US nutricosmetics market now a ‘more advanced’ category

Current estimates by researcher GIA, forecast the global nutricosmetic market will be worth approximately $5.5bn by the year 2018. And although the US market still only counts for a tiny fraction of that amount, the value and share is rising rapidly from a low base.

“Thanks to industry launches and innovations in this category, as well as people speaking out and promoting the advantages of beauty from within products, nutricosmetics are now at a more advanced level in the US,”​ said Paula Simpson, an international beauty nutritionalist and an expert on the nutricosmetics market, who spoke to Cosmetics Design in an exclusive interview.

Simpson points out that the category has developed on three clear lines, namely regulation and compliance, the form of the actual products and the benefits.

The fine line between regulation and product form​

This means that the development of new products has had to tread the line between being compliant with USFDA regulations for oral and not topical products, while also giving consumers a product that is in an acceptable form with comprehendible benefits.

“The big challenge to get around is that with topical products the results are quicker, sometimes even immediate, whereas with orally-consumed nutricosmetics the results will invariably take a lot longer to start showing,”​ said Simpson.

“This is where it becomes vitally important to communicate exactly what the benefits of ingesting nutricosmetics are and the advantages they have over some conventional cosmetic products. It all boils down to getting the message right.”​

The topical oral trend​

One of the most significant trends is the evolution of combined topical and oral products, which taps into the holistic beauty and well-being trend, Simpson also points out.

Science is increasingly pointing to the fact that a combination of supplements that contain lipids and antioxidants, along with effective topical treatments are some of the most effective means of fighting the oxidative stress levels that can lead to physical signs of aging.

Simpson points to the spa brand Bliss as being a product line that highlights this combination approach to beauty. Bliss markets a line of triple oxygen nutricosmetic supplements sticks, in combination with a range of triple action topical skin care products.

Put collagen supplements and juicing on the radar ​

“Collagen-based beauty supplements have long been very popular in Japan, but now the ingredient is also starting to creep into nutricosmetic product launches in the US, too,” said​ Simpson.

One example of this is Beauty Foods Nightly Beauty Drink, which is a ‘beauty cocktail’ that contains hyaluronic acid and collagen type II, together with a number of sleep-enhancing extracts aimed at promoting a ‘restorative sleep and vibrant skin’.

And Simpson also says we should be looking out for beauty claims being increasingly made by companies jumping on the huge trend for juicing, predicting that during the course of the next year the market is likely to see a significant rise in the number of products in this category making beauty claims.