Boosting beauty-from-within: Unlocking NPD with science and gut-skin axis

22 Jan 2024 --- Amid a growing ingestible beauty market, industry experts underscore the continued importance of scientific support in product development. Demand for holistic health is further driving new product development (NPD) in the nutricosmetics market, as is a growing interest in the gut-skin axis.

Nutrition Insight meets up with Rousselot, Bioiberica, Monteloeder, Gencor, ADM and Lubrizol Life Science and Health Ingredients to discuss what drives the growing beauty-from-within market and opportunities for new ingredients and product development. 

“The key trend to watch is the blurring of the lines between beauty, health and wellness in the minds of consumers. We can see this in the incredible rise of nutricosmetics over the past five years, from relatively niche products to a must-have addition to daily beauty routines,” says Florencia Moreno Torres, health and nutrition global business development manager at Rousselot. 

To meet consumer preferences and stay ahead of the competition, Antonio Vendrell, marketing director at Bioiberica, advises nutricosmetic product developers to consider whether their product or its constituent ingredients are science-backed with proven benefits. 

“Can the benefits be delivered in a low dosage, making it more convenient for consumers? Has the product been designed in an innovative delivery format — like liquid supplements, gummies or functional food — to appeal to evolving needs and preferences? Is the solution aligned with sustainable and ethical practices, which consumers increasingly consider important?” 

“Beauty-from-within innovators could even go one step further and develop advanced formulations that combine multiple ingredients for a more comprehensive effect, tapping into the holistic health trend.” 

Nutricosmetic market growth 
Mariana Ortega, product manager in the Nutra Division of Monteloeder, explains that several factors drive the growth of the ingestible beauty market, such as changing routines, evolving lifestyles, increased health awareness, skin and lifestyle diseases and a rising health-conscious population. 

“Ongoing research focuses on natural and herbal skin care products, alongside personalized nutritional beauty supplements.” 

The COVID-19 outbreak also positively impacted the ingestible beauty market, continues Ortega. “Heightened consumer awareness about personal care and the link between nutrition and physical appearance increased demand for natural and clean label products, creating growth opportunities.” 

A blend of ancient wisdom, such as TCM, and modern science appeals to consumers seeking holistic approaches to beauty.Maggie McNamara, marketing director at Gencor, highlights: “Traditional medicinal practices, such as Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), have long emphasized the connection between internal health and external beauty. This knowledge is now gaining recognition in the nutricosmetics market.” 

“This blend of ancient wisdom and modern science appeals to consumers seeking natural and holistic approaches to beauty. In geographies like Asia, ‘beauty-from-within’ foods, beverages and supplements that improve physical appearance have been popular for some time.” 

“We see more interest in efficacious plant-based hair and skin products that offer sustainable and transparent practices. I believe these factors will continue to be top of mind for consumers when shopping for beauty products and eventually will move from a ‘trend’ to becoming the norm.”

Gut-skin axis 
According to Paula Limena, VP of global marketing, health and wellness at ADM, consumers increasingly associate probiotics or probiotic cultures with supporting skin health. 

“This comes when there is a growing body of research around the gut-skin axis, demonstrating the connection between the skin microbiome and the gut microbiome. We are seeing a heightened focus on ingestible beauty products that spotlight biotics, and we anticipate this will only continue to grow as more research is conducted. New solutions come to the forefront.” 

She adds that ADM is continually researching new microbial strains to meet wellness goals in convenient, ingestible formats, which are essential aspects of supporting what’s next in upcoming beauty solutions. The company’s probiotic blends — AD blend and Smooth Skin blend — show the potential to support different aspects of skin health. 

“The AD blend may help support dry, itchy skin, clear skin and skin vitality, while the Smooth Skin blend may support overall skin health and clear skin.”

“As we look ahead, we see a greater focus on the skin microbiome, the second largest microbiota ecosystem after the gut. Microbiome-supporting solutions will be critical to meeting the evolving demands from consumers for innovative and ingestible skin care solutions. As more prebiotic, probiotic, postbiotic and enzyme solutions are developed, we’ll see expanded offerings that provide a personalized approach to meet consumers’ unique skin care needs.” 

There is a growing interest in probiotics and research into the gut-skin axis — the link between gut and skin microbiomes.New and traditional ingredients 
Isabel Gómez, global marketing manager of nutraceutical ingredients at Lubrizol Life Science and Health Ingredients, observes a renewed interest in vitamins and minerals with well-known health-validated claims. She expects an increased demand for these ingredients 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 among other health benefits.”

At the same time, she underscores more research is needed on an ingredient level. “Scientific evidence on ingredients to protect skin from oxidative stress while reinforcing the immune system is significant to consider in manufacturing beauty products, especially when targeting immunity.” 

She explains that when the skin absorbs UV radiation, it increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, activating hyaluronidase, collagenase and elastase, which can further contribute to skin aging. 

Moreover, Gómez notes that science has shown that poor skin health can signify 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.

As the holistic health market mindset takes off, Bioibercia’s Vendrell asserts that multi-functional solutions that deliver numerous benefits are becoming attractive. 

“In supplement ingredients, there are many appealing options — from collagen and hyaluronic acid (HA) to antioxidants, probiotics, vitamins E and C. While navigating the many choices available can perplex consumers and formulators, one thing is certain — consumers seek novelty, hard evidence and efficacy.” 

New ingredients need to be well-defined, effective and supported by scientific evidence through clinical studies.Bioiberica’s Dermial, a HA matrix ingredient, consists of “three naturally occurring components — a high concentration of hyaluronic acid, other glycosaminoglycans and collagen — which work in synergy to bring regenerative, antioxidant and moisturizing properties to the skin,” he details.

“It increases type I collagen synthesis, which supports maintaining the skin’s structure, moisture content and dermis thickness,” Vendrell continues. “The HA matrix ingredient is also effective at a low dosage of only 60 mg/day, permitting flexible formulation of nutricosmetic solutions.” 

Product development  
New ingredients need to be well-defined and proven effective, emphasizes Gómez. “Bringing clear scientific evidence supported by clinical studies remains one of the biggest challenges to building consumer trust.” 

In addition, some ingredients require an innovative delivery system to tackle challenges, such as off-taste, stability issues, or poor dispersibility. She adds that the consumer user experience “has never been more present and demanded.” 

“Forms delivering full sensory potential are on the rise, first and foremost, liquids. In that regard, microencapsulation technology can overcome some challenges, providing benefits to ingredients like increased stability and enhanced absorption while making them compatible with most on-the-go innovative nutraceutical applications.”

Vendrell adds that consumer education is pivotal to success, as ingestible consumers are savvy and skeptical, with high expectations. 

“First, it’s important to educate consumers about the concept of beauty-from-within – emphasizing the connection between internal health and external appearance and challenging perceptions that topical solutions are the only answer.” 

“After this, establishing and communicating the scientific evidence supporting products (and thus their effectiveness) is vital for building trust and addressing potential barriers to purchase.” 

He concludes that brands must communicate that supplementation via nutricosmetics isn’t just a quick fix — “it requires consistent, long-term use (from weeks to months) to yield noticeable benefits.” 

By Jolanda van Hal