Ingestible beauty: Experts peg synergies and the microbiome as future trends

11 Jun 2020 --- In part one of this Special Feature on beauty-from-within, NutritionInsight spoke with experts who discussed trending ingredients and their innovative delivery methods. Part two explores the most important demographics for ingestible beauty, as well as the future trends that the space is expected to welcome as collagen may be nearing the “point of saturation.” Ingredient synergies, the microbiome in relation to skin, inclusivity for male-oriented skin care and affordable beauty are pegged as major future trends in this arena.

“Given the economic situation approaching, we expect to see a rise in the ‘Masstige Beauty.’ This means more affordable products – yet with a touch of premium or prestige beauty,” notes Florencia Moreno, Market Analyst at Rousselot Health & Nutrition.

“Another big beauty trend is brewing around inclusivity, from male personal care and beauty to gender-neutral beauty products. Finally, and definitely the most important next big trend, is Healthy Beauty. This includes not only aesthetic attributes, but also an overall active and wellness lifestyle focus. On top of this, collagen peptides will keep on scaling up its place in the ingestible beauty segment, where it has been considered by numerous news and beauty outlets as the beauty ingredient for 2020 and beyond,” Moreno highlights.

David Tetzlaf, Director of Marketing at Evolva, says that he sees beauty and fitness intertwined as people search for holistic products that can support overall wellbeing. One example of a multi-functional ingredient is collagen, with many consumers taking it for both its beauty-from-within benefits and its ability to support bone and joint health. Resveratrol falls in this multi-functional category as well since it not only supports beauty-from-within but can also support bones and cardiovascular health, among many other benefits demonstrated in several clinical studies, he explains.

Carotenoids are a great example of a synergistic ingredient. They help influence overall skin appearance and even balance skin’s natural collagen levels.While collagen is a staple ingredient in the space, more ingredients are emerging that can benefit the skin, thus starting new trends. “I think that the ingestible beauty space is very familiar with collagen – almost to the point of saturation. Consumers understand its benefits and have integrated it into their beauty routines. They are now looking for ingredients that have synergy with collagen and even add additional benefits,” says Laurentia Guesman, Product Manager, Carotenoid Formulations at Lycored.

“Carotenoids are a great example of a synergistic ingredient. They help influence overall skin appearance and even balance skin’s natural collagen levels, making them perfect partners,” she adds.

Isabel Gómez, Global Marketing Manager, Nutraceutical Ingredients at Lubrizol Life Science notes that she expects to see more launches that include clean, natural, transparent ingredients with scientific backing coming in more on-the go delivery formats. “This trend is mostly driven by consumers demanding more naturalness, health claim-validated ingredients and convenience in the products they buy. Also, I would expect a significant focus on the field of nootropics given the growing knowledge of the importance of mental health to maintaining a healthy lifestyle that can also impact our skin appearance,” Gomez underscores.

According to Marcia da Silva Pinto,Technical Sales and Customer Support Manager at Evolva, the next big trend will come from better understanding of how the gut microbiota can influence several elements of health, including the skin. Silva Pinto notes that Evolva is collaborating with Northumbria University in the UK to bring insights into how resveratrol supplementation can modulate the gut microbiota composition toward a healthy gut.

Targeting the right audience
According to Gomez, there seems to be global growing interest in beauty supplements and functional foods, as consumers have realized that they play a part in supporting their needs of skin, hair and nails. Additionally they can counter damage linked to temporary COVID-19 lockdowns or salon closures.

“We continue to see the age demographics shift downward as younger women are seeking products as preventative measures to counteract the oxidative stress from UV, pollutants, and other environmental factors,” says Evolva’s Tetzlaf.

Evolva’s Silva Pinto also explains: “Beyond age, we also see regional differences in interests for skin-related products. For instance, in Asia there is a significant interest in ingredients that can provide efficacy as skin whitening agents. Meanwhile in Europe and the Americas, there is a much bigger interest in skin appearance related to wrinkles, luminosity and hydration.”

Beauty-from-within has shifted more into a healthy lifestyle trend and market segments have also expanded to include not only mature consumers but also younger audiences. Beauty-from-within products speak to a range of consumer groups. Older Millennials are more aware than past generations that beautiful aging begins in the twenties, according to Lycored’s Guesman. 

“Preventing damage and caring for your skin earlier on in life pays dividends later on, and certainly provides better outcomes than treatment once the damage has been done. Lycored recently conducted a survey and found that looking good has the same importance for men as women. Furthermore, a significant proportion of respondents aged 18-35 believe it is more important for men to look good than women. This data suggests there is an increasing market for products that can help Millennial men achieve this goal,” she adds.

For Rousselot’s Moreno, beauty-from-within has shifted more into a healthy lifestyle trend and market segments have also expanded to include not only mature consumers but also younger audiences. 

“Practically, ingestible beauty demographics range from Gen Z and Millennials all the way up to Gen X and Baby Boomers. There is a beauty need to be fulfilled in every stage of life, for example anti-aging effects, such as reducing wrinkles or a focus on everyday beauty concerns like growing hair or nails longer, to mention a few,” Moreno concludes.

With beauty and aging gracefully remaining an important cultural aspect across the globe, the beauty-from-within space is expected to keep growing at a fast pace. As more holistic approaches like overall health and wellness for beauty emerge, industry will have to keep up with the demand for natural ingredients, synergies and an all-inclusive approach for all demographics.

By Kristiana Lalou