New research emerges in support of nutricosmetics' efficacy. But can manufacturers use this science to help grow the beauty-from-within industry and get more consumers on board?
New research emerges in support of nutricosmetics' efficacy. But can manufacturers use this science to help grow the beauty-from-within industry and get more consumers on board?
I do. In part because I the consumer want to know that nutricosmetics aren’t a waste of money. I the editor want to know that the articles I write about nutricosmetics aren’t a waste of time. But how much are other natural products consumers and manufacturers paying attention to the science?
During a 12-week study published online ahead of print in the journal Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, participants who took fruit and veggie concentrates in capsule form daily experienced a significant improvement in skin hydration and thickness. Concentrates included those from cherry, apple, broccoli, cranberry, orange, pineapple, spinach and tomato.
This study supports a prediction my coworker Caren Baginski and I made during a presentation at this year’s NutriCosmetic Summit: In order for nutricosmetics to survive—and thrive—in the natural products industry, manufacturers should focus on efficacious capsules rather than processed foods or beverages.
The University of Witten-Herdecke in Germany and Juice Plus supplement manufacturer NSA cofunded the study. Red flag? Not exactly. Nutricosmetics is still a relatively small industry in the United States, and it’s important that manufacturers be proactive by conducting reliable studies, validated at a university and published in an impactful journal. Then make that information accessible to consumers.
I’ll get more clues about the future of nutricosmetics this week at Natural Products Expo East, as I look at new product launches, marketing strategies, and collaborations in the personal care and supplements industries. But the fact that companies are investing in the research leads me to believe that more and more manufacturers are also predicting success for beauty from within.
Often, consumer (and retailer) demand drives natural products markets. But with nutricosmetics, manufacturers must lead the way. Because using beauty products is such as sensory experience, and one rooted in routine and habit, consumers will always demand topical products (high-quality options are efficacious and should work with nutricosmetics). However, if manufacturers continue to leverage research in a smart way, I think the once-skeptical consumer will also start to care about nutricosmetics.
