Nutricosmetics the new breed of beauty products

The new market for ingestible beauty promises almost miraculous results for skin – and big returns for its pioneers.

Anna Lahey, founder of Vida Glow

Anna Lahey seems happy, and she has every right to be. The 32-year-old founder of Vida Glow – a hydrolysed marine collagen that is part of a new breed of beauty products dubbed nutricosmetics, or ingestible beauty – has become a bona fide mogul within her industry. Lahey launched the brand in 2014 with her business partner and then-fiance Kieran Lahey, and they celebrated selling their very first unit on their wedding day. Today Vida Glow products are stocked in 114 stores globally and online, and Lahey and her husband can boast that one unit is sold every four seconds to women and men looking to boost their physical wellbeing with a simple sachet of powder.

“When we started it was very much a niche category, and when we first moved into Myer, for example, we were the first ingestible beauty brand there. And now both Myer and David Jones have a plethora of ingestible beauty brands available,” beams Lahey.

It’s a far cry, she says, from her early days hosting free tastings at the front of wellness stores, as we tour her plush new North Sydney offices, which include sweeping views across Sydney, a private gym, an innovation hub for testing products and weekly team Pilates classes. “I used to spend my weekends out the front of About Life, with a little apron and testings and giving people shots of collagen. Doing education for anyone who was kind enough to stop in the middle of their groceries on Saturday and have a chat about what I was offering.”

Life’s small pleasures, such as alcohol, sugar and sun exposure, also speed up the breakdown of collagen stores. Collagen supplement claim to boost collagen production in the body, effectively turning back the clock on some of the body’s ageing processes.

So what is it about collagen that is getting people so excited? Simply put, collagen is a protein that naturally occurs in the body, one of the most abundant in fact. It does everything from strengthening hair and nails to maintaining skin elasticity, and is the primary protein in the connective tissue found throughout the body. But researchers have found that, from around the age of 20 to 25, the body begins to lose its supply of this incredibly potent and important protein. This, along with time, is what causes much of the visible signs of ageing – brittle hair, crepey skin, dull complexion, and of course, wrinkles.

It doesn’t help that life’s small pleasures, such as alcohol, sugar and sun exposure, also speed up the breakdown of collagen stores. Collagen supplements, such as Vida Glow and By Beth, claim to boost collagen production in the body, effectively turning back the clock on some of the body’s ageing processes.

There are two main types of hydrolysed collagen available on the market today: marine and bovine. Depending on your dietary needs, both offer the same results, but there are differences in their processes.

Marine collagen, being sourced from fish, has the benefit of greater bioavailability. It also has a much lighter molecular weight, which some researchers say makes it much easier to absorb.

Bovine collagen, on the other hand, contains two types of collagen. Some research has suggested that bovine, being from a mammal, could be more compatible with the naturally occurring collagen in the human body. There’s also the argument that bovine collagen is more traceable in its processing methods. But ultimately the choice between the two is akin to picking either the organic salmon or the grass-fed beef – both are going to hit the spot.

Lahey’s path to becoming the unofficial face of the collagen supplement industry began while she was in Japan. “I was suffering from such significant hair loss,” she tells WISH. After trying multiple supplements and treatments to try to improve her condition, she turned to collagen. The results, she says, spoke for themselves: within weeks she noticed a significant decrease in hair loss.

Lahey says it was this first-hand experience of collagen’s benefits, knowing the potential it had to help other areas of wellbeing and health, that kept her going in the beginning. “For a long time we didn’t know if it was going to work, if it was going to take off, if any retailers were going to take us on board, if we were going to be able to move into international markets,” she says. “And then when we finally moved into China [it gave] us the revenue to be able to do things like the rebrand and hire people of such expertise. But that required trips to China while 36 weeks pregnant, leaving the hospital with a new baby and driving straight to Births, Deaths, and Marriages to get his birth certificate so I could get his passport so that in two weeks I could go back there. Since then I’ve had three babies... Yeah, I feel emotional when I look back at it.”

Internationally, in countries such as China, Korea and Japan, the use of ingestible collagen has been a regular part of beauty and wellbeing routines for years.

Internationally, in countries such as China, Korea and Japan, the use of ingestible collagen has been a regular part of beauty and wellbeing routines for years. It was while travelling in the region that Lahey herself first came across the product and discovered the benefits it could have. “I discovered marine collagen while I was in Japan,” she explains. “In Malaysia, Thailand, Korea and China, ingestible beauty, marine collagen, or collagen in particular as an ingestible, is common and has been around for a really long time. In many ways they understood the benefits and how it works long before the rest of the world caught up. But in saying that, Australia, with its environment and our lifestyle, and our wellness mindset – I think in some ways we are now ahead of the curve.”

It’s a truism, of course, that you are what you eat. But in recent years this has taken on new meaning, as nutrition and its impact on our complexions and appearance – not just wellness or health – have become increasingly entwined in conversations around edible beauty. The discussion around the role of diet as part of a beauty routine really found its way into the mainstream back in 2012 when former beauty editor Carla Oates founded The Beauty Chef. Looking back, it was a concept so simple – what we put into our mouth and gut has as much effect on the health and appearance of our skin as the multitude of products we buy to pamper our largest organ – that it took the multi-billion-dollar industry by surprise.

The magic of what Oates was offering was that the message already felt familiar – you really are what you eat, this was just a much more potent method of reaching that goal. Fast forward nine years and Oates’ Glow Inner Beauty Essential powder was named the most recent winner in the Best Australian Beauty category at the David Jones’ Beauty Awards. In 2020, Vida Glow took home the award for Best Inner Health category with its Anti-G-Ox Antioxidant Powder.

The buzz around its miracle effects, which include everything from improving the health of your skin to treating so-called leaky gut, has picked up with a ferocity that only the beauty industry can muster.

But collagen has become a different beast for beauty entirely. The buzz around its miracle effects, which include everything from improving the health of your skin to treating so-called leaky gut, has picked up with a ferocity that only the beauty industry can muster. Ingestible collagen has been praised for its age-defying effects on skin, from helping to improve the appearance of fine lines to creating a bouncier texture, to encouraging hair regeneration and healthier follicles, and even stronger nails. While it’s not claimed to be the fountain of youth, those who are behind the collagen craze – and the ingestible beauty industry at large – are making a strong case for it.

One of Sydney’s most sought-after skincare specialists, “Skin Whisperer” Melanie Grant, has been a self-described collagen dabbler for years. “I used to take Imedeen in my early 20s – I just remember it being so expensive back then!” she says. “Most mornings I like to add an unflavoured collagen powder to my smoothie. I find that ingestible collagen hydrates my skin from the inside out, helping to plump it up and pad out fine lines. Along with this, I’ve seen an improvement in the health and growth of my hair and nails.”

But Grant is cautious about saying that collagen is the solution for all our main ageing concerns. As someone whose specialty is bringing out the best in your complexion, her best advice is to always err on the side of common sense when it comes to claims of miraculous results and to see the supplement industry as just that – supplements within a well-rounded approach to skin health. “I have a very holistic view when it comes to skincare,” she says. “I believe a great complexion comes from within, so a great diet and a healthy lifestyle is crucial. Supplements, including collagen, can further boost or amplify your results.”

Founder of By Beth Beth Levis

Like Lahey, By Beth founder Beth Levis discovered collagen while searching for something that would help improve ongoing skin conditions that she had suffered since childhood: “I’ve always suffered from dehydration, particularly while breastfeeding. I also used to experience flaky skin. [Since taking collagen] I definitely don’t get that anymore,” she says.

In 2020, Levis launched her own line of bovine collagen, By Beth, after being unable to find a brand that met her list of requirements. She explains that By Beth contains not one but two strains of the protein necessary for skin and hair to flourish. “There are three different types of collagen, Types 1, 2 and 3,” she tells WISH. “Bovine, the collagen we use in By Beth, has Type 1 and 3. On top of that, bovine is rich in amino acids, glycine, proline, hydroxyproline. It contains 14 per cent more proline and 41 per cent more hydroxyproline than other forms of collagen.”

The desire to launch her own brand was also fuelled by the need to ensure that the collagen Levis was taking would be ethically and sustainably sourced – a non-negotiable, she explains, along with only using and working with farmers from Australia who had the same sustainability and ethical values she possessed. “Interestingly, the cow hides [we source our collagen from] are all kosher,” she explains. We aren’t a kosher product because it’s not manufactured in a kosher factory, but the cow hides are kosher. Because it’s sourced here in Australia, it falls under our incredibly high standards of agriculture. Being kosher then brings in the animal welfare element. There are a whole lot of rules about how the animal is treated, including the humanity. That was really key to me, to really make sure that I asked all the right questions like ‘How are you farming this? What cattle are we using?’”

Unfortunately, this is also where collagen has its first shortcoming – it can only come from animal life, either marine or bovine. There is no vegan substitute, says Levis. “You can never have vegan collagen. There are brands out there that sell it as collagen and then call it vegan. It doesn’t exist. You can’t get collagen from a plant.”

The second issue arises less from a shortcoming and more out of a healthy debate around the efficacy or even the need for a collagen supplement. As with most new research, the collagen industry has spawned polarising discussions in dermatology and medical circles. Clare Collins, Laureate Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle, hesitates to concede that collagen supplements have earned the praise that has been heaped upon them. “Some research has found benefits of collagen supplementation for some aspects of skin health,” says Collins. “But the research evidence is generally weak. Many studies claiming to find positive effects from collagen supplementation have been funded mostly by industries that manufacture these products. Therefore, the results need to be interpreted with caution.

“A bottle of collagen supplements can cost between $15-20 and more than $100. By comparison, you can get better value for money by eating foods rich in protein like meat, chicken, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, nuts, tofu, dried beans and legumes. This will provide the amino acids your body needs to make collagen.”

Results from randomised control groups that pitted patients on placebos against those who took a collagen-peptide supplement showed that those on the supplement experienced an increase in skin elasticity and hydration. However, founding dermatologist at Melbourne’s ODE Dermatology Dr Shyamalar Gunatheesan says the research that has been released in recent years shows very clearly that taking collagen can have a direct impact, not only improving skin and hair health but also diminishing the more common signs of ageing. “If you had asked me this about five years ago I would have said it’s all crap,” Gunatheesan says. “But looking at all the data, at randomised controlled trials versus placebos, it has been shown that overall skin health parameters, looking at wrinkle reduction, skin hydration, luminosity, pigmentation, clarity, all improved. It shocked me too but I have to say – yes, it works.”

In one study available on the National Library of Medicine, results from randomised control groups that pitted patients on placebos against those who took a collagen-peptide supplement showed that those on the supplement experienced an increase in skin elasticity and hydration. Similarly, another double-blind study done on women who had thinning hair showed that those who took collagen over a period of 180 days experienced a significant increase in volume and scalp coverage as well as overall thickness.

But exactly how it works, says Gunatheesan, is the more interesting question, with many researchers still unsure. “The more interesting thing for me is how ingesting collagen actually makes your wrinkles better. We don’t have a 100 per cent, I guess, verdict on this. But essentially how I think it works is, by taking collagen in your diet it obviously goes into your gut and there are these feedback loops or mechanisms that then help your body not break down as much collagen. So you’re getting these negative feedback loops where you’re getting less breakdown of collagen because your body thinks it has lots.”

But probably the most important study is the market forecast that predicts just how fast, and by how much, collagen and ingestible beauty products are expected to grow. By 2027, it’s predicted that the global collagen supplement market will reach $US22.6 billion. Beauty retailers have already started to tap into this growth area, expanding their repertoire well beyond your typical product range of make-up, cleansers and moisturisers by carving out specific wellness categories.

Sephora’s director of retail education for SEA, Angelique Hogan, says that the global retail chain spotted the potential in this sector back in 2017 when it launched its Wellness Wonders category, featuring brands such as The Beauty Chef, Bear, and WelleCo. “This category now sits beside the more traditional segments of make-up, skincare and fragrance,” says Hogan. “There is a growing awareness of the effects that stress, sleep, gut health etc have on the skin. Clients are looking for a more holistic approach to their beauty routines and are exploring skincare from within.”

“The entire nutricosmetics market is still really in its infancy,” says Lahey. “Just the category growth alone. From when we launched Vida Glow in 2014 to now, the three big changes that I can see are the category growth, the adoption by big retailers and the consumer mindset. So the nutricosmetics market is booming, and from what I can predict, I think this growth will continue its momentum in the next decade.”