Gummies and functional foods for beauty: Experts discuss trending applications and delivery formats

23 Jun 2021 --- Functional foods, gummies, powders and tablet delivery formats are trending within the beauty supplements space. NutritionInsight continues its conversation with experts from ADM, Rousselot, Gelita, Evolva and Lubrizol Life Science, who discuss popular NPD formats and potential synergies of supplements with topical applications. 

“A lot of people are struggling with ‘pill-fatigue’ and others are having a harder time with traditional formats,” says Florencia Moreno, market analyst, Rousselot Health & Nutrition.

“We are noticing that many tend to opt for functional gummies with key properties like easy to swallow, tasty and generally a more pleasurable way to consume supplements thanks to their shape, texture and flavor possibilities,” she adds.

Isabel Gómez, global marketing manager, nutraceutical ingredients for Lubrizol Life Science, says that although traditional capsules continue to lead the market, new formats are being created to make supplements more conveniently consumed. 

“However, to successfully manufacture nutraceuticals in any of these delivery formats, the stability of the ingredients must be considered. Microencapsulated ingredients are compatible with most trending nutraceutical applications,” she notes.

Enjoyable delivery
Today’s dietary supplement consumers prefer capsule or tablet formats, with 66 percent of consumers saying they use them, says June Lin, global vice president of Marketing, Health & Wellness at ADM.

Consumers are struggling with pill-fatique and others are having a harder time with traditional formats, so gummies and jellies are proliferating.

However, new and innovative formats are also seeing increased attention. Already, 27 percent of consumers are using jellies or gummies and 22 percent are using chewable formats, Lin adds.

“As consumer preferences for dietary supplement formats change, the constant is in their need for products deemed affordable, high in sensory appeal and formulated with ingredients that they find to be the best for meeting their specific requirements.”

“The strongest growth for any delivery form in the last years is chewables. like functional gummies. They are gaining in popularity as a rising number of consumers are increasingly valuing indulgence and convenience,” Moreno supports.

According to Marcia da silva Pinto, senior technical manager, Health Ingredients at Evolva, the most popular delivery formats are those that provide consumers with a unique experience and stand-out online among the sea of me-too products. 

“Delivery technologies, including capsules, chocolates, chews, shots and of course the trendy gummies, are supporting the market growth and expansion by converting new generations of consumers. Versatile ingredients available in different grades and various formats have for sure a competitive advantage.” 

Functional foods for beauty
While supplements remain the leading categories for food and beverage collagen applications, functional foods and beverages have been emerging as a quickly developing market, says Moreno.

“These are attracting consumers who prefer fortified solutions to boost their nutrient and vitamins intake.”

Oliver Wolf, head of global B2B marketing at Gelita says that hydrolyzed collagen, which is easily digestible and highly bioavailable, is a good candidate for functional beauty applications. 

“It can be incorporated into various types of liquid and solid functional food applications or nutricosmetics without compromising the sensory profile. Moreover, it is free from e-numbers, fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates and gluten and is non-allergenic.”

The most popular delivery formats are those that provide consumers with a unique experience and stand-out online, experts say.Potential applications range from collagen water and concentrated ready-to-drink liquid shots to tablets, capsules and flavored powder mixes. 

“Even luxury foodstuffs such as coffee and chocolate can be enriched with natural collagen peptides, allowing for beauty care with a touch of great-tasting indulgence,” Wolf highlights.

“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.”

Synergy with topical applications
Many big players in the cosmetic and personal care industry have adopted this holistic approach, launching both topical and ingestible beauty products, says Moreno.

“There is an undeniable industry trend. This idea that oral and topical applications can complement each other, in terms of achieving the optimal results, could be possible. However, we definitely need a lot more scientific research to determine if there is indeed a synergistic effect,” she flags.

Géraldine Blanc, head of marketing at Evolva, says that while healthy skin is best achieved with adequate dietary intake of nutrients, there is a place for ingestible skincare when there is adequate science to back up its claims. 

“With more scientific evidence being published around the role of microbiota composition on our overall health, compounds that have a positive effect on its composition will be considered for NPD in the space of ‘inside out’ benefits.”

Topical and oral applications work in a different way but can both complement each other in their effect, according to Wolf.

“While topical applications like creams and lotions are targeting the upper layer of the skin and realize short-term effects, orally applied ingredients address the deeper layers and stimulate the metabolism to create a long term, more sustainable effect,” he supports.

Wellness and skin care converge
Gómez claims that as the COVID-19 pandemic has had ranging consequences on overall health, wellness and skin care are converging. 

“The potential is in the ability of companies in combining these two categories to create a super-beauty and wellness space dedicated to offer complete skin-body-mind balance solutions from the inside out.”

“To continue developing this growing market, we expect to see companies pairing topical products and launching them in conjunction with ingestibles that provide science-backed solutions to consumers seeking skin benefits from the inside-out,” Gómez concludes. 

By Kristiana Lalou