An overarching, cross-industry theme, healthy aging has reached the ingestible beauty space, as consumer demands for ingredients that preserve and support healthy-looking skin rise. The link between nutrition and beauty is now more pronounced than ever, according to experts in the field, who speak to about the graceful aging trend and how it impacts this market. Moreover, novel ingredients are spotlighted for their ability to protect the skin and support a healthy appearance, from the inside.

Ingestible beauty is fast gaining popularity, with Innova Market Insights including it in its top ten trends of the year. The “Eat Pretty” trend is focused around functional foods and beverages, as well as supplementation that can support beauty-from-within. Previously reported on the beauty-from-within trend, as well as its rising applications and ingredient synergies.

“Topical skin care applications still have their appeal, but ingestible beauty products are on the rise. The link between nutrition and skin conditions is becoming obvious to consumers. As they become better educated about the correlation between skin health and nutrition, they are becoming more interested in understanding how these nutrients work together. This means they will favor products supported by the greatest amount of scientific research and substantiation,” says Andie Long, Marketing & Sales Manager at AstaReal.

“Nutrition impacts the greater concerns that individuals have with skin health. The use of cosmetics helps to treat mainly the epidermis, which is the outer layers of the skin, and those results are generally more superficial and temporary. However, to delay skin aging and have a more lasting effect, the treatments must reach deeper layers, such as the dermis and hypodermis, often referred to as the ‘heart of the skin.’ Nutrients taken orally travel through the bloodstream to the skin, allowing them to reach the dermis where they can have more profound effects on skin structure and target the internal causes of poor skin health,” notes Nuria Caturla, Director of Research and Development at Monteloeder.

Efrat Kat, Vice President of Global Sales of Solabia Nutrition/Algatech explains that people are aware of the fact that aging is a natural process but there are many external conditions that may accelerate skin aging. Photo-aging is the cause of most age-related changes on the skin. Exposure to sunlight and UV rays may damage the skin via the production of free radicals and collagen degradation, among other reasons.

“Consumers expectations could vary depending on skin types, cultures and ages. Appearance is fundamental; glowy, rested, uniform skin and less imperfections are a priority for all ages. In China, consumers perceive beauty purchases as investments in their career, private life and social success. In 2018, Chinese consumers spent US$25.9 billion on beauty products, making it the country’s fourth largest sector for discretionary spending,” says Irène Lamour, Marketing and Business Development at Robertet Health & Beauty.

Ingredient spotlight
Among the major staple skin health-boosting ingredients, collagen remains key, with continuous research on its benefits emerging. For example, daily supplementation with BioCell Collagen for 14 weeks can make skin elasticity 18 percent higher compared to placebo groups, according to a peer-reviewed mouse study. The study found that the company’s flagship ingredient – a branded dietary matrix of hydrolyzed collagen type II, chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronic acid – is a safe and natural option to reduce common signs of photoaging, including decreased wrinkles and improved skin hyaluronic acid content. This presents a novel avenue of research in testing type II collagen, touted by BioCell as being “more valuable” than type I and III.

Torsten Grothe, Head of Food & Health at Mibelle, puts focus on the company’s skin care ingredient DracoBelle Nu, which activates an endogenous anti-aging and longevity pathway for boosting collagen production in skin tissues.

“This effect has been demonstrated in various test-models and as well as in a clinical trial. A major outcome was increased skin moisture, skin density and elasticity, which results in an overall improved youthful looking skin. DracoBelle Nu can be a valuable partner for collagen peptides frequently used in supplements, but also a good solution for a collagen-free and vegan beauty supplement,” Grothe adds.

Algatech’s Kat spotlights astaxanthin, a xanthophyll carotenoid that gives sea creatures like shrimp, lobster and salmon their orange-pink color. “The richest natural source is the algae Haematococcus pluvialis, whose cells ramp up their production and storage of the carotenoid when threatened by environmental conditions. One such threatening condition is intense UV radiation from. It has been demonstrated that one of the roles astaxanthin plays in algae is as a protective agent against the photo-oxidation that such intense sunlight brings. The same protective benefits can support human health,” she adds.

In a study conducted by Fujifilm using Algatech’s AstaPure ingredient, natural astaxanthin was found to have a protective effect against UV exposure. The usefulness of astaxanthin for maintenance of healthy skin was proven in clinical studies, Kat says.

There are big opportunities for natural ingredients such as microalgae-derived AstaReal astaxanthin, echoes Long. “Industry is looking for plant-based sources of traditional ingredients, such as antioxidants, and is starting to focus on algae. Close to the bottom of the marine food chain, microalgae-derived astaxanthin fulfil consumer demand for more natural, vegetarian and sustainable products,” she says.

“Moreover, combination products are also on the rise. For example, a pairing of AstaReal astaxanthin and collagen offers synergistic effects for skin health. Other antioxidants, such as ubiquinol and vitamins E and C, can jointly protect skin from environmental stresses. Classic ingredients such as vitamin C and zinc also remain popular,” Long adds.

Monteloeder’s Caturla brings attention to the company’s Nutroxsun and Zeropollution products. Nutroxsun is a clinically proven ingredient consisting of a combination of Mediterranean rosemary and grapefruit extracts that protect from inside the skin from sun-induced damage. The phenolic compounds and diterpenes contained in the rosemary extract, as well as the flavonoids present in the grapefruit, act on specific and complementary targets giving rise to an effective photoprotection. Its effect is systemic, preventing and reducing photoinduced oxidation, skin photodamage and photoaging.

“Zeropollution is intended to help prevent and repair pollution-induced skin damage, including transdermal water loss, wrinkles, oxidative stress, sagging and inflammatory reactions. [The product] works to improve the skin’s barrier functions, which in turn increases resistance to oxidative stress and helps to reduce inflammatory reactions. It is a patented ingredient, consisting of rosemary, olive leaf, Lippia citriodora leaf, and Sophora japonica leaf extracts,” she explains.

Lamour says that Robertet has invested massively in the ingestible beauty segment and is focusing on four branded ingredients, backed by 11 clinical studies on skin, hair and body.

“We address all the beauty needs with these four ingredients. Among these are Lipowheat, which is the most studied phyto-ceramide based ingredient for skin glow, hydration and wrinkle reduction. Holimel is our powerful antioxidant that increases protection against sun damages Dimpless is a Superoxide dismutase (SOD)-related ingredient that fades cellulite appearance, and has been studied in two clinical studies,” adds Lamour.

“As for many other segments, science for skin applications is accelerating nowadays. Industry now has a much better understanding of the biochemical and cellular mechanisms involved in the aging processes of the skin tissue. It could be that factors like epigenetics, skin stem cell vitality, telomere shortening, controlled senescence and resistance against environmental factors like pollution become more and more important for the beauty segment too, going forward,” Mibelle’s Grothe predicts.