Skincare revolutions: “Beauty-from-within” pegged to be a mega-trend

04 Jul 2019 --- The body’s largest organ, the skin, is one that requires much nourishment and care. Ageless skin is coveted and has been an ongoing target area for the skincare industry. Even though science has long flagged the importance of proper nutrition and hydration, topical applications have reigned supreme so far. The space is, however, experiencing a refocus, with “beauty-from-within” evolving into a mega-trend and collagen supplementation becoming a staple in anti-aging skin regimens. Ingestible beauty, adaptogens and the demand for natural products are emerging trends, expected to influence future NPD.

“Modern lifestyles, external stress factors like pollution, UV radiation, unhealthy diet or sleep deprivation and general aging have negative impacts on our health and this can also affect the appearance of the skin,” Esther Belser, Head of Marketing at Mibelle Group Biochemistry, tells NutritionInsight.

Vitamins, minerals and plant extracts have been shown to improve certain skin conditions, such as hydration and skin density, over time. This is why nutrition, which counteracts these negative influences, is for sure an important component of agood candidate for a skin nutritional which aims to improve improving skin, nail or hair conditions, Belser says. 

“It’s important to return to a basic notion that our skin is nourished by our body. This means that all the benefits of foods that can be assimilated are also brought to the skin to maintain its health and then beautify it. It’s on this last point that the concept of ‘beauty-from-within’ has been developed. It means that your diet is not only to keep the skin healthy, but can also beautify it,” Fabrice Lefevre, Ph.D., Marketing and Innovation Director at Givaudan Active Beauty, tells NutritionInsight. 

A booming industry trend?
Belser says that there is a big opportunity for the “beauty from within” sector, particularly for the food and beverages industry. 

“Modern lifestyles and external stress factors like pollution can affect the appearance of the skin,” says Esther Belser, Head of Marketing at Mibelle Group Biochemistry.“The ‘beauty-from-within’ trend has just started and will grow significantly in the coming years as beauty is these days considered as our new personal currency,” she adds.

More than ever, the link between nutrition and skin conditions is obvious for consumers and beauty food supplements are one of the tools to get or maintain healthy skin, Irene Lamour, Business Development, Beauty Ingredients at Robertet, tells NutritionInsight. “In Japan, 23 percent of the launches of food supplements are beauty-oriented. The US is the most dynamic market with a yearly increase of 11.4 percent.” 

Promising applications for ingestible beauty
Topical skincare applications maintain their appeal, but ingestible beauty is on the fast track. Preventatively taking supplements for better skin and hair growth is a trend among millennials with many brands targeting this demographic via social media, such as Instagram. SugarBear Hair, for example, is a supplement company that has enlisted the help of social media influencers to build its brand. The brand features an innovative delivery form – teddy bear shaped colorful supplements with a sweet taste. 

“Beauty-from-within” is attracting increased consumer attention and companies are responding to the demand. At Givaudan Active Beauty, for example, formulation experts crafted an innovative concept that illustrates this trend. The Adaptogenes Botanicals Solution is a 2-in-1 inside out beauty concept.

“Designed from moringa leaves with dermo-purifying virtues and turmeric with radiance virtues, the duo comes in two distinct forms. One is used as a mask to detoxify the skin and make it fresh and radiant, the second is a moringa powder, which can be added to a large glass of water, juice or smoothie to enhance the effects of the mask and take care of your inner beauty,” Lefevre explains.

According to Belser, topical applications with cosmetic products target different layers of the skin but do not have systemic effects. The nutritional ingredients, in contrast, are only working systemically by being transported to the skin. With topical applications, the top layers of the skin (stratum corneum and epidermis) can effectively be treated and even instant effects can be achieved such as improvement of barrier function or instant moisturization. 

“On the other hand, the effects of nutritional ingredients will take more time but can easily achieve effects in deeper layers of the skin. From there, these ingredients can improve skin density or reduce deep wrinkles. Of course, the most effective way is to target the skin via both pathways, topically and internally at the same time,” Belser notes.

 Irene Lamour, Business Development, Beauty Ingredients at Robertet.Lamour says that traditional forms like soft gels, hard capsules and tablets are the norm. However, food-type applications are also becoming popular, such as gummies, shots and sticks of powders to dilute. 

The Robertet Health & Beauty range includes two ingredients intended for the skin: Lipowheat and Holimel. Both are natural, science-backed and are easily associated in new “multifunctional” formulations.

New market drivers and ingredients come to the fore
Lefevre also notes that the contemporary “skin-nutrition” business is increasingly focusing around consumer demands for sustainability, as well as a better-for-you approach in ingredients. “We are talking about quality, ethical sourcing and processes that respect the planet. At Givaudan Active Beauty we have a Pathfinder program that ensures a level of traceability in our ingredients.”

The skin nutritionals segment has been dominated by collagen and hyaluronic acid, whose popularity is linked to their large use in aesthetic medicine. 

“Classical vitamins such as vitamin C and zinc also remain very popular, supported by their traditional uses and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) claims in Europe,” Lamour says.

Some phytonutrients like lycopene are well established in sun-related formulations. One of the last trends, however, is probiotics. “Consumers are now aware of the link between a healthy microbiota and its benefits for the skin, as emerging science shows evidence on the subject,” Lamour says. 

Hurdles to overcome
Plant extracts are natural ingredients which can be fragile, so they are sometimes more complicated to formulate, according to Lefevre. That is where formulation experts come in, who may be able to put them in pleasant textures and combine effectively and in a compatible way. 

“Oily nutritional extracts can be put in small beads which will make it easier to insert them into the formulas. This visual technology, in particular beads, is made of natural cellulose,” Lefevre notes.

The ingestible beauty trend is expected to grow further and branch out into interesting sub-trends.Belser says that there are a lot of regulatory hurdles in the space, as the health and beauty claim legislations vary in different markets. Safety and efficacy are also very important factors to be considered in the development of new ingredients. 

“At Mibelle Biochemistry, we are innovating novel ingredients for the ‘beauty-from-within’ market, based on safe natural sources, new biochemical concepts and proven clinical effects. To ensure that orally ingested “skin nutrients” like collagen also reach their target tissues we have developed ingredients capable to switch on the relevant repair pathways,” she explains.

Whats next?
The ingestible beauty trend is expected to grow further and branch out into interesting sub-trends. The key trends in new product development are evidence of efficacy, naturality of ingredients and their ability to be multi-functional, according to Lamour. In beauty, multi-functionality is a concept that has been first developed in topical products and that now is gaining in nutritional products for the skin.

“At Mibelle, we believe that new life science trends such as skin stem cell activation, epigenetics or anti-pollution will find their way into skin nutritionals. The market will see fast growth with completely novel concepts and new claims,” Belser notes.

According to Lefevre, personalization in skin care is an upcoming trend. Ethnicity may, for example, influence treatment. “There is also a trend related to the connection between nutrition and traditional medicine, such as adaptogens, Ayurveda, TCM and European herbalism where plants are both nutritional elements and health elements.”

Lefevre also underscores the potential of probiotics for skin care.”In a much longer term, food will play a fundamental role in association with the intestinal microbiota that allows the absorption of elements and their transformation. The question of tomorrow is ‘how do these skin nutritionals combine with the skin microflora?’”

By Kristiana Lalou