Ingestible beauty innovations towards holistic wellness

For many consumers, taking good care of one’s physical and mental well-being is akin to holistic beauty that radiates from within. This convergence of beauty and wellness will be important for consumers seeking products that can address key health issues such as aging, hair loss and hormonal imbalances.

Beauty and skin health support from the inside out can provide an alternative to conventional makeup and beauty routines by bringing more skin health and beauty-related benefits to food, drink and supplements. Between January 2017 to December 2021, global food, drink and supplements launches with functional beauty claims* increased by 78% according to Mintel Global New Products Database. Launches in APAC show dynamic activity in ingestible beauty innovation.

Ingestible beauty as a healthy ageing solution

The demand for healthy ageing is expanding into broader demographics from seniors to the middle-aged and Millennials. This is driven by the rise of preventive health and heightened self-care and active lifestyle practices. Mintel research shows that about 7 in 10 consumers in Australia and New Zealand agree that a healthy diet can be more beneficial to skin/hair than the products you use.

Collagen is an on-trend beauty wellness ingredient and is seen as having a positive effect on complexion and supporting a more youthful appearance. While collagen is still the trendiest beauty ingredient on the market, hyaluronic acid is gaining interest, which is known to trap water inside tissue cells, keep the eyes moist, the joints lubricated, and the skin hydrated and youthful. Coupling hyaluronic acid with more established beauty ingredients such as collagen could drive awareness, as consumers are already more familiar with the latter’s beauty benefits. 

Other ingredients to watch in this space are proteoglycan for skin aging and joint health, and ceramides for healthy skin lipids. Ceramides are naturally present in skin cells but decline with age, therefore, the skin barrier becomes more vulnerable. Researchers have advised taking phytoceramide supplements (or ceramides derived from plants) to help the body elevate its natural levels.

Boost nutrition for hair health

Hair loss can have many causes such as stress, health issues (e.g. diabetes), genetics, age, or improper nutrition in one’s diet (e.g. deficiency in certain nutrients). Mintel data shows that 53% of Indian consumers would be interested in beauty supplement products that can prevent hair fall and support healthy/strong hair, while 64% of Chinese consumers are interested in nourishing claims in haircare products. 

Given the strong consumer interest in hair health, the anti-hair loss ingestible will be sought after in the category. Brands can demonstrate how food, drink and supplements for hair loss are the next natural step beyond topical remedies or explore nutrients and ingredients that are proven to be multifunctional and support both physical and hair health.

Ingestible beauty that addresses women’s hormonal cycles

The fluctuations in women’s hormone levels have a significant effect on physical, emotional, and mental health. From premenstrual syndrome (PMS) to painful periods and other symptoms of hormonal imbalance, women will increasingly look for ingestible beauty products that provide targeted nutritional support for these concerns. 

According to the Mintel Trend ‘Make it Mine’, personalized offerings will become expected, as a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer enough for health and wellbeing. In the US, 31% of supplement users think a specific formula for people like themselves is important. 

As consumers in APAC are recognizing the link between overall health and good skin regardless of age, ingestible beauty innovations within the food, drink and supplements sector, are now ripe for growth and are among the key trends to watch this year. 

*beauty benefits; skin, nails & hair; skin disorders; UV protection; beauty-enhancing

This article also appeared in Retail Beauty Magazine’s Winter 2022 edition here (pages 40-41).