Consumers Seeking Products to Improve Appearance—From the Inside Out
Appearance is more than just cosmetic—it’s also linked to a person’s overall health. In the U.S., 68% of consumers recognize the link between good skin health and good overall health (up 7% from last year).1 In addition, 42% of U.S. consumers are unsatisfied with their own skin health.2 Their skin concerns include hyper-pigmentation, dark under-eye circles, visible pores, acne, dry skin, oily skin, and wrinkles.3
Consumers are increasingly looking for products that can treat their skin problems from the inside out for truly healthy skin. Beauty supplements, beverages, and foods offer a solution. In fact, almost half (47%) of North American consumers look for foods, beverages, or supplements that can improve their appearance (up 5% from 2018), with 52% specifically looking for products that can reduce signs of aging (up 17% from 2018).4
The Appeal of Beauty-from-Within Products
Beauty-from-within products are appealing to consumers on multiple fronts. Not only are they trendy, but they also give consumers the sense of a highly personalized product designed with their unique needs in mind. Consumers are also drawn to beauty-from-within products because they feature simple ingredients that they’re already familiar with like biotin and other B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D, collagen, green tea extract, and hyaluronic acid.
The Evolution of Beauty Supplements
The evolution of beauty supplements has been a fascinating journey. Originally available primarily as single-source products like biotin or collagen supplements, supplements with beauty benefits became rebranded as “hair, skin, and nail” supplements. This targeted messaging for beauty supplements took off and gave rise to competition based on new formats like gummies, liquid time-released capsules, and ready-to-mix powders.
More recently, there has been another shift in messaging and labeling—from “hair, skin, and nail” supplements to simply “beauty” supplements. Now, beauty supplement brands are beginning to focus on offering consumers more specific benefits. Examples include Olly’s Flawless Complexion which “supports clear, healthy skin” and Hum’s Hair Sweet Hair “for stronger, healthier hair.”
Beauty from Within Expands into Food and Beverage
As beauty supplements continue to grow, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of and interested in incorporating beauty support ingredients into their diets. Among North American consumers, 61% say they regularly seek out food and beverage products that can improve skin health; this has grown from 45% just three years ago.5
The trend in functional beauty products is showing up across the globe. Some product examples include Bulletproof Cold Brew with collagen (U.S.), Sujahta Meiraku Tebes Nutritional Drink for Beauty with hyaluronic acid (Japan), and Lohillo Paradise Sparkling Energy Drink with collagen, vitamin C, and hyaluronic acid (China).
Spotlight on Skin Health
Beverages stand out as the most popular format for functional products for skin health, with consumers open to a wide variety of beverage types. In the U.S., the top categories consumers would like to see with skin health claims are coffee/tea (54%), juice/smoothies (44%), and soft drinks (40%).6
The right skin health ingredients are also key. For U.S. consumers (who recognize these ingredients), the top ten ingredients associated with skin health are:7
- Vitamin D (55%)
- Probiotics/cultures (51%)
- Vitamin B6 (49%)
- Omega 6 (49%)
- Vitamin A (48%)
- Vitamin E (46%)
- Prebiotics (44%)
- Vitamin C (43%)
- Vitamin B12 (42%)
- Ginseng (32%)
In-Demand Ingredients for Today’s Functional Nutrition Products
The category of functional foods and beverages with beauty benefits is just getting started, making this an ideal time for brands to consider expanding into this market. The high level of consumer interest in beauty-from-within products (especially for skin health benefits) also hints at the high growth potential of this new category.
Developing your next functional product is easier than ever with Glanbia Nutritionals' custom premix solutions. Choose from the most in-demand ingredients to transform an existing product or develop something brand new with a formula that’s uniquely yours. Contact us to learn more.