Beauty from Within

Nestle USA launches a high-end beauty beverage, Glowelle.

By
Joanna Cosgrove
Online Editor

Though he spent many years in search of it, Ponce de Leon never did find that elusive Fountain of Youth, much to the dismay of every 20- through 60-something also on the hunt for new ways to hold back the years. But earlier this month, Nestlé USA launched its own proverbial fountain of youth, a beauty beverage called Glowelle, which is formulated to “nourish and protect skin from within.” And much like topical anti-aging skin serums and creams, the beverage will be sold exclusively by high-end retailers that cater to consumers accustomed to frequenting the store’s cosmetic and beauty counters.

The beverage hinges on the premise that good nutrition is essential to having healthy, radiant skin. It is marketed as an on-the-go daily beauty drink designed to help “nourish your skin and lift your spirits,” and is formulated to complement a consumer’s current skin care regimen.

What’s more, Glowelle is billed as a dietary supplement and contains vitamin-derived antioxidants, phytonutrients and botanical and fruit extracts specially chosen to benefit “both the inner and outer layers of skin” to “fight the signs of aging by nourishing and hydrating the skin from the inside out for an overall dewy glow.”

The novel beverage concept originated out of the Nestlé staff’s participation in an internal forum called Explorer Project (EP), which was created by Brad Alford, Nestlé USA’s chairman and CEO, as a way for the staff to pitch new ideas. Glowelle is the first item to be developed from the program and was created by a group of entrepreneurial women headed by Kimberly Cooper, Nestlé USA’s chief beauty officer, who had previously spent the past five years developing and marketing beverage brands for the company.

The group behind Glowelle noted that everyday environmental factors, such as pollution and sun exposure, can lead to the formation of free radicals, which are widely considered to be major contributors to the common signs of aging. “Without proper nutrition, your skin can’t fight back,” they said. “Antioxidants help protect from free radical damage. Glowelle’s proprietary formula gets incredible antioxidant power from a synergistic blend of skin-beautifying nutrients and botanicals.”

Glowelle’s skin-nurturing ingredients include green tea for its wealth of antioxidant catechin polyphenols (most notably, epigallocatechin gallate, also known as EGCG); the plant-derived carotenoid lycopene, which is “especially effective against singlet oxygen—a particularly pernicious type of free radical”; vitamin C, “essential for the production of collagen—those long, strong fibers that give your skin its structure and shape”; pomegranate extract for its ellagic acid; polyphenol-rich grape seeds; and beta-carotene, the “starting material” the body “uses to make vitamin A, which is key to fighting free radicals to help maintain healthy skin” and also for its “skin-supporting” antioxidant ability that enables it to “live in your skin” and “protects against the harmful effects of free radicals, promoting an even skin tone.”

Glowelle is available in two flavors: Natural Pomegranate Lychee Flavor and Natural Raspberry Jasmine Flavor. It comes in both a “natural juice” ready-to-drink variety and in 7- or 30-day powder pack kits. There are 100 calories per serving for the ready-to-drink version, and 50 calories per serving in the powder pack version. Ms. Cooper said additional new products are also in the works, but did not elaborate on whether the new products were flavor extensions or ancillary line extensions.

Nestlé advocates drinking Glowelle daily for best results. It is sold exclusively at Neiman Marcus stores nationwide and Bergdorf Goodman. It can also be found online at NeimanMarcus.com. The ready-to-drink bottles retail for $7 per bottle; powder packs retail for $40 for a 7-day supply and $112 for 30-day supply.