At this point, it doesn't matter if you’re a believer or not, nutricosmetics are here. I'm not sure if they're here to stay, but they're here nonetheless. According to a global report from Global Industry Analysts Inc. (GIA)—Nutricosmetics: A Global Strategic Business Report—the global market for nutricosmetics is forecasted to reach US$4.24 billion by the year 2017, driven by the increasing desire to move beyond conventional beauty solutions.
Asia has been the pioneer and success story of nutricosmetics. Japanese and Chinese cultures embraced this concept a long time ago. Unfortunately, nutricosmetics have struggled in the United States, with big brands such as Nestle and Mars launching edible beauty products that flopped; but that may be a trend of the past, as many celebrities are already using these treatments; and if Sarah Jessica Parker does it, well, you know what that means. Celebrities may be the golden ticket to this Willy Wonka-like beauty world.
A couple weeks, the New York Times wrote a feature about the newest beauty-from-within products. As expected, its copy was skeptical, but I suppose it makes sense—if manufacturers and beauty companies want to promise the world (a youthful world) in a bottle then they better be able to back it up or take the heat for false claims; however, the Times and other mainstream media do tend to be a bit skewed with it comes to the dietary supplement/nutricosmetics industry. Regardless, here's a look at a few new products that launched:
I'm sure you're familiar with Sue Devitt's products—famous for her seaweed-infused foundations. We'll she's taking nutricosmetics to the next level, and then some. Forget about ingestible beauty from a supplement or a beauty beverage. With Devitt, you can have your beauty and eat it too—on ice cream or yogurt or club soda—just drizzle the burgundy elixir (packaged in an over-sized nail polish-looking bottle with a dropper) and your yogurt just turned into an antioxidant- and mineral-infused berry treat. Apparently, Devitt noticed her skin perked up after noshing on goji berries, raspberries and blackberries, so she decided to create this elixir—no sugar, no calories.
She's not the only one thinking big. Major food companies such as Balance Bar and Crystal Light are introducing products that appeal to consumers' beauty appetite. Balance Bar's chocolate-flavored Nimble bars may pair well with Frutels' acne-fighting bonbons or Crystal Lights' Skin Essentials.
Personal care giant Unilever launched its nutricosmetic capsules—Strength Within—after five years of research. These soy isoflavones, omega-3s, lycopene and vitamin E and C-filled capsules sold out in four hours!
A man who's already made a name for himself is Dr. Nicolas Perricone with his "Wrinkle Cure", which offers the same promise as Unilever's Strength Within – to reduce and reverse wrinkles; to anti-age. But this is where the problem comes in: His claims lack substantiation. Where's the research, the clinical evidence, the published studies?
Nutricosmetics is a "fun" way to approach beauty and the preservation of youth; but that element may very well be its downfall. It makes sense that certain fruits and vegetables and fats and proteins would boost skin health, but are bonbons really the best way strengthen elasticity?
Hope you had a merry Christmas.
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