Beautyworld Middle East takes a look at the advent of nutricosmetics and how they are penetrating the personal care and cosmetics sector.
Everyone knows the benefits a healthy and balanced diet can have on our skin, hair and nails as well as our overall wellbeing. Superfoods has become a common marketing term for foods that have health benefits. It is a modern craze that has helped everyone from grocery store and health food retailers to restaurateurs and food manufacturers to market many products and services as healthy lifestyle choices.
Is it any wonder then that the personal care and cosmetics sector also started to look at the concept of beauty from within? Nutricosmetics has become a new category which promotes health supplements and the use of superfoods and probiotics as a natural part of one’s daily beauty regime.
Beauty from within – what is it all about?
Those that advocate a beauty from within approach are strong believers in the science that beauty starts from the inside out and that any beauty regime should tap into the benefits of nutrition. This has given rise to a new generation of nutritional supplements that promise aesthetic benefits and it is a category that is quickly gaining traction within the personal care and cosmetics industry.
According to research from Euromonitor International nutricosmetics sales reached USD 3.3 billion (bn) in 2015. Nutricosmetics are essentially dietary supplements that are designed to use nutritional knowledge to protect hair, skin and nails from the damaging effects of UV rays, and ageing. It is a particularly popular category with those looking to discover natural yet effective beauty solutions.
Who are the major players?
Perhaps the pioneer of nutricosmetics or clinical nutritional skin care, London-based beauty brand Oskia was founded on the benefits of MSM (Methyl Sulphonyl Methane), also known as the ‘Beauty Mineral’, which is said to promote circulation and decrease inflammation resulting, according to the brand, in a “brighter, younger looking complexion.” Vitamins, minerals, proteins and omegas are combined in Oskia products from their nutritional creams and serums to their supplements to give a “beautifully healthy and glowing complexion” in what they have coined “the first steps to a modern approach to skin care.”
Known for its products across personal care and cosmetics, natural wellness brand Burt’s Bees has also recently taken a modern approach to skin care with the launch of its Healthy Radiance collection in January 2017. Championing the beauty from within concept, it is a collection of three different powdered shake mixes which target a balanced diet, healthy lifestyle and healthy skin. Speaking about the healthy shakes line Burt’s Bees General Manager Jim Geikie said, “We’ve had the belief that real beauty and well-being should be nourished from the inside out. We’ve been nurturing skin with nature’s most powerful ingredients. Now we’re helping to nourish the body with them.”
There are many other players breaking into this market. Online retailer Cult Beauty has stocked hair, skin and other health supplements under its wellbeing category since they helped launch Oskia in 2009 and global cosmetics retailer Sephora has an entire Skin Superfoods category under its Skincare umbrella. In fact the beauty departments of many of the world’s leading retailers including Selfridge’s, Harvey Nichols and Bloomingdales are stocking nutricosmetics alongside their more traditional beauty products.
Are nutricosmetics the future in personal care and cosmetics?
Perhaps still in its infancy for many, it is still unclear where the beauty from within concept will go within the personal care and cosmetics sector. For many it is still an unknown entity with little or no scientific evidence of its benefits, but for others who are willing to experiment with products and try anything in an effort to reduce the effects of ageing, it could be the future.
