The Asia Pacific region accounts for 65 per cent of the market volume, leading the way in both consumption and innovation, according to Zenith International, with Japan the largest national market worldwide.
"In Asia there is a long held awareness of the role that food and drink plays in health, wellness and beauty. Japan in particular has an almost national obsession with achieving flawless skin, so using beauty drinks in conjunction with topical applications is seen as the best way to help achieve it," Zenith Internationals senior market analyst, Charmaine Holmes, told CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com.
Limited appeal in Europe and North America
Europe accounts for 19 per cent of the total market volume, and North America accounts for 13 per cent, according to the report.
Holmes said that in these markets, dietary supplements remain the most common delivery system for ingestible cosmetics benefits, highlighting that consumer skepticism, a more limited understanding of ingredient benefits, and the higher price point of beauty drinks has limited their appeal.
Holmes said that products aimed at preventing or reducing the signs of aging account for the largest proportion of the beauty drinks market, although drinks targeting more general skin radiance are also popular.
"Beauty drinks were originally aimed at more mature women looking for anti-ageing products," said Holmes, adding that as anti-aging regimes are now starting at an earlier age, brands are increasingly targeting younger women, and products specifically aimed at reducing acne in teenagers have also emerged.
New ingredients making an appearance
Collagen, hyaluronic acid and ceramide are popular beauty drink ingredients, as well as antioxidant compounds such as carotenoids. However, Holmes notes that a host of new ingredients, such as porcine placenta and superoxide dismutase, have recently begun to make an appearance.
Recent product launches in the beauty drinks market include BeautySleep by the US company Big Quark, which combines beauty and sleep inducing ingredients, and White Water from Japan-based Dydo Drinkco, a beauty drink aimed at men.
The global economic downturn has impacted the beauty drinks market, which saw strong growth up to 2007, and hurdles such as taste, efficacy, consumer skepticism and distribution issues are yet to be overcome, said Holmes. However, the market is forecasted to reach 185mn litres by 2014, with China and Brazil tipped as markets to watch in the future.