Ingestible skincare is becoming a staple in many beauty routines
FORGET charcoal face masks and chemical peels, ingestible skincare is growing in popularity and could be a gamechanger to your beauty routine.
THE latest trend in beauty? It’s got nothing to do with new eyebrow pencils, mascara formulas or lipstick shades. In fact, it doesn’t involve slathering anything on your face at all.
Introducing nutricosmetics, or ingestible skincare, the new generation of powders, drinks and pills that promise to make your skin glow — from the inside out.
Containing ingredients like marine collagen, probiotics, prebiotics and maqui berry, these ingestible skincare products offer a nutrient punch that your night cream mightn’t be able to match.
While there’ll always be a place in bathroom cabinets for beloved topical products, the rising popularity of these supplements is proof of a movement towards a more holistic approach to skincare. So much so, it’s been estimated that the nutricosmetics market will be worth USD$7.5 billion by 2020.
But it wasn’t always this way. In 2012 Carla Oates created The Beauty Chef. Feedback from wholesalers who tried her products was “overwhelmingly positive” but from a business perspective they were deemed too “left of field” to be sold in stores.
Fast forward to now and The Beauty Chef has over 130 stockists worldwide (and counting) and has just achieved beauty holy grail status by launching in Sephora US.
Oates is a firm believer that beauty “begins in your belly” and that digestive health is the key to healthy, clear skin.
“Our products are literally alive with beneficial bacteria that help to balance digestive health. If you want beautiful, glowing skin, you need to start with a balanced, healthy gut,” explains Oates.
“The gut is where 70% of the immune system lies, where we metabolise hormones, make detoxifying enzymes and nutrients, neutralise pathogens, make neurotransmitters. So much of what goes on in our digestive system can impact our skin.”
As the green smoothie-swilling wellness industry continues to expand (it’s currently worth a huge $3.7 trillion globally), it’s fitting that the beauty industry has followed suit. Nutricosmetic companies targeting the health-focused beauty consumer are multiplying rapidly.
It’s a climate Nicole Prasad, co-founder of marine collagen supplement company ProPlenish, welcomes.
“A more holistic approach to beauty and skin wellness has come about as consumers begin to better understand the link between inner health and outer beauty,” explains Prasad.
“It’s now more widely understood that inner health is an integral part of looking good and living well, it’s an investment in one’s self.”
Kate Morris, CEO and founder of Australian online beauty retailer Adore Beauty, says her business is seeing sales in the ingestible beauty category increase “dramatically”.
“In the last quarter this category grew by 177% on the previous quarter,” explains Morris.
“Many consumers are looking for all sorts of different ways to take their beauty routine to the next level and super-targeted beauty supplements … are fulfilling that need.”
If you’re keen to gulp your way to good skin, there’s a plethora of choice out there. From Raw Complexions to Fountain to Vidaglow — there’s a supplement for everyone.
While they’re worth a try if you’re looking to shake up your beauty regimen, Rosemary Nixon, Associate Professor at the Australasian College of Dermatologists, says we need to remember that consuming a healthy diet is the most important and effective way to look after your skin from within.
“We are gradually realising that, just as there are certain topical agents that may contribute to the improved appearance of skin, there are some nutritional substances as well,” explains Nixon.
While little research has been done to determine the effectiveness of the nutricosmetics industry as a whole, it’s clear they’re only going to take up more shelf space in future.
Bottoms up.