The Beauty-from-Within Landscape
The beauty-from-within trend, or Nutricosmetics, has been growing globally. Nutricosmetics is a field of cosmetic science that mixes personal care and nutrition, a convergence of nutraceuticals and cosmetics that has made nutricosmetics a way to intensely and holistically care for one’s external beauty.Nutrition Business Journal states sales in beauty-from-within will reach $1.445 billion in 2023.1 NBJ analysts forecast growth for the category to reach 4.7% by 2026. Globally, the nutricosmetics market is set to expand from $5 billion in 2023 to $8.2 billion by the end of 2033, with a 5% growth rate, according to FactMR.
Although APAC leads the way in growth in this market, EMEA is currently the second most crucial region in terms of growth and is currently very active in launching products in this arena. According to Innova Market Insights, the demand for skin health supplements is booming, with the category experiencing more than 30% average annual growth in dietary supplement product launches globally between 2017 and 2021.
So, what about the U.S. market? Grandview Research reports that the market is expected to witness a CAGR of 6.7% from 2022 to 2030. This is excellent news for formulators and brand owners since, according to Natural Products Insider, U.S. consumers are now more engaged and are actively seeking out these nutricosmetics.2
What’s Trending in Nutricosmetics?
Consumers’ awareness of ingestible beauty solutions is increasing, and they are prepared to spend good money on high-quality nutricosmetics. SPINS believes that natural products are shaping the beauty industry.3 With awareness of the benefits of natural products and rising environmental concerns, product demand will likely increase in the upcoming years.Other market trends, such as chemical-free products, are seeing growth among those who support organically grown beauty product start-ups. This target audience prefers beauty and cosmetic products that are transparent about their content, which will likely drive the demand for natural skin care products even more.
Although interest in Nutricosmetics is strong among millennials, consumers across a broad spectrum of ages—between 14 and 84—are buying beauty products to combat signs of aging.
Another trend fueling the growth of nutricosmetics is holistic wellness. Keeping this in mind, beauty brands are keen to offer a better and broader range of food supplements to complement traditional topical product offerings. For example, consumers are looking for supplements that can help them tackle aging and promote healthier-looking hair and skin through regular consumption.
Beauty consumers understand the link between a healthy body, mind, and appearance. Nutricosmetics encompass the desire to take a more proactive, holistic approach to maintaining health and radiance with age. As such, beauty supplements rely on ingredients that improve and support mental, sleep, and metabolic health.
According to SPINS, evidence that ingredients work is even more appealing in this market. Brands in the beauty-from-within space are realizing that it’s more important to validate claims with science because of consumer demand for it. Mintel researchers agree. “The medicalization of beauty is leading to more demand for proof behind claims, creating value through ingredient-led products.” They identified “Beauty Rx” as a top trend that will impact consumer demands for beauty in 2023 and at least five years into the future.4
Another aspect of this trend is that manufacturers of skin health ingredients are realizing the importance of enhancing their ingredients to make claims of improved solubility, bioavailability, and stability. Liposomal technology has found its way from pharma to dietary supplements and now cosmeceuticals. Targeted delivery of ingredients provides brands with a competitive edge in the marketplace.
Gencor’s Standout Solutions for Nutricosmetics
Compared to traditional drug delivery systems, liposomes offer enhanced qualities such as targeted site delivery, gradually releasing nutrients while protecting them from degradation and rapid clearance from the body. PlexoZome® is a scientifically proven complex liposomal technology created by Pharmako Biotechnologies and distributed by Gencor. These genuine liposomes are verified through TEM and Cryo-TEM imaging, Zeta potential, and DLS testing. Nutricosmetics powered by PlexoZome® technology have improved stability, optimized absorption, and targeted delivery, ensuring efficacy and bioavailability.Curcumin is a natural, clean botanical used as a nutricosmetic in beauty, traditionally used in skin health for blemish control, acne, rosacea, and skin brightening. In the beauty-from-within sector, curcumin had a 14% share, with the second-highest growth in the top ten positionings and an annual increase of 39.5%. In fact, skin health/beauty is among the top five benefits consumers attribute to curcumin, according to a 2020 Consumer Survey by Ingredient Transparency Center.
HydroCurc® is the world’s most bioavailable curcumin in a single dose.5 HydroCurc® has various published clinical trials, but its human pharmacokinetic study shows how effective it is compared to other curcumins in the marketplace. This PK study showed 807 ng/mL curcuminoids in blood plasma — an accurate way to measure and compare absorption. The next best only achieves 200ng-250ng/mL. HydroCurc® has 85% curcuminoids. Two capsules of HydroCurc® deliver 750 mg of curcuminoids compared to other “bioavailable” curcumins in the market using 8 capsules as a single dose delivering 2 grams of curcuminoids. We achieve an AUC of 2454 ng/ml over 24 hours.
Levagen®+ is a bioavailable palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) with superior absorption powered by the award-winning delivery technology LipiSperse® developed by Pharmako Biotechnologies. Previously clinically tested to support joint health, sleep, recovery, immunity, aches, and discomfort and provide a healthy inflammatory response, a recently published clinical trial demonstrated that Levagen®+, as a topical cream, provides relief to dry, red, scaling, and itchy skin.6
Levagen®+ is an anti-inflammatory agent that can be used in cosmeceuticals. It safeguards the extracellular matrix from damage caused by oxidative stress and reverses the skin’s immunological dysregulation. Due to its ability to support skin health as a topical ingredient, Levagen®+ can be found in a state-of-the-art, patented cosmeceutical, LYMA Skincare, and other topicals in Europe.
Botanicals fit the bill nicely as consumers increasingly seek natural, sustainable, and clean ingredients in the nutricosmetic space. HairAGE® Vitae is a branded Ageratum conyzoides that may inhibit 5-alpha-reductase and positively impact dihydrotestosterone production,7 which has been known to influence hair loss and thinness.
In a recently published clinical trial, the 12-week daily supplementation of Ageratum conyzoides significantly reduced hairline recession compared to the placebo group. HairAGE® Vitae offers manufacturers a clean and natural ingredient that is scientifically verified, self-affirmed GRAS, and suited for various formats catering to vegan/vegetarian consumers — fitting perfectly in the nutricosmetic space to support hair health.
Omega-3s are renowned for their powerful health benefits: anti-inflammatory properties and may help improve skin barrier function, improve skin health, reduce acne, promote hair growth, and reduce hair loss. Consumers want the purest, most highly concentrated, pharmaceutical-grade omega-3 supplements with the lowest oxidation and contaminant levels, and Gencor has a top-grade solution.
AquaCelle® Omega-3 is specifically designed to enhance the bioavailability of DHA + EPA in fish, krill, and algal oil. Scientifically proven and clinically tested in humans, Pharmako’s AquaCelle® Omega-3 dramatically improves absorption, increasing omega-3 uptake by over 600% and minimizing fishy reflux. The formulations deliver up to 85% concentrated omega-3 active load with a modest 15% AquaCelle® excipient. This industry-leading ratio allows for smaller and/or fewer doses and offers ease of incorporation into multi-active formulations, including water-based formulations.
Conclusion
As more people turn to natural, well-being-oriented solutions to nourish themselves and create an outer glow, lifestyle-focused beauty represents a clear opportunity for brands looking to differentiate. Beauty supplements with additional health claims are gaining traction. In order to continue developing this growing market, it’s imperative that companies pair topical products and launch them with nutricosmetics that provide science-backed solutions to consumers seeking benefits from the inside out.References
1. Informa. Nutrition Business Journal Condition Specific Report 2023.2. Informa. “Product development guide: An alluring opportunity: Ingredients boost beauty from within.” Natural Products Insider. June 2023
3. SPINS. The State of Natural Beauty. Spring 2023
4. Mintel. 2023 Global Beauty and Personal Care Trends. 2023
5. PK Study – LipiSperse®: Increased bioavailability of curcumin using a novel dispersion technology system. Briskey D, Sax A, Mallard AR, Rao A. Eur J Nutr. 2019 Aug;58(5): 2087-2097. doi.org/10.1007/s00394-018-1766-2
6. Rao A, Moussa AA, Erickson J, Briskey D. Efficacy of topical palmitoylethanolamide (Levagen+) for the management of eczema symptoms: A double-blind, comparator-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2024 Feb 26. doi: 10.1159/000536670. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38408443.
7. Detering M, Steels E, Koyyalamudi SR, Allifranchini E, Bocchietto E, Vitetta L. Ageratum conyzoides L. inhibits 5-alpha-reductase gene expression in human prostate cells and reduces symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy in otherwise healthy men in a double blind randomized placebo controlled clinical study. Biofactors. 2017 Nov;43(6):789-800. doi: 10.1002/biof.1389. Epub 2017 Oct 19. PMID: 29048765.
