is exploding in the beauty-from-within area, DuBow explains.

“Consumers are concerned about preventing wrinkles and dark spots and they’re beginning to look for ways to support this in combination with topical care,” he comments. 

The classic beauty-conscious consumer is changing as male consumers enter the space.“In fact, 40% of global consumers say they’re regularly seeking out supplements, foods and drinks that can support skin health and aspects related to skin aging and may be able to protect from UV damage.”

Gencor notes that there is a shift from the “anti-aging” product positioning to “healthy aging” in advocacy of beauty at every age.

“As people embrace aging as a natural part of life, we see a shift in preference for healthy aging products over anti-aging,” says Gill.

“There is more popularity and demand for clinically backed ingredients for healthy aging solutions. Interestingly, this applies to both men and women. Men’s adoption of personal care and beauty use have already started to take off, providing more avenues for growth in that market.”

Bioiberica supports this: “While they represent a relatively small proportion of the market, men are increasingly conscious of their skin health. In line with this, we expect demand for nutricosmetics amongst male demographics to gain traction,” says Reguant.

“Further target groups like men tend to evolve and require new different product concepts,” adds Wolf.

Delivery formats expand into coffee and tea
The beverage sector is especially ripe for opportunity, with coffee and tea, bottled water, soft drinks, juices and dairy products as the top categories that consumers would like to see highlight attributes associated with skin health support, details DuBow.

“Beverages, including ready-to-drink formats, help meet consumers’ desires for on-the-go convenience,” he adds. “In addition to foods and drinks, dietary supplements, such as gummies, chewables, tablets and stick packs, with targeted attributes are beginning to captivate beauty-from-within consumers.”

Isabel Gómez, global marketing manager, Nutraceutical Ingredients at Lubrizol Life Science, Health.Gill at Gencor adds: “To minimize time-consuming skincare routines and excessive pill intake, consumers are now looking for clinically proven ‘one-stop solution’ for their health and beauty needs.”

“In coming years, we expect to see powders, soft chews, melts, chewables and lozenges coming to the fore as well,” says Reguant.

Potential applications for the beauty-from-within range from collagen water and concentrated ready-to-drink liquid shots to tablets and flavored powder mixes, explains Wolf.

“Even coffee and chocolate can be enriched with natural collagen peptides, allowing for beauty care with a touch of great-tasting indulgence,” he continues. 

“Another interesting area with growth potential is combo products, where collagen peptides are included with other active ingredients, such as vitamins and minerals for multiple benefits.”

Hyaluronic acid, vitamins and collagen
Data reveals that hyaluronic acid and collagen are fast outpacing other vitamins and minerals when it comes to NPD, says Reguant at Bioiberica.

“Hyaluronic acid was the fastest-growing nutraceutical and functional ingredient for skin and beauty products – new launches containing it grew by over 60% between 2015 and 2019.”

Coffee and chocolate can be enriched with natural collagen peptides, allowing for beauty care with a touch of indulgence.“Collagen and vitamins C and D continue to hold consumer attention for their array of perceived attributes, including reducing sun damage and slowing early skin aging,” explains DuBow at ADM. 

“In addition to collagen and vitamins C and D, the top ingredients consumers are most likely to associate with supporting skin health are probiotics and calcium.”

Future outlook: Clear messaging, regulations, traceability
In the case of ingestible products, still more research about the role of nutrients in skin appearance needs to be done, notes Gómez at Lubrizol.

“From the marketing standpoint, there need to be clear educational messages so that the consumers gain awareness, build trust and get familiarized with the products. Also, more work needs to be done around regulating these products.”

Consumers are gravitating toward natural solutions and are increasingly demanding clean, natural, botanical ingredients, including information about processing techniques, sourcing and clinical evidence on health benefits, Gómez explains.

“Following this trend, manufacturers serving the beauty-from-within market space must cater to the growing trend of consumers preferring natural products by including botanical ingredients to deliver naturalness in combination with efficacy in the products.”

It’s essential that consumers readily understand scientific claims and on-pack messaging notes Reguant.

“With this, regulatory testing and labeling standards can be equally troublesome for brands – since lines between F&B products and drugs are becoming increasingly blurred.”

Beauty-from-within brands that transparently communicate how and where their ingredients are grown or sourced and incorporate those that consumers are already familiar with will find success with conscientious consumers, DuBow concludes.

By Nicole Kerr